The Letter D

It's time to celebrate the letter D!

The kindergartners had some homework to do last Wednesday night.  They had to go in search of something from home that begins with the letter D.  This is my way of allowing a "Show and Tell" type of activity to occur, but with a literacy focus.  Here are some of the great things they brought in to share--

Samuel, Jennifer, and Audrey brought dinosaurs. 

 This group brought stuffed animals dogs. 

Jack brought a photograph of his actual dogs!

 Caitlyn, Reese, and Chloë brought dolls.

 These boys brought in a dragon, a drumstick, and a dump truck!

The children practiced writing the letter D in many ways, but my favorite practice pages are from Starfall. 

Here are Samuel and Nathan practicing their D's.

We also added the D page to our ABC books.  Mrs. Misenheimer made these for us before school started.  It's just 14 pages bound together.  We are so lucky to have a machine in our workroom that will bind pages spirally in seconds! The children find a sticker, the letter in the newspaper, draw a picture of something that begins with that letter and write that letter.  We'll be adding another step soon.

What would a fun D study be without snacks?? 

The donuts were a class favorite!

So were the Doritos!



 The children did great work on the Smartboard sorting uppercase/lowercase D's and then pictures. 

On Fridays, we combine pictures and items from both letters we studied that week.  This week it was the letters C and D.  We do a picture sort and an item sort.

Here's to another great week of letter study, and to many more to come!

Five Senses

Five Senses Song

to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin"



Five Senses, Five Senses

We have them, We have them

Seeing, Hearing Touching

Tasting and Smelling

There are five, There are five

What a fun science unit to kick off the year with, and it's probably one of my favorite science units that I'll teach in kindergarten.  Much like any other unit, it's very exploratory and hands on.  But, what makes me smile the most is seeing the children rely on just one sense at a time--and then realizing how very valuable they all are and just how much they work together. 

I've collected quite a few GREAT books over the years to go along with this unit as well.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Each day we talked about a different sense and then explored various items relying solely on that sense.  We played "Eye Spy" when talking about sight.  Then, brown paper bags where filled with items such as popcorn, peanut butter, and peppermint to smell; a napkin, a marker, and a puppet to feel.

Smelling

Feeling

At the art center, the children painted the body part we use for the sense we explored that day. 

 Painting eyes

Painting noses



Painting hands



I added another center to the rug area this week.  It is a Five Senses Picture Sort I purchased from Lakeshore. 

For shared reading I gave the children each a copy of the Five Senses Poem to read and practice.  They illustrated around it. 

Let me go ahead and apologize if you now can't get the tune of "Where Is Thumbkin" out of your head--I've had it in my head all week!

The Letter C

It's time to celebrate the letter C!

The children are getting more comfortable working the Smart Board each day, so I opened up my ABC notebook this week! 

Megan is sorting uppercase and lowercase C's.  This proved a little more challenging as we soon realized that the lowercase "c", unlike other letters, is truly just a small version of the uppercase "C"!

Chloë sorts pictures that begin with the letter C

We brainstormed words that begin with the letter C and found it in our names!  Can't Mrs. Lochel draw soooo well!! 

Vincent practices the letter C on one of the practice pages I use from Starfall.

We got out our ABC books on Tuesday and began adding a page just for the letter C!  The children are really getting the procedure for this book down pat!  There are four tasks to complete on each page.  The children must find that letter in a sticker, in the newspaper, draw a picture of something that starts with that letter, and practice writing the uppercase and lowercase letter. 

Giovanna found her C in the newspaper first!



Jack found the sticker for the letter C first!

 

Abby found a sticker and wrote the letter C!

Here is a page that is almost complete! 

 And, where would we be without some YUMMY C snacks??  Lucky for us, Megan turned 5 years old!  Cupcake snack it is!!  We went a little healthier the next day with Carrots and ranch.

Happy Birthday, Megan! 

 

There is no better way to end a week than with a visit from Cocky!  The Gamecock and his Reading Express came by our school today with a program and a FREE book for all the children!

We had a great couple of days learning more about and experiencing the letter C!