Another Apple Idea

Our new reading series has a lesson on positional words. A boring dull lesson that uses pictures in a book. In keeping with our apple theme this week, I die cut apples out of red card stock and made worms out of yarn. We punched a hole in the apple. We added tape on one end of the yarn for easy threading and a face.

The students sat around the edge of the rug (perimeter sit) and then LISTENed. I asked them to move their worm into different positions. A little story could be made up as well. Our lesson had the students putting the worm through, beside, over, . . . . . the apple.  We sent the apple and worm home with a note home for parents with all the directional words too.

Simple, fun and effective!

Click note above to get your own copy of parent note.

Apple Projects All Week and Free Math Page

Last year I put my apple week projects together for TPT.  Well, that works out well for me too.  Everything was all set for me this year.

We started the week using attributes to sort the apples we each brought to school (see big apple above).  I've got a great big canvas graphing chart that a previous teacher left. It works perfectly for making graphs with objects. previous apple blog post.

I planted myself at the Science Station and helped students examine apples using their 5 senses. What does an apple smell like? Kids thought GRASS, JUICE and HANDS. We worked together to fill out our Lab Reports.

Together we made accordion math books: cut, color, glue and label.

Once again Hiding the Worm was a favorite station.  The kids love hiding the worm behind an apple with a Sight Word or Letter Sound. Then their peers have to name the word or sound to see if the worm is behind.

This Fine Motor project was completed following picture and word directions - no teacher help. Pretty darn good (someone always has to put on way too many seeds).

We started writing our non-fiction books and will be finishing them next week.  Next year I am setting aside TWO weeks for apple projects. 

FREE Math Practice Page - Skills: count apples to 5, which has more

Free Math Page and Sight Word Game Idea

Oh, no!  I haven't posted in a month - a busy busy month but still.

It seems like I have posted about all my favorite September projects before. My class is particularly amusing this year but their antics aren't really helpful unless you just need a laugh.

Here's a Sight Word Game I whipped together to add something different to the introduction of the sight words me, he, she, be, we:

Yes, those are MY dog bone shoes.

I wrote each word on a different color of large construction paper - once facing out on each side. I cut the pieces into squares so they would fit all together on a table later. I laminated them so we could use them over and over. I divided my class into 4 teams.  Each team sat (but they ended up standing) on one side of our large rectangular rug.  The team had a list of the 5 sight words. WeMeHeSheBe (click to link to PDF of list). I spread the word squares down the middle of the rug. One person from a team tosses a dog beanie baby towards the words.  The student reads the word and the team captain or any member of the team checks off the word.  Then I pass the beanie to the next team. The kids decided that the beanie just had to be touching the paper.  Of course I let kids help each other, but it wasn't necessary as everyone seemed to read the words each time (YES!). The team needs to consult their list before tossing the beanie - more reading words. It was quick and the students seemed to have fun. I put the cards on a table during reading workshop and kids sat and dropped the beanie on the cards and read the words - whatever gets them reading!



Here's a basic math sheet for practice counting sets to 5.

How Many? Flower theme to 5

I hope your students are as fun as mine are this year.

Back-To-School Night - almost ready

I always have the most generous helpful parents. This year I am trying a "Pinterest" idea I adapted to my dog theme. I am hoping to get some of those special materials that we need throughout the year without filling newsletters with requests.  Cute?!

I also remade my "Take Five When You Arrive" reminder for my students. I put it on the door so the students can see the reminders from the hall or classroom. I hope the visuals make good cues.

 

And finally, I ramped up my Photo Booth this year.  I turned the Imagination Station around to make it more of a "booth."  Then I added a purple satin backdrop (I actually had a purple satin backdrop). I made little and big mustaches for some family fun. I know the kids will look way cuter than I do.

Good Luck!

Get Ready for the whole school year.

Kindergarten Photo Booth for Open House

This "pin" has been very popular! I pinned it last year and as Open House time approaches teachers must be thinking about having a photo booth for Open House. Last year I had a "photo booth" with an FDK twist.

The booth itself was simple.  I just got out one of my handy-dandy black sheets (see previous posts for my love of black sheets 100th day) I used gorilla tape to attach the sheet to our Imagination Station. You could also: use black paper over a chart stand, tack a black sheet to a bulletin board, find a bare wall . . . Then I printed up a little Photo Booth sign.

Classroom paraprofessionals got their photos taken too. 

 This photo shows a little of the black sheet and sign.

When the child and parent visit on Open House night they get a list of things to do and see in our classroom. The list includes: Get Your Photo Taken in the Photo Booth. On a small table next to the booth I put white construction paper strips - one with the first name of each student in my class. The student holds his/her name right under his/her chin. Later I combine all the photos for a collage and make copies.  Then on the first day of school the students are able to take home photos with the first name of all their new friends. I also use the page for my sub folder (we teachers might use it the whole first week too).

AND then we use the name cards for a first week activity. I've seen lots of versions of this project on Pinterest but I think I first heard about it at a conference. Students tear up tiny pieces of construction paper and glue the pieces over the letters in his/her name. Each letter is a different color - in rainbow order of course. We sing a "rainbow song" that is also our first week Poem, so this is perfect.  Each child in my class is assigned a rainbow color too. We call ourselves the Rainbow Class (or FDK but never the dog class despite the classroom theme).

THEN I hang the names on black paper over our lockers!  "Our class is a rainbow . . ."
SO that little photo booth pays off big time! I am definitely doing this again this year.

FREE Borders and Stationary

What a Kindergarten Teacher Does in the Summer - part 4
Learn to make png files?  Here are some borders and frames I made.  Try them out. You can use them to make you handouts and practice sheets more interesting? attractive? fun? individual? I keep my stationary and frames in my iphoto so I can get to them easily when I make materials. These are png files so they should be transparent.  That's what I'm trying for anyway. ah

deco frame

skyline frame

scattered stars

geometric frame

coils

red blue squiggle

paw print stationary