Officer Shawn

On Monday, we had Officer Shawn come in to talk to us about safety. His daughter, Brooklyn, was so excited to have her dad come visit us and we were excited to have him visit us! We had the chance to listen, share and answer questions about car safety, stranger danger, and calling 911. After the presentation, student sharing & questioning, was over, the students got to walk around and look in his police car! They were pretty excited and loved the lights! Last but not least, they all got to eat lunch with Officer Shawn! They felt pretty special! Overall it was an awesome presentation and I think we may have some future officers in our group! 

Away We Go!

We have been learning about transportation for our theme in reading. Our focus has been how to get from place to pace - bike, bus, train, car, plane, etc. For our weekly writing project we wrote about how we will go and where we would go to. We have been working VERY hard on our writing and I think our work has paid off! They are able to write many of the sounds they hear in the words, they show spacing now, and correct punctuation! Here's a peak at our work and where we would like to go!

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Tricky Teens

 

There is so much that kindergartners are expected to know and do at such a young age, but when it comes down to it, they are still kids. They need to move, they need to be silly, and they need to have fun. So rather than just teaching the curriculum from a book. I am always trying to incorporate hands on and interactive ways for them to learn.  Our biggest focus lately has been learning and recognizing those tricky teens! P.S. They are tricky because kids want to say, oneteen, twoteen, threeteen, etc.).

Here are some ways that we have been learning: 

Work on Writing: 

We have written the numbers in paint, in sand, and in clay. The helps us see the number and create the numbers in various ways. 

Memory Match:

For this game the students first have to put the numbers 11-20 in order. Then they have match up the corresponding dots with each number. After they are done with both parts, they can find a partner who has been checked off and flip a set of cards over to play memory match (finding a number and dots that match).

Teen Number Sparkle:

We have played sparkle using tricky teens (this would be good to play with your family for spelling words, counting, or skip counting). With teen number sparkle, we start in a circle, one student starts at 10 and we go around the circle until 19, then the next student says sparkle, and the student after that is out. We continue going around until we have one friend standing to be the Terrific Teen Number Winner!

Teen Tangle:

We also play a game called Teen Tangle. It is much like Twister, but with teen numbers. The kids love getting all tangled up with this game and recognizing their numbers while doing it!

Singing and Dancing:

For tricky teens we have a rap about how numbers in the teens they start with a one! We put actions to it to get their bodies moving and grooving and recognizing those tricky teens!

 

 

Turkey Time

Come on its Turkey Time!

I hope this video puts you all in the mood for the remainder of this week! 

Enjoy your break! 

Long Ago Day

In Social Studies we have been learning about what it was like long ago. So on Friday, we had Long Ago Day at school!  Several students came to school dressed in their long ago day outfits as we spent the day pretending that we are children who lived, worked, and played long ago in America.

In the morning our second grade CAT (Cross Age Tutoring) friends came in and helped us make collars, hats, and complete a then and now worksheet. Then during small groups we made corn bread and wrote about long ago. Then later in the day we did work on writing using chalkboards!

Toward the end of the day we visited a website about what it was like long ago and discussed similarities and differences from long ago and today! Watch our Smilebox to see some pictures and read more details about our Long Ago Day!

 

Pajama Day!!

Since we were learning about the letter Pp, we decided have a Pajama, Punch, Pizza, and Popcorn Party! We definitely had to earn this party through good behavior and by showing our Husky Pride! Today, we all showed up in our best pajamas and we had a grand time. We started the day by reading
"If you give a Pig a Party." We used our fantastic four friends to help us make predictions, questions, and clarifications while we read. At the end of the story we summarized all the main ideas!

It also happened to be bring your favorite stuffed animal to school that day! It was so fun to see all the students snuggle up with their favorite animal and read to self! 

Hope this picture warms your heart!

Election Day 2012

Customize your own scrapbook

Working With Numbers

We have been working on learning our numbers in Kindergarten. We start small - numbers 0-9 to reinforce that ALL numbers are created by using these numbers. We have learned rhymes for these numbers, made number books with these numbers and written these numbers. Below are some pictures of us learning these numbers! Next week we begin learning our Tricky Teens! Stay updated for another classroom rap!

Number Rhymes 

(practice saying these with your child to reinforce how to write the numbers)

1: Draw a line and then you're done, that is how you make a one

2:  Candy cane and then a line, makes a two every time

3: Around the tree, around the tree, that is how you make a three

4: Down and over, and down some more, that is how your make a four

5: Down, and around, see the duck dive, make a bill and there's your five.

6: A stick and a hoop, do the tricks, that is how you make a six.

7: Across the sky and down from heaven, that is how you make a seven.

8: Make a Ss and do not wait, close the gate and there's your eight. 

9: Draw a circle, then a line, that is how you make a nine.

Writing Numbers in Sand

Writing Numbers in Sand

Writing Numbers Using Wiki Sticks (bendables)

Writing numbers using rainbow writing & finger spacing.

Writing Numbers using crayon rubbings.

Birthday Graphs

This week in Math we learned about how to read simple graphs - both vertical and horizontal. So as a class we created a vertical and horizontal graph using our birthdays and our age. Then we wrote down our results. Then as a class we asked questions about our graph. 

• Is there more 5 year old or more 6 year olds?
• How many more 5 year olds are there than 6 year olds?
• How many birthdays are in November & December combined? 
• Which month had the least amount of birthdays?

They did amazing answering all the questions and even creating their own questions! Check out our results and I hope you had a chance to look at your child's graph that they brought home. 

Our horizontal graph showing which month our birthdays are in.

Fire Prevention Week

Last week and this week we will be learning all about fire prevention - how to stop drop and roll, staying low to the ground, what to do if we are ever in a fire at home or at school, and how to prevent fires. We also practiced a fire drill at school once and we will do it once more this next week.

On Wednesday, we got a special surprise and we had the firefighters come to give us a presentation. They showed us what they wear, how they stay protected and what they do to make sure we are always safe!

Then we went outside and learned about tools and gadgets that make fire trucks unique. We even got to tour the fire truck! We took home some fun fire hats to remind us of all the things we heard, saw, and learned today. 

Enjoy the photos. Who knows...maybe we have some future fire fighters on our hands!  

Challenge: Create a fire safety plan with your family and talk about ways to prevent fires in your home.  

Meet the 2012-2013 Rainforest Rangers

Meet the 2012-2013 Rainforest Rangers

Mrs. Rehder's Kindergarten Classroom Tour

~Meet Anniston Jean~

Hello Boys and Girls!

I am so happy to show you my little girl Anniston! We call her Annie as a nickname. She was born on Saturday, June 30th and is already almost two weeks old! She is a very happy little baby and I am pretty sure a lot of it has to do with all your belly rubs and hugs throughout the school year! I miss you all and I hope your summer is going well! Keep reading and send me a letter if you have time to let me know how your summer is going!

Sibley Park

This Friday we couldn't have had better weather or a better day to spend at Sibley Park! We started with the parachute. With the parachute we shook off Rainforest animals, we had it shifting one direction and then switched directions, we made a dome from the outside and then sat in the inside. After that we played two rounds of tug-of-war and then spent our last few minutes reviewing with the parachute! 

Then we headed over to the farm side and each student got one quarter to spend on animal food (thanks Lynn!) and as we walked through the park, they got to decide if they would feed the goats, the calves, the horses, or the sheep. We loved seeing all the fish and the turtle in the pond and petting all the animals. 

At last we headed over the hill to the park side where we got to finally enjoy our drinks, snacks and play in their park! Overall, the day was perfect and we seemed pretty exhausted by the time we made it back to Hoover! Hope they had a great day with many adventures to share!

Suprise Baby Shower!

Well not only did this Friday bring heat, a Spanish Lesson, and the risser run, but we also had a surprise baby shower! When we returned from reading with the third graders our room was filled with mothers, decorations, books, cupcakes, and fun! It was incredible! I couldn't have asked for a better way to end our week and I couldn't be more grateful for all these mothers did to plan such an amazing event!
We measured my belly with toilet paper, they wrote scrapbook page thoughts about Baby R, they estimated how many jelly beans were in a bottle, they all received money to purchase books for us at the Sunshine Baby store, we opened sweet gifts, and ate delicious cupcakes!  
Please enjoy the smilebox that Becky put together that shows ALL the planning and preparation that went into this day! I will forever be amazed by your thoughtfulness and big hearts.

To my parents - thank you for all you've done this year to make it so unforgettable. 

To my students - thank you for making each day a new learning adventure and an exciting memory! 

This slideshow made with Smilebox

Risser Run

Well after weeks of training, practicing, and stretching we finally had our Risser Run! It is our school wide run that is .6 miles around our school neighborhood. It was great seeing all the families there to run with their children or cheer them on as they ran. At the end we enjoyed some yummy popsicles and ice cold water to help us escape the heat from the day! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Have a Cupcake, With Your Cupcake!

 

We all know how important mothers are in our lives. So the Rangers wanted to take a day to bring all their mothers in for a class luncheon. We spent a good portion of our morning preparing for our moms. We cleaned our classroom, we decorated our tables with personalized place mats, and we practiced our performance. Yes, we even had a performance! 

As each mom, sister, or grandma came in, each of the Rangers faces lit up. And what a wonderful, warm, and quite cozy turnout we had! The moms and students ate their lunches, talked, and learned a little about what we do in the classroom. After our bellies we full, the Rangers snuck out of the room to get ready for their show. We performed one poem and handed out our forever bouquets. 

Mommy, it's your special day, 

And it's time for me to say 

I'm glad for all the things you do. 

Thank you, Mommy, I love you! 

And then we sang three songs about our fabulous moms and finally they all enjoyed a delicious chocolate or chocolate chip cupcake! We hope you enjoyed the show and please know that appreciate ALL that you do!

This slideshow made with Smilebox

Spring Concert!

We had our Spring Concert on Friday and it was quite the spectacular show! We start everyday by greeting one another in different ways, sharing something, doing a unique activity and reading our morning message. Since everyone looked like a superstar, we decided to bow or courtesy to one another.

Thanks to all the parents that came for their Lights, Camera, Action performance! We had quite a few "Hollywood Superstars" at the show! Here is a slideshow for you to enjoy!

Lights, Camera, ACTION! -

Tiempo de bailar! (Time to Dance!)

Today in Spanish we learned some new dances! As a class we dance and sing fairly frequently. Okay...we do it all the time! But today we got to see kids from the Spanish cultures that used dancing as their main form of entertainment. We watched videos on young kids doing the jive, the The Flamenco, the La Raspa, and the salsa (click on the dance to see the videos that we watched)! Of course Señora Gersich thought we should learn to do one of the dances! So she taught us la raspa! We started with Alex and Marissa modeling for us. She even had some proper attire for us to dress up in!

We definitely got a workout in!

Then we got the whole class involved! Check out what we learned! 

¡hola! ¿Cómo estás?

Well we have some exciting news in our kindergarten classroom! We have begun learning Spanish! Señora Gersich will be coming in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach us a little about the Spanish language, the Spanish culture, and Spanish phrases.

This week we practiced greeting one another, counting up to ten using a song and a little about the Spanish culture. We even got to enjoy some fresh mangos!

Learning Challenge: Tonight when you get home ask your child to greet you using their Spanish words (¡Hola! me llamo ______.) Then ask them to count up to ten for you with their dos manos (two hands). Enjoy the pictures and videos and we hope to keep you updated with all that we are learning!

Singing in the Springtime!

We are jumping into Spring with a lot of bright, fun and colorful project. This week we began learning about insects. Here are some facts we learned: 

Mason: All insects have 6 legs. 

Sam: Insects have three body parts - head, thorax, abdomen (Ask your child to sing you our head, thorax abdomen song!) 

Avery: Insects are lots of different sizes. 

Ashlyn: Insects come in different colors. Marissa: Most insects have wings, but not all can fly. Treyson: Ants can carry 100 times their body weight. 

Alex: You can find insects everywhere. 

Tabitha: All insects have antennae. 

Tyler: Butterflies and beetles are insects. 

Our list could go on and on! But, as you can see, our brains gained quite a bit of knowledge this week on insects! It was a very fun week and next week we are moving on to stories and facts about fish! We hope you enjoy our videos (uploaded on Monday) and Smilebox this week! We have become quite the singers and dancers! :) 

Here's to Singing in Springtime! 

Happy Earth Day 2012

For Earth Day we discussed what we could do to help our Earth. We discussed the process of recycling, using less energy, helping to pick up trash and many more. On Friday we colored our Earth's and wrote our Earth Day Pledges. Luckily it was a sunny day so for most of the day we had our lights off and we went Smart Board free for the day to conserve energy. We also made sure that all our scrap papers made it into the recycling bin. We know what we did was small, but each little thing makes such a difference. On Monday morning we will share what we did on Earth day with our class during our morning meeting sharing time! Can't wait to hear all the wonderful ideas :)

Counting Coins

Our class has been learning a lot about coins - the names of coins, the symbols on coins, and different attributes of each coin. Lately we have been trying to work on coin exchanges (5 pennies = 1 nickel, 2 nickels make a dime, etc.). We play the coin exchange game, we exchange coins during calendar time, and now we even sing about our exchanges daily. Here is a video of our Coin Song. Feel free to turn it up and have your child sing along at home with their coins or play the YouTube Video that goes along with this little rap! 

Note to Parents: Pardon my Singing. Reminder to all, I am clearly NOT a music teacher!

Show Me the Money: Jack Hartman

Hoppy Spring!

Thursday was a fun-filled day with crafting our own bunny baskets, creating a bow-dacious bunny project, switching for math groups, and going on one massive easter egg hunt. I spent my prep period hiding 51 eggs out on our school grounds! Why 51 to be exact? Well in the Rainforest room we have been talking a lot about sharing, playing fair, and treating each other with respect. So I thought if we were going to do an egg hunt, it would need to be fair and the students would need to share. 

So here were the rules: 

1. A student can only pick up an egg they find if it matches their first name. 

2. If they find an egg that doesn't belong to them, they are to gently put it back, so that the rightful owner can hunt for it. 

3. Each student was allowed to find one fun shaped egg to keep for themselves. 

Altogether, each student was responsible for finding 3 eggs and with a little teamwork we ended up finding ALL 51 eggs! It worked out beautifully, because everyone ended up with the same number of eggs and it took a little more time to hunt! When we got back into the classroom we enjoyed some Easter candy and we created a unique spring bunny to add to our scrapbook!  

We know we had a hoppy spring day and we hope you all did as well! 

Enjoy our SmileBox! Remember to click on the pictures to enlarge them!

Beach Day

We worked very hard this week to earn our Beach Day celebration. Our goal was to fill up all sections of the beach ball and we did it by Thursday morning. Meaning that we earned our Beach Party Celebration for Friday!

When the students came in on Friday they got to pick a lei from our classroom palm tree. We started the day by playing math with a beach ball. First they had to add or subtract the numbers that their fingers landed on when the ball was passed to them. Then we played another round and whatever their fingers landed on they had to create a number with those two numbers. For example if they landed on a 2 or 4 they could make 24 or 42 and then say if the number was odd or even.

We also had two birthday celebrations (Mason and Ashlyn) and two birthday treats to enjoy at our tables and on our towels!

Throughout the day we also had a relay using beach clothes such as goggles, flip flops, hats, etc. It was 15 minutes of excitement, cheering and fun! In the end we decided it was a tie between the two teams.

Lastly we ended our day outside enjoying the sunshine! We read to self and to each other for a ten minutes and then had kid time outside!

Overall it was a very packed and fun filled day! We hope you enjoy the Smilebox!

This slideshow design made with Smilebox

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well it is finally St. Patty's Day and it definitely brought us a day filled with luck and laughter! When we go back from Music today there was a note on the SMART Board saying:

Walk around the Dome twice

And I will bring you something nice

For all the kindness you brought to me

I will give you back your green!

So as a class we quietly walked around the dome twice. When we walked back in this is what we saw:

The Leprechaun Definitely Stopped By!

 The Green Table was Flipped!

The Carpet was Turned!

There were chairs upside down, the green table was TIPPED OVER, a bag filled with our green goodies, and a NEW note on the SMART Board! Before we fixed anything we sat at the carpet and read the note as a class. This is what it said!

I had a great time playing with your green toys and flipping your room around. To thank you I left some magic powder on in the "Leprechaun in Late Winter" book you are reading.  I only give this magical powder to kind kindergartners, so you should feel very honored.

Did you find it yet? What does it smell like to you? 

Well, in order to make it magical you have to follow a few rules.

1. Captains, grab the magical milk that I placed on your tables.

2. Mix all the magical milk cartons and the magical powder together.

3. As you stir, say these words:

Leprechauns, Leprechauns, Shamrocks Seen

MAGIC POWDER Turn Green! 

The captains grabbed the milk and we started reading through the directions. We thought maybe the powder would mix with the milk to make the leprechaun appear, or maybe once we mixed it our classroom would magically be clean, or maybe we were supposed to put in on our skin to turn ourselves green!

When we opened the milk carton, we discovered that it was already green! The leprechaun even made magical milk!

We added all the milk to the powder and kept reciting the magic words. We realized, that it was looking more like a yogurt or pudding! Maybe he wanted us to eat it!! But why?!

We made predictions about what would happen if we tasted it. Maybe we would turn into Leprechauns, maybe we would be able to fly, maybe we would turn green! I decided to take the first small taste to make sure it was good. And it was delicious! 

 Will and Ashlyn Enjoying our Leprechaun Pudding!

 Miss H and Morgan

 Miss Bohnsach and Avery

 Trey and Grace 

Then we all sat down and enjoyed the magical mixture that our friend left for us. We talked as a class about why the leprechaun was so nice to our class. These are some of the ideas we came up with:

1. We found his hat and gave it back so he thought we were kind.

2. We let him borrow our green items. 

3. We are nice friends to have and maybe he wants to be our friend. 

4. We are respectful Rangers and leprechauns like polite people.

Overall we felt very lucky on this St. Patrick's Day and we wanted to share our luck with you! Hope your day was filled with as happiness, kindness, and craziness as ours!

Well...this morning we found the leprechaun hat! We had to work as a class to find it, but Grace and Vanesa found it behind our large reading books!

When we got back from music today we found out the writing center was missing its green tray and the green table was missing their "GREEN" table sign! Where the "GREEN" sign usually hung, this is what we found: 

Dear Class,
Thank you so much for helping me find my hat! To thank you for helping me out, I left a treat in your classroom!

Your Friend,
Lucky Leprechaun

We had to switch for math groups, but when we got back, we opened our gift. He left shamrock cookies for each of us! We felt very lucky and decided our kindness definitely paid off. Now if he would only bring back our green items!