October's Activities and Field Trip

Hello! Time is just flying by here in Kindergarten! The kiddos have learned so much. Here is a re-cap of some of their activities in October and the first 2 weeks of November:

We learned about the following themes: Fall/Weather, Pumpkins, Scarecrows, Pilgrims. The children enjoyed going on a leaf hunt and making leaf rubbings. We all had a great time on our pumpkin patch field trip to Rutledge-Wilson Park. I read aloud several books about pumpkins and the class enjoyed "pumpkin investigations". Each student measured the length and circumference of his/her pumpkin, counted the ribs, and helped carve our class pumpkin. They also made 3-D pumpkins with labels for parts of a pumpkin.  Here are a few pictures of the field trip and pumpkin investigations:

 

 

 

I appreciate all of you who helped make the fall party a success! The kiddos had a lot of fun! Their costumes were adorable! Here are a few photos:

 

 Rosie!



 

 

During the first week of November, the kiddos learned all about scarecrows. The following books were read aloud:

 

The students also learned about 2-dimensional shapes and created their own scarecrow out of the following shapes: squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and hexagons. I will post photos soon! Last week we started a unit on Pilgrims. This week our unit will be on Turkeys and Thanksgiving. I'll post again soon!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Donors Choose and Sonic!

Hello! I am very hopeful that our Donors Choose project will get funded from Sonic's Limeades for Learning campaign this fall. Sonic has helped LOTS of classrooms across America each year through Donors Choose.org. However, I do need your help. It's really easy and only takes a few minutes each day. Please vote for our project and inform your family and friends to help us too! After voting 10 times, you will receive a code that is worth 2 votes! Also if you purchase food/drinks from Sonic, save the codes (stickers) from the packaging because they may be applied to our project. Here's the link:
https://www.limeadesforlearning.com/projects/1389662

I am requesting books for our thematic units and storage containers. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions. I appreciate your help and support. I know the children will benefit greatly from the project I'm requesting. :)

Also, I have some fantastic news! We had a "Donors Choose" project completely funded by U.S. Cellular! I wrote the project for 2 iPad minis, sturdy cases, and headphones a few weeks ago. Today we received the tablets! The cases and headphones have not been delivered yet, but I'm sure we will receive them soon. The kiddos will be able to use the iPads for practicing literacy and math skills. I'll post photos soon!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Welcome to Our Classroom Blog!

Welcome to my classroom blog! I apologize for starting this so late. Friday, October 10th, was already our 40th day in school. I will strive to post regularly to keep parents and families updated on  all the learning activities in the classroom. The kiddos have already learned so much! Here is a summary of the units of study since school started:

Beginning of the year photos show our school wide PBIS theme "Camping Out":

The first two weeks of school the following themes were taught: School Places and Expectations and All About Me.  Ongoing lessons on identifying letters, writing, sight words, and number sense have been taught. Each day the students have lessons using the calendar including the Alphabet poster, place value chart, and weather. The students practice writing their letters, names, sight words, and numbers in a variety of ways: whiteboards, paper, highway lined paper, gel boards, and writing on their tables with shaving cream!

September Themes included: Nursery Rhymes, Grandparents, Apples/Johnny Appleseed, Fall/Seasons. The kiddos loved reciting old and new rhymes, singing songs, and making a Humpty Dumpty craft.

 Of course, Grandparents Day was fun for everyone! Thanks to all the grandparents or relatives who were able to come to celebrate with the kiddos.

 In order to start my Guided Reading groups, I taught the students a structure called, "The Daily 5" (see source). They will practice literacy skills while I am testing or working with small groups. It consists of the following: Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Word Work, Work on Writing. The students practiced each structure and learned to use stamina. Here are some photos:

During the first part of October the kiddos learned all about Our Five Senses. Projects included: feeling bags, a hearing walk outside and inside the school, smellies (Chapstick) on their wrists, and a popcorn tasting party! October 6-10th was Fire Safety Week. Smokey the Bear, the Conway Fire Department, and Pluggy the Fire Hydrant came to visit us! Here are a few photos:

I will try to write posts on a regular basis. Feel free to join the blog and leave comments! :)

~ Mrs. Eilenstine