November was an exciting time in Kindergarten. As a school we collected food for the Connecticut Food Bank . On the Friday before Thanksgiving the kindergarten and the fourth grade delivered the food to the food bank. The students helped to unload the food and to see where the food is stored until it is delivered to families in need. The kindergarten students also dressed up as Native Americans for our school Thanksgiving Feast. Lastly, Mr. Sullivan came to read a story about Thanksgiving to the class and the students made Thanksgiving place mats.

Students have been working with rain sticks!  These are fantastic instruments that really allow students to imagine we are singing in the rain!  Students have been learning all sorts of songs that have to do with rainy weather while playing the rain stick at the same time!

Just could not let the day pass without celebrating this once in a hundred years date! First we made the number 11 with two bodies, then I had a challenge. Could we come up with eleven different ways to make eleven? Each student made a group of eleven manipulatives and then broke that group into two parts, to make seven addition facts that make eleven. Then we used words, numerals, tallies and even pictures to represent eleven!

Recently, the big buddies visited both of the kindergarten classes to instruct them on twenty, common classroom objects. Sitting with their buddies, the kindergarteners observed a student drawing of the classroom and the various objects in the room. Then, each set of buddies was responsible for seeking out two objects in the classroom and labeling them correctly. Once all twenty labels were up, we were able to practice the pronunciation and location of the objects altogether with a fun, interactive activity.

Our Kindergarten scientists just took an exciting trip to the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport to learn about sound. We studied how sound travels in waves and felt our voice box vibrating as we made sounds. We were even able to make water move from sound vibrations by using a spouting bowl. Down in in the lab, students tested their sense of hearing by trying to match sounds with the objects that made them. Next each student was able to make their own sound machine to take home!

The kindergartners used their senses of sight, smell and touch to make keen observations in the Unquowa garden. Each student was given a sprig of thyme, lemon balm or chocolate mint to carefully examine and then challenged to locate in a bed of herbs. Many of the kindergartners identified the scents of lemon and mint as they rubbed the leaves gently between their fingers while searching for their herbs. Kindergartners also sighted a beautiful butterfly and recognized the symmetrical pattern on its wings, a connection to a recent math lesson. After students identified their herbs, they recorded observations by drawing detailed pictures of the leaves. Kindergartners did a great job making connections and honing their observation skills in the garden!

They can sing in Chinese, write in Chinese, and contort in Chinese! Kindergarteners had fun making the characters “big” and “small” with their bodies while learning about the ideographic roots of the Chinese written language!

It started small. At the end of last I began some new science experiments with my Kindergarteners. I introduced them to scientific procedures and we practiced making predictions and recording observations. As I watched their critical thinking skills and knowledge of scientific phenomena grow, I vowed I would start using these experiments and the prediction-observation model sooner this year. With that in mind, I completely changed the way I teach my science curriculum. Instead of giving students information, I am encouraging them to make their own predictions and use their knowledge base to propel my lessons. Almost all of my lessons now begin with questions, and we are using experiments and observations to  find answers.  Students are recording their predictions and observations, and at the end of each unit they will be taking these logs home. Please read them with your child and ask for explanations. Right now they may be rather cryptic, but it is my hope that as our writing skills progress, you will be amazed by the concepts our young scientists are grasping!

In Science class the Kindergarteners have been studying the four seasons. We have begun a year long study of a tree. Students will be documenting the changes to the tree through the four seasons. We will also be taking a photograph in front of the tree in each season for comparison. Before we went to observe the tree in summer, we discussed the signs of summer and how the children knew that was the current season. One of the ideas mentioned by several was that in the summer you see many insects. When we went outside we observed a large insect on the front door of the school; we each tried to remember its characteristics so we could identify it back in our classroom. We also discussed which type of tree would be best to use in our photo. Some students voiced that an evergreen tree would not work because it changes very little throughout the seasons. We took a photo of one to illustrate this concept. Look for more photos and observations as our study continues.

Every week kindergarten students look forward to working with their seventh and eighth grade buddies to practice Spanish together. This week student buddies worked on writing and pronouncing the letter “A”. They also played a game of memory together to practice their new “A” vocabulary.