Skyping about Snails!

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Today I asked the students to help me write our blog.  Here's what they had to say:


Today we talked to a different class about snails. - Tayna

We talked to them with Skype. - Kyle

We didn't yell we just asked them our questions. - Denise

We said thank you for telling us all about snails. - Bryce

We got to see their snail. - Ellie


We were so lucky to join Mrs. Schmidt's class from Ontario to talk to them about snails. They have also been learning all about snails and they were excited to ask us their questions.

We also asked them 3 questions.  We asked:

1) When do snails go in their shell?
They said that snails go in their shell to protect themselves from predators.

2) What do snails eat?
They told us that their snails eat lettuce.

3) Why do snails have slime?
Their class was wondering about this too. We both think it helps them to move.


They gave us their best answers.  It turns out that they had a lot of the same questions as we did.

When we were all finished talking, we gave them a compliment and they gave us a compliment.

We are hoping to have many more chats with Mrs. Schmidt's class this year.

If you'd like to see their class blog and their snail, you can check it out at:

http://ljpskindergartenteam.blogspot.ca/2013/09/the-start-of-our-snail-inquiry.html

Dance

Sometimes, in kindergarten you just need to DANCE!

Thinking and Learning Time

In our classroom we have Thinking and Learning time everyday. If you walked in during this time you would see kids playing everywhere. The secret is, we're not just playing, we are thinking and learning!

Just take a look...

These students are learning about primary and secondary colours by playing with play dough.

This student is beginning to create and extend patterns by creating beautiful swirls.

These students are learning to work together, share, and try again when things don't work the first time.

These students are developing their reading and writing skills.

These boys are taking turns and working together to solve a problem. 

Here are a few of my favourite quotes about play.

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Happy Playing!

Bathroom Book

There are a lot of things to learn when students start school, and this includes more than just the ABC's and 123's. We learn about how to invite a friend to play, how to share and take turns, and how to solve a conflict. There are also many routines and procedures to get used to.

One procedure that we're working on is using the classroom washroom. It is very important that all students are able to use the bathroom completely independently.  Parents can encourage this at home too.

On Friday, the students and I used our class iPad to create a book that helps to explain each step in "How To Use The Bathroom At School."

Here are the pages of our book:

All of the students in Room 8 will be getting a copy of this book on Monday. Please read it together with your child frequently.

 We hope to write many books together this year. Students take great pride in writing class books and love sharing them with their families.

Snail Inquiry

Our class is crazy about snails!

It all started with one student creating a snail out of a flower and paper during "Thinking and Learning" time (you can see it in the photo of the bulletin board).

The next day, when the students came into our classroom, they found an aquarium, shells, a magnifying glass and lots of books about snails and shells. This type of display is called a "Provocation," it is created for students to explore objects, photos and books. It is designed to inspire wonders.

Snail Provocation

The students were very excited to explore the snail table.  Mrs. Lowe asked if there was anything the kids were wondering about snails. We used our new IPad and an app called "Educreations" to record our wonders.

Our Educreation

In the afternoon the students had even more questions so we decided to start posting all of our snail questions on our bulletin board.

One of the students noticed that snails and turtles are a lot alike. We decided to make a chart to compare them.

We went "old school" and used the white board.

Ms. Remple even taught us a snail song in music class. 

If your child notices anything at home that connects to our learning about snails, they are welcome to bring it in to share with us (eg. books, photos, shells).

International Dot Day

September 15th is International Dot Day!

It all started with a wonderful little book written by Peter H. Reynolds. The book tells the story of student who is encouraged to be brave enough to "make her mark." This book inspires students to discover the artist inside of them.

In the morning we read "The Dot" and also looked at some famous dots by Wassily Kandinsy.

Squares with Concentric Rings by Wassily Kandinsky

In the morning we practiced drawing our own dots and rings with markers. Then in the afternoon, our Grade 4/5 buddies came to help us paint our dots on slices of wood.  We can't wait to show you the finished product.

You can find more information about Dot Day by visiting http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

How did you celebrate Dot Day?

More First Day Photos

Today Mrs. Lowe finally had a chance to get the photos off of the nice camera at school.

Thanks again to Mrs. Macdonell and Mrs. J for taking such great care of the kiddos on the first day of school, and for taking such great photos!

Routines

After 4 days of Kindergarten, students are starting to become more familiar with classroom and school routines.  We are learning that every day, we put our outdoor shoes on the mat "neat and tidy."

When students come into the class in the morning, they hand in their purple folders, sign in on the Smart board and move to the red tables for discovery bins.

Today we also practiced lining up and walking in a line with "personal space."

We also now have special spots on the carpet. We've practiced lots and now everyone remembers where to sit.

There is a LOT to remember in Kindergarten but we are getting better at it every day!

Stevenson School Library

Stevenson School Library has had the good fortune of being adopted by Chapters Polo Festival for the 2013 Adopt a School campaign. It will run in-store from September 15 to October 5. We are looking for your help of meeting our goal of raising money for 257 books, or one new book for every student in the school. 

• Follow this link - http://bit.ly/1dql4bh - to adopt Stevenson School. This is a FREE action and will help earn books for the library. From here you can also help spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and by email. If you have multiple email addresses, you can use them to adopt more than once. 

At Stevenson School, we believe that fun, quality literature fosters a life long love of reading. Please help us fill our library with books that will impact every child in our school. Know that Stevenson staff and students are grateful for your help.

Our beautiful library.

Today students were able to choose their own library books for the very first time! Inside of their books is a green paper explaining library procedures.

Please keep your child's library books in their backpack unless they are reading them.  Whenever they are finished they can bring the book back to school. We will have library every school day 1 (it will be noted on the calendar page of the blog). Please make sure that your child's book has been returned before day 1 so that they will be able to choose a new book. 

Building, bowling and Mat Man!

Today was a busy day in Kindergarten.  We started the day with an assembly to welcome all of the new students and teachers. We also got to watch the video of our school song. Some of the students were very eager to start learning the dance moves.

You can watch the video here:

We also met a new friend today. His name is Mat Man!  We sang a song and worked together to build him. 

We forgot to take a picture, but this is what he looks like.

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Then we worked together to draw him on our smart board.

Finally, we went to our table and drew Mat Man, all by ourselves. Some of us even wrote our own names on our papers.

We also had lots of time to play and explore our classroom.  Here is what some of the kids were up to:

"I'm making a house. I'm not exactly sure what it is going to be."

"I made a snail. The flower part is it's shell."

"Look, look Mrs. Lowe. I made a sand castle with this bucket!" 

"I made some little signs."

"All I did is put feathers around and flowers in the middle."

"I'm building a house."

"We're working together to build a free education house. You get to play with toys and get candy and games."

These students set up a bowling game. They were working on helping each other count their points, taking turns, and helping their friends set up the pins.

I didn't get to ask the students what their favourite part of the day was. Could you ask them and tell us in the comments?

First Day Fun!

Today was an exciting day in Kindergarten!  The students were busy exploring their classroom, singing songs, playing on the playground and making new friends.

Here are some photos from today along with some of the student's highlights from the day.

"My favourite part was going to the playground" - Journey

"I liked going to the park" - Mia

"My favourite part was making new friends." - Danica & Cassie

"My favourite part was picking books to read" - Ella

 

"I liked singing Bingo before recess." - Chase

"My favourite part was playing with Lego." - Kyle 

  

"My favourite part of the day was seeing my brother. I saw him in the school and outside at recess" - Ethan

"My favourite part was playing with Kyle." - Dante

"My favourite part was when we were quiet and listening to music." - Elryck