Five for Friday: I can see the light!!

We made these as a last minute little token from Kindergarten. I have made pillowcases in the past with a poem but there just wasn't any time this year. The kids wrote out their information , I painted their hand print, and then they drew a self-portrait before everyone signed their names. I hope the parents enjoy this little keepsake.

Can you tell my theme for next year? I ordered everything owls....from nameplates to incentive charts. I had this class make these little cuties using old wallpaper books to add some spice. I plan to hang them from the ceiling before the new kiddos arrive in August. 

The before picture....sorting out the game shelf can be quite a task. Especially after the long winter we had this year!

Phew! That took a while but it was well worth it =)

My friends from school participated with me in the 5K Color Vibe this past weekend. I have run more than a handful of half marathons in recent years but this was BY FAR the most fun I have ever had at a race. There was an awesome band, lots of energy, and good laughs. We can't wait to do it again next year!

On a personal note, my 'baby' is graduating from Fifth Grade today and he is so excited! The kids all got t-shirts with their names printed as a class on the back with a ceremony full of fun. They did a slide show with their kindergarten picture (seen here on the left) and present picture (on right). Onto middle school next year to experience more adventures.  Kids are thrilled to be out! I can't wait to spend the summer with them when my district finishes up next week. Have a great weekend!

Five for Friday: Down to the single digits!!

I have been testing ALL WEEK and feel like every day has been never ending. I feel bad for the kiddos that the days are so long but this is one test we have to do before we leave for the summer. Out of curiosity, what type of testing does your district use for your Kinders?

 You know I love to have my kinders write ALL OF THE TIME! I'm always amazed with their progress and the amount of information they want to share in their writing. This friend has really come a long way this year and loves journal time =)

My favorite activity of the year is this little number we do just before school lets out. I have the kids draw me a picture of their self portrait on the very first day so that I can remember what they look like =) We then draw one at the end and glue them next to each other. I had so many kids tell me that they didn't do their initial picture and try to give it back to me. It was hilarious! I laminate these and send home to parents as a keepsake.

  

We have been using the Wonders series this year for our reading program. It took me a bit of time in the beginning to realize that I needed additional resources to help my kinders master the concepts we were doing in the program. I started creating the extension activities in October and missed the beginning Unit. So, I have been trying to go back and create these initial weeks and will revamp my beginning units. You don't need to be in this reading program to utilize these materials as they are concepts that we cover in the Common Core =)

We had TONS of storms this week with lots of rain damage in the area. My kiddos wrote about them in their free topic writing this week. I hope we see more sunshine in the coming days!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Five for Friday: Closer to the finish line!

Teacher appreciation week was very cute. Our PTO painted the staff room and added some decor to spice it up a bit.  I received some sweet cards from the kids in how I remind them of their favorite ice-cream flavors =)

We made some Mother's Day bookmarks to help our fantastic moms celebrate this weekend. I found the ideas on Pinterest and then mixed them up a bit to fit the way I wanted them to look. I cut out large letters to make the word mom and had them hold the letters in different ways. They then drew a self portrait on the back with a poem that went with it. 

                                                        

I ran my half marathon last weekend and it was a killer! By far the hardest race I have ever run....rain, wind, and lots of hills. Happy that I finished under two hours though =)

I finally had to bind their journals that we have been working in all year because I was running out of room! The kids made a cover with the title and author signature, a page to go on the inside explaining their likes, what they want to be when they grow up, printing their names,  best friends, and a self portrait. I then add that to the files that I have been using to collectively put each page from every day of the school year together. I hope the parents find them to be a nice keepsake. 

cover

The front of every page has a calendar to represent the day we were doing with a writing prompt on the back. We used brainstorming webs, lists, narratives, etc.

Our school fundraiser for the year is called the "Granger Challenge". Family and friends make donations towards the school and the kids all run the track for two laps. Prizes are awarded for most spirit, donations, etc. We then all celebrate with popsicles.  The kids have a blast!

Have a great weekend!!

Five for Friday: What makes our gardens grow?

I know we are all in crunch time with the little amount of time left in the school year. If I have to guess, I think most of us are probably assessing to make sure all of our little ones have learned what they have needed to before we leave. I finally finished my assessment pack that I wanted to share with all of you. It covers all of the Common Core in Reading, Writing, and Math. Plus, I made two versions. You will find manipulatives to use in discovering skills or I made an activity sheet that the student can complete independently to show mastery. Check it out in my TpT shop!

We read my absolute favorite book this week in studying plants and gardens..."Tops & Bottoms". I was introduced to this book during the year I student taught and I immediately fell in love with it! We then made some farmers and wrote about our favorite foods that grow in the garden. You will see my friend wrote "I like carrots with dip."

I have been hearing a lot about this 'GoNoodle' and I finally caught a second to check it out. My kids love it! We have always done brain breaks in the classroom but now we have a mascot and can earn points for doing so. Yippeee!!!

We read "Cecil's Garden" and talked about the veggies he grew in the story in making his stew. The kids had to write their own recipe card after we did some brainstorming first.  This was a great tool in reviewing sequential order as well as introducing new vocabulary such as recipe, ingredients, etc. 

We had to write out our very own math story problems and I was just tickled with how they came out. This is the best time of year as you can see so much growth!!

 I had 3 red blocks. I found 10 more. How many did I have? 3+10=13

 I had 7 friends and 4 came along. How many do I have? 7 + 4= 11

I had 7 apples and I ate 3. How many were left? 7-3=4

We also wrote a journal entry about things that we have liked in Kindergarten this year. I had to post this one.....can you tell we use our "I Can" statements? =)

It's going to be a busy weekend on the homefront.....CapCity Half Marathon has finally arrived. I hope to have a good run on Saturday. Have a great weekend!