Five for Friday: Earth Week in Domikiddos

 

This was definitely a science week for me and I was so proud of myself for doing so much of it! LOL! I have to admit that it is definitely my weakest link. We do TONS of writing, reading, and math but squeeze in the others when we can.  My own boys have been very difficult to get to be readers. I have tried everything under the sun to make it exciting. Seriously, we probably have hundreds and hundreds of books and periodicals. This book was the first one to grab their attention. I had forgotten about it until I was going through our book shelf at bedtime the other night. Then a light bulb went off! I could read this with my kiddos and hopefully get them excited about science. It was prime opportunity with Earth Day on Wednesday. We talked about being scientists and the meaning of a hypothesis before we began. I created a page where they would write their hypothesis before we did some research in helping write their facts. I was really impressed with the amount of thought they put into this activity. I intended to only show one or two but they were so darn cute! You can skip to number 2 if there is too much here. LOL!

 

Day 1: Why does the wind blow?

 

"I think the wind blows because we need air."

  

"I think the wind blows because I think God makes it."

 

 "I think the wind blows so we can fly kites."

 

"I think the wind blows to keep me warm." 

 

Day 2: Why does thunder come after lightning?

 

We were jammin' to Jack Johnson's "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" while we worked on many of our Earth day activities.  As a class, we generated lots of ideas of how we can promote choices to the environment around us. I gave each student a cheat sheet with many things related to earth to help guide their writing. After water coloring the earth, they attached it to their writing piece.

 

I have told you before how much I love to work out. It is an obsession, I will admit. I love CARDIO! I can run, do elliptical, and go to jazzercise in the morning before my eyes even open but I am HORRIBLE with strength training! I ice-skated for many years growing up and it really made my legs strong which is why I rocked those kick ball games as a kid. However, if you ask me to do a push up, forget it! I am a lover of amazon prime and saw this tower to help build your core come up as a daily deal and I just couldn't pass it up. I can do pull ups, push ups, drops, and abs all on one piece. I have been tackling it this past week and I am sore! My other thing I love is my workout clothes. Who doesn't love some sassy leggings to give them the energy they need? I had to laugh when I saw the two comics below. They both nail it for me!

 

 

Another activity related to the Earth this week was "Why is the sky blue?". The kids took the black atmosphere, added the circular world with their own green landforms.  We then added the rainbows to show the colors of the waves but also learned that the sky is blue because those are the waves we see the most of in our eyes!

 

 If you are a working mom with littles at home, you know that mornings are very hectic. I always have gotten the kids ready by myself in the morning and done pick up as well because my husband leaves early and travels far to work. I tell him that I feel like half my day is over after getting three kids ready and out the door to their places before I even get to work! I am usually chasing one or trying to get another dressed. I loved this particular morning when my lil guy was so fascinated with the mirror that I actually had time to blow dry my hair. LOL! I know these years will pass quickly so I try to embrace every moment =)

  

With that smile, we wish you a wonderful weekend!!

Five for Friday Linky Party: April 17th

 

We began our week with States of Matter. I taught the kids a jazzy little tune to help remember them more accurately. We generated our ideas on the anchor chart before I passed out magazines for them to peruse. They were instructed to cut out pictures that could fit each state. They did a great job! Sheila Melton had a cute little FREEBIE in her shop that let the kids take the designated objects and separate them accordingly to their state. It was a great assessment tool!

 

This is a funny story..... last year when our school supplies came in, I had noticed that the supplier incorrectly sent a TON of alphabet beads. I called to notify them and they said to just keep them. I use these little things for everything and they do help with our fine motor skills. I typically have them spell our high frequency words on pipe cleaners but this week I decided to have them spell the long CVCe words to match the picture strips I made.  It worked out great!

 

 

Can I tell you how much I love Kindergarten...but especially after Christmas! Things really start to click and make sense while skills become more refined. I love writing exercises on Mondays because I always have the kids write about their weekend. I want their skills to develop but I completely enjoy learning more about their life outside of school.

 

In going along with spring and plants, I read two different versions of "Jack and the Beanstalk". The first was the original while the second was called "Kate and the Beanstalk". After finishing them, we made an anchor chart with story comparisons. One story was on the left and the other on the right.  I passed out papers to the kids and thought it would be fun to make our own beanstalks, with our names, add our own profile, etc. Although it was good in theory, the little project turned into a morning activity that finished up after recess! We took the commonalities and put them on our own beanstalks while drawing the home and giant. All I can say is that it was a learning experience but I was really happy with how well they came out!

 

 

 

You know the saying ... "April showers brings May flowers"? That's definitely the case here. I feel like it does nothing but rain. Ugh! Soccer games and practices have been non-existent and I still need to get my driveway poured. We were told that it needs to be five straight days of no rain! We will be lucky to get one by June at the rate we have been going. I just decide to stare at our pictures from Florida to help me feel warm and happy inside again. How was this only two weeks ago? I miss it! LOL! Here is hoping you are enjoying sunshine wherever you may be. Have a great weekend!!!

 

Five for Friday: April 10th Linky Party!

 It is our first week back from Spring Break and it was a busy one! Here is our week in pictures...

I thought it was a great time to start with plants with our return from Spring Break. I had the kiddos working on my text evidence pack for Spring. This is the absolute best time of year for me. I love hearing them read and doing it so fluently!! They really understand the text evidence piece too which is awesome for being a Kinder! 

 

We made an anchor chart and had the kids cut out their hand prints to make our flower a little more dimensional =) We labeled the needs of the plant in one font and then the parts in another. I incorporated some fiction and non fiction books. The librarian had already read "Tops and Bottoms" with them which bummed me out because that is my all time favorite book! After learning all about plants and their growing cycle, we sequenced the events =)

                                 

           

It is so nice to be in our home. My parents live right down the street and we have lakes behind our homes. The boys love to fish with their Papa. You can see Jax's extreme bliss in this shot!

 

I was psyched when I found these Interactive Pages for a plant unit @AllStudentsCanSHINE. We made them front and back with the needs and parts. Seriously, if my kiddos don't know these by now, I would be concerned. LOL! We even had DeeDee Wills' 'Plant Song' in our poetry center too!!

front.....

 back.....

It is Sports Day at our school in honor of the Tribe home opener today. The first pic is of my bestie at work. I love having her support as a friend and teacher. Even though she is in second grade, she always has my back! My class had a lot of spunk with all of their teams as did my son with his Cavs shirt on. Go Tribe! Cleveland needs a winning team!!

 

Have a great weekend!!