We had so much fun at Dixie Maze Farms for our fall field trip. The weather was perfect and it was wonderful to spend the day outside. The students loved the big slides and pony rides and the corn maze was also a favorite. Personally, I enjoyed the smaller zinnia maze better!
We spent the first week of October learning all about pumpkins. We started off the week reading the book Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell. Then we talked about the parts of a pumpkin using our very own Pumpkin Jack. The students made a torn paper diagram and labeled the parts. We stopped by the Middle School pumpkin patch on our way to the library and saw lots of orange pumpkin blossoms and even some small green pumpkins! On Friday we carved into our classroom pumpkin and saw lots of seeds and pulp! Yuck! Most of the students were excited to taste roasted pumpkin seeds and use them in a counting activity.
We made apple pie in a cup today to celebrate Johnny Appleseed’s birthday! At St. James we strive to see the development of the whole child, not just academic growth. Cooking is a fabulous way to see that development! We engaged all of our senses by smelling the ingredients, feeling the difference between cold and room temperature butter, tasting the brown sugar, and seeing how the ingredients changed when we mixed them together. We worked as a team to complete the recipe and expanded our vocabulary by talking about the different types of measuring utensils. Our motor skills were worked when we stirred and scooped and pressed the whipped cream nozzle. And we learned about opinions when we made a graph to see how many of us liked Apple Pie in a Cup! Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!
Every Friday kindergarten takes some time to enjoy a fun extra activity. This Friday was our first Flashlight Friday. We turned out all of the lights, picked a cozy spot with our partners and cuddled up with a good book. It is a low pressure way to explore and share our favorite books with each other. Add it some good music and a few stuffed friends and it becomes a great way to spend a Friday afternoon!
We have had a great first two weeks in kindergarten! A big part of the early weeks at school is learning routines. One of our favorite routines is Morning Drawers. Every morning students put away their things then go to find their morning drawer. These 12 drawers are filled with fun, engaging activities that focus on building fine motor strength. The muscles in our fingers and hands are so important for writing but also for everyday tasks like getting dressed and opening lunch items. So getting to strengthen those muscles through play is a win for students and teachers. The class also works on academic skills like name recognition, patterns, number and letter recognition, and so much more all in the first 15 minutes of the day!
