What fun we had exploring apples and making our very own applesauce! Cooking in a kindergarten classroom is not just about enjoying the final product- we also learn a lot along the way. The students each got to cut their own apple. It was harder than it looked! We added cinnamon and sugar and had to wait patiently for it to cook all day! It sure did make our classroom smell delicious. Finally, it was ready. I was so proud to see everyone try a bite. Trying new foods can be a bit daunting for some children but there was no pressure to taste it. Some liked the applesauce and said me said it didn’t taste like the applesauce they were used to. That’s okay! Everyone has different opinions. They can’t wait to see what we make next month.

We’ve been hard at work in kindergarten learning new routines and schedules. One of the students’ favorite activities is our Morning Work Drawers. They come in excited every morning to see what drawer they will be working with. Every drawer has a developmentally appropriate fine motor task for the students. These tasks range from cutting, sorting legos, counting beads, to manipulating therapy putty to find objects. These activities seem like play to the students but they are actually working on building those finger and hand muscles that will be so important for writing later on in the year! We love our Morning Drawers!

It is hard to believe that these students have made it through 100 days of school. They have learned so much in that time and we celebrated in a big way. Everyone came to school dressed like they were 100 years old. There were a lot of giggles at the costumes! We really got into character by playing bingo and eating hard candies. We counted to see how far 100 steps would take us on our way to PE and did 100 exercises while we were there.

That afternoon we split into our groups for 100 Day stations. We’ve learned that 10 groups of 10 makes 100 so several of the stations reinforced that concept. The students made trail mix with 10 different snacks and filled a stamp book with10 sets of 10 stamps. They experimented to see if 100 licks was enough to finish a sucker, built creations out of 100 Legos and 100 marshmallows, and tried to build a cup tower with 100 cups!

100 Day is such a special memory for the students and a good time for teachers to notice how far they have come.

We had so much fun making hot cocoa in kindergarten! The students read the recipe and we talked about any unfamiliar ingredients or tools. We discovered that some ingredients like cocoa powder and vanilla smell delicious but don’t taste good until they are mixed with everything else. Each student had a turn to add and mix. After cooking all day it was finally ready to taste! Not every student feels comfortable trying new foods and that’s okay. Sometimes participating in creating the new food is enough for a child with food anxiety and we celebrate that win just as much as a food adventurous child!

Kindergarten stayed busy in December! We decorated cookies, searched for elves, and welcomed some very special visitors. This age still loves the magic of the season and makes being in the classroom so much fun.