Apples, Apples, Who Likes Apples? We do!

     Oh, what fun we had on Tuesday!  The Pence kindergarten classes had the chance to experience learning in each other's classrooms.  We investigated apples in our room, peeled and cored apples for applesauce in Mrs. Sandbothe's room, and participated in a taste test in Mrs. Bachar's room.  Our activities integrated math, science, and literacy for a morning full of discovery.  I would like to thank all of the parents who donated apples for our special day.  You helped to make memories!
     Now, for the photos!

All three classes graphed their favorite kind of apple.

The taste test!

Coring and peeling the apples for the applesauce.

Investigating with our five senses and recording our observations.

And.......trying out homemade applesauce!

Yummy!

A New Way to Learn

     I just love this picture!  All of the kids are so engaged and seem joyful!  Our Pence kindergarten team was so excited to discover a new instructional tool last year and we were overjoyed when the Fairfield Education Foundation awarded us a grant to purchase these materials!

   In the photo above, the kindergartners are participating in simultaneous multi-sensory learning.  This is a method of teaching that engages multiple pathways to the brain at the same time.  The students see it, say it, hear it, and do it all simultaneously.  Currently, we are working on our numbers to thirty.  We watch a video developed by Heidi Butkus.  As we watch, we sing the song and move our bodies.  You can just feel our brains lighting up!  It is my hope that this sensory method will improve our number recognition and help us all to feel successful.

     You might be wondering what the kids are seeing on the screen.....

     

     If you'd like more information about Heidi's resources, visit www.HeidiSongs.com.

Library Time!

   
     With a few weeks of school under our belt, we are ready to enjoy a weekly visit to the library.  Your child will have the opportunity to check out two books every Tuesday.  As long as they are returned, they can be swapped for two new books the following Tuesday.

   
     I hope you'll have time each week to sit down with your child and read together.  The number one way to support and enrich your child's school experience is to READ!

Keep in mind that your child searched. . .

. . .and searched to find the perfect book to share with you! 

   We discussed that it is extremely important to keep track of library books.  You may want to find a special spot at home -- out of the reach of toddlers and pets -- to store the books.  Or, it might be best to place them right back into your child's backpack after they have been read.  This will prevent lost or damaged books, and will save you the money of replacing the ones you can't return!

          I hope you'll enjoy those special story times as much as I know they do!

Names, Names, Names!

  We have been having so much fun working with our names!  Research has shown that it is most effective to reinforce letter recognition and the corresponding letter sounds with words that are important to the child.  What is most likely the most important word to a young child?  His or her name!  It is usually the first word learned by every child.  For this reason, we have spent lots of time this week working on projects centered around our names.  Here's a glimpse of some of our work!

   

Strengthening our fine motor skills. . . .

Finding and admiring our names. . . .

Constructing a class graph. . . .

And creating a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom name tree!

A New Crop of Kids

     We are off to a great start in KR!  As you can see in the photo above, we have 22 happy little people who fill our room with energy each day.  I am enjoying getting to know their unique personalities.  I plan to keep you up-to-date with little snippets and photos of what we are working on each week.  Hopefully, you'll consider following me so that you can feel a part of our learning community!