Extra Recess!

We had beautiful weather...FINALLY, so I took the kiddos out for an extra recess at the end of the day!  I gave them the option of choice time or outside - all of their hands flew up for extra playtime outside!

 

Here are a few snapshots!  Unfortunately I didn't get all of them, but keep your eyes peeled for more because I will try to keep adding them!

 

Station Time!

Work Stations!

 

This week I added a new fun game!  My students love to stack cups, so I decided to write words on the top of these Dixie cups!  They work with their partner, if they can say the word, they get to stack it.  If they can't say the word yet, their partner gets a chance to steal and the lose their turn.

 

 

As you can see, they are doing great with their sight words!  Way to go boys!!!

 

"The duck cooks in the mailbox."  WHAT?!?! 

:)  Silly Sentences has been a blast for my kids!  They pick three cards, one blue, one pink, one orange and they fill in the blanks in that order to make their sentence.  Then hey have to illustrate whatever their silly sentence says!

Bean Bag words!  Inside that orange bag is a bunch of beans with sight words written on them.  Students shake the bag to find sight words and record them on their paper.

 



This is a creative writing station.  Students pick out a card, and then write 1-3 sentences about the card they chose.  Then they illustrate a picture.

 



Working it all in!  Word work on this pocket chart has been a difficult task!  They are to put the sentences in order to the Spring Poem that we have been learning.

 



 

Sight Word scramble!  These are the sight words that are scrambled up in the tubs.  Students look at the letters and try to figure out what word they have in front of them.  Then they record it on their paper.

Marbled Easter Eggs with Shaving Cream

Right before Easter we made these awesome projects!  It is literally shaving cream and food coloring!  Each student's project turned out different, they are incredible! 

 

 

This is one of my students.  We mounted them on black paper to make them stand out a little more. 

 

Directions:

Use a cookie sheet, put shaving cream on it.  Spread it out.  Drop on whatever color food color you want to show up on the paper.  Put another layer of shaving cream on, use a knife and marble it through.  Place your paper on top press it down until it feels like the whole paper has shaving cream on it.  Peel it off, place it on the table then use a drywall scraper to scrape the shaving cream off of it.  Let dry, cut out, mount, and wahh-lahhhh!

Dissolving Peeps

This week we learned about dissolving!  I decided that we would try to dissolve Peeps since I had some left over from Easter and it was something fun to watch take place.  We started the experiment by choosing what cup we thought would dissolve the peep first.  We had water, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, diet coke, and laundry soap. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We waited one week.  Results are in...

Vinegar dissolved the Peep the quickest!

Water made the Peep mold

Rubbing Alcohol preserved the Peep - there was NOTHING wrong with it!

Diet Coke was eating the Peep and it looked like a lung with cancer - it was nasty!

Laundry Soap looked like Jell-O at the end of the week!

I love love lovvvve Science!  :)

 

I have fun teaching science - my students have made the ultimate conception...

 

"Science is like MAGIC!"

 

Well if you are interested in Science and making it fun - don't waste any time!  Check this out - yessss we will be doing this VERY soon in my classroom!!!

 



 

Today at the Professional Development seminar I attended focusing on the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) I had the opportunity to dive into the new Kindergarten Science Framework - and let me just say...I am pumped!  I know it isn't supposed to be implemented until 2014, but I am ripping, roaring, and ready to rock and roll! 

 

This week I will be making a trip to Meijer to get some dry ice! 

It'll be a perfect addition to our Artic theme for January...and the oh so famous Properties of Matter!

Properties of Matter

Beginning tomorrow - We will be starting a unit on Properties of Matter

 

For this experiment, we will use:

-3 Balloons

-Water

-Tub

-Salt

-Construction paper

 

 

First - students will watch as I fill three balloons with water (I have already done this ahead of time and froze them ahead of time so we can start our experiment - but we will do it together so they can see the process anyways!)  Next, we put them in the freezer!

 

When balloons are frozen, we will cut the rubber off, then place them in a tub.  I will connect the frozen balls with salt. 

 

Now - we will hypothesize -

What is going to happen?

How long will it take?

Why?

What will happen to the solid?



Also this week we will complete another great project/experiment to go along with the Properties of Matter! 

Materials:
-Balloon
-Baking Soda
-Vinegar
-Pop Bottle



1. Take pop bottle, put vinegar in the bottom.
2. Put baking soda INSIDE the balloon.
3. Attach the balloon to the pop bottle without letting the baking soda slide out into the bottle.
4. Lift the balloon so the baking soda drops into the bottom.
VOILA! - YOU HAVE JUST MADE A CHEMICAL REACTION AND CREATED A GAS - THE BALLOON IS GOING TO BLOOOOW UP!

I cannot wait to post pictures of my students completing these experiments!  Super GEEKED!



Half Way Through January... Wow!

Wow!  What can I say - this month has flown by and in a wink it will be gone!  Getting back into the groove of things after being sick with the flu!

Coming soon are new activities that we have been working on in the classroom!  I cannot wait to share them! 

Today I attended a Next Generation Science Standards professional development at the MOISD - Very good stuff!  Thanks Jennifer Arnswald!

I am excited to implement new things into the classroom including our own ecosystem - with Hermit Crabs!

We will also be conducting some great science experiments in the units of Matter, Weather & Climate, and Ecosystems. 

We will get the chance to make our own ecosystems and figure out what exactly we need to survive along with some animals in the arctic rhealm of the world!  Please stay posted as updates will be occuring frequently!