Kindergarten Open House

Friday, 8-18-17

During Kindergarten Open House children had the opportunity to choose their cubby as well as design a sign for their cubby. Using colorful markers, children wrote their names and added details to their signs. It was important for me to be with the children during this time - sometimes engaging in conversation while other times respectfully observing the children as they worked. We, as teachers, learn a lot about our students when we listen. I learned about a beloved horse, a passion for barbie dolls, a curiosity in letters, a worry about Kindergarten, a shared knowledge of other languages, and I learned that we should all be careful around scorpions. I also watched as one child at the table helped their new peer learn how to draw a heart. Their conversation is transcribed below; 

GK - "Okay, you take your marker and go up and around and there! See? It's a heart"

ML - "I tried, but my heart is pointy"

GK - "My hearts were pointy when I first drew them, too. But, I draw lots and lots of hearts. Now, they're only pointy at the bottom!"

Families were invited to share their Hopes and Dreams for their child on a piece of ribbon. The ribbons were then attached to a large hoop, creating a chandelier for our classroom - a hanging collection of their words. The chandelier is our first community piece and will provide colorful documentation for the children and I to reference and enjoy throughout the year! Documentation must always have an audience. At the beginning of the year, the chandelier will hang in our common area with pictures and writing displayed at a higher level - the audience for this piece is our Kindergarten families. Later this year, we will bring our chandelier into our classroom with the pictures available for the children. Upon visiting our classroom, I encourage you to look up, but also to look down - there is documentation at many levels!

While families thoughtfully wrote Hopes and Dreams, the children worked on a collaborative piece to hang from the large branch in our classroom - sun catchers! In addition to working with pieces of tissue paper and glue, some Kindergarteners added on to a saved block structure. The children noticed the different shapes of the blocks, gems and rocks used to create the structure. We talked about color, symmetry, shape and size.

Our Kindergarten Open House stretched across a week long period, as many families visited on different days. Each visit and moment with the incoming Kindergarteners was rich and important - important for all of us, as we begin making connections and forming relationships. 


Cubby Signs

 

 

 

 

 

Hopes and Dreams Chandelier

 

 

 

 

 

 


Representing Togetherness