hatching

On Monday morning we had three chicks hatched in our incubator with the remainder following close behind. The children eagerly watched the incubator, waiting for the chicks to be dry enough to move to our bin. On Tuesday we began to take chicks out on our oval rug, placing them between two children for close observation.

We talked about the importance of calm bodies and quiet voices. Toby shared that the chicks don't have any "mothers" in our classroom - so we had to be careful and loving! Some of the most powerful moments were later in the week, when small groups of children would sit still with a chick and then pass the chick to a peer - the passing of a chick was a big responsibility and the gentle passes and small smiles made for a collection of beautiful moments.

By Friday our chicks were bopping around the bin, ready for more space and less interested in the warmth of a child's palm. It was a little more challenging to hold the fluffy chicks, so during morning meeting we held a couple of chicks for the last time, before saying goodbye at the end of the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

preparing for reader's theater

This week, the Kindergarteners voted for the Jon Klassen book they will be reading for our Reader's Theater on June 1st. It was a close vote, but 11 of the children voted for I Want My Hat Back.






We had important work to do following our vote. We choral read I Want My Hat Back multiple times, thinking about how the children would read the book to the audience; with expression, smooth reading, and ensuring mindful transitions. We counted and listed the characters and wrote a note to our Kindergarten families, asking for breakfast treats to share during our community breakfast following the children's performance.

The children will begin to practice reading specific lines in the coming days, as we continue to prep and prepare for our special end of Kindergarten celebration of reading, literature, and community. As an additional piece to our Reader's Theater, we will be sharing our study of Jon Klassen's style and craft - in his writing and illustrations - and asking a question of the audience;

What do YOU think happened to the rabbit at the end of the story? 

If you are not familiar with this story - or Jon Klassen's work - I encourage you to purchase or borrow the book and reread it at home with your child. The Kindergarteners love the humor in Klassen's writing and illustrations!

 

 

 

seeds and eggs - an update!

 

 

 


The Kindergarteners have continued to observe our seedlings and practice reading our seed poem - taking turns reading the poem to their peers and reading the poem together. This week, the children highlighted noticings in our poem; circling blends and sight words, highlighting punctuation, and finding words inside of words!


With the ongoing support of Lise-Anne and Anna, we candled our eggs for the last time. The children confirmed that egg number 8 does not have a chick inside of it - so we have the potential for 26 eggs hatching next week! We weighed the eggs for a third time, comparing the weight with our original measurements. Many of the eggs stayed the same weight, with only one egg - egg number 26 - going down in weight.

With the help of all of the children, we followed Avery's idea for determining the biggest egg. During number corner, we added each measurement for all seven of our biggest eggs, using unifix cubes of blue (blue being a group of ten) and orange. Based on our math work, egg number 26 is (officially) the biggest!

 

nature - dandelions

On Tuesday morning we had our last nature class of the year. The children learned about dandelions and seeds through an engaging puppet show, a "try to collect the longest dandelion" challenge, and close observation of our natural collections.

As children dissected dandelions and daffodils over a dark mat, using magnifying classes to take a closer look, their noticings and conversations connected to our recent read alouds and learning about seeds and the parts of a flower. Nature class ended with an exciting read aloud, further supporting the children's learning about the parts of a flower and the life cycle of a flower - from reproduction and growth to seed distribution.

Thank you to our nature parents for their consistent and engaging classes and for sharing their knowledge and sense of humor with all of us!

 

 

 

 

thank you!

We must take the time during teacher appreciation week to also thank and show our appreciation for our families and our classroom community. 

On Thursday we welcomed Avery's mom and Mimi into our classroom for a special painting experience; Kindergarten paint-and-sip! With a lemonade box in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, each student worked on a canvas celebrating the moms in our community. Every child identifies as having a mom and eagerly followed the specific directions for their canvas. We were so fortunate to have this experience, with all of the supplies donated and all of the prep work taken care of. It was such a treat for me to be on the other end, listening and learning about their plan, documenting, and watching as Mimi carefully modeled each step. 

It's important for the children to have opportunities to follow clear and specific instructions or directions, as games, work, and life are full of directions and expectations. While the focus was to celebrate all of the loved moms in our lives, it was incredible to have such community support and involvement - thank you Meghan and Mimi for all of your hard work and careful planning (each canvas and smock had a name!) and for spending your afternoon with the Kindergarteners.

We appreciate you. 

 

 

 

 

Friday was our last Spanish Class of the year. A special thank you to Kristen for planning, prepping, and engaging the children in rich and colorful explorations of language and culture.

On Friday the Kindergarteners learned about Cinco de Mayo, made tissue paper pinatas, and admired the intricacy of a papel picado. Spanish Class has been a favorite part of each week, an opportunity for exposure to another language, history, and way of being. We ended Friday's class with a warm cup of mexican hot chocolate, infused with orange and cinnamon. It was loved by all. Kristen expertly and creatively integrated the arts into the children's learning, ensuring opportunities to hear language, sing, move, and create. Thank you, Kristen. We appreciate all that you have given our community - and thank you for staying longer to make the delicious hot chocolate!