Welcome back everyone!
Last week I took a little breather and tried to just enjoy the time with my family!
This week will be a lot of fun as we get closer to the end of the school year! We will be learning about our community helpers and celebrating Cinco de Mayo! Below are the Google Slides Presentations:
Monday May 4, 2020
Tuesday May 5, 2020
Our last official day of school was supposed to be May 22, but I am trying to figure out when and how to transition my online group to summer activities and less "school". I plan to continue sharing activities and doing a few read alouds without the Circle Time portion ---so stay tuned as we navigate this!
Thank you all for joining the group and participating. I never thought it would grow to almost 400 people!! Moving into distance learning was a new adventure and will be an experience I will not soon forget.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Fairy Tale Week
So this week I tried something new---Google Slides! Instead of posting different things throughout the day, I created a daily Google Slide that contained all the activities, videos, and links! It definitely help me keep everything organized and since I prerecorded it, it gave me more time with my girls at home!
Below are the slides for each day!
April 20,2020
April 21,2020
April 22, 2020
April 23, 2020
Each day the slides contain the same pages: Stay Connected, Pledge, Circle Time, Story Time, Bible Time, and Extras!
Below are the slides for each day!
April 20,2020
April 21,2020
April 22, 2020
April 23, 2020
Each day the slides contain the same pages: Stay Connected, Pledge, Circle Time, Story Time, Bible Time, and Extras!
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Stay Connected
Blogspot https://mrsduncanclass.blogspot.com/
I started this blog as a place to record the activities I was doing in my classroom but with the COVID-19 quarantine this have grown into a Facebook group and YouTube Channel!
Stay connected through following me and my classroom through all three!
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Ocean Week
This week is our ocean week through Digital Learning----man I miss my kids and my classroom! Leading lessons online is so much harder and its just not the same!
But enough of the pity party! It is a beautiful day and we are having lots of fun with our online class! Here are some of the videos I have done so far!
Monday April 13, 2020
Circle Time Each day I create a video (prerecorded) that attempts to recreate what my class would do during our circle time. We sings songs to help us go through our calendar, we work on the letter and weekly skill, and read stories!
Bible Time This week we are learning about Jonah. I decided to break up the story into 4 separate parts to keep the videos short.
Ocean Song Here is a silly little ocean song.
Ocean Art: Invitation to Create My class does activities like this in our art center at school. There are a variety of colored shapes cut from paper and they are invited to create their own ocean scene or creature. They really get to showcase their creativity and imaginations in this!
I also post different read alouds and educational videos to go along with our weekly theme!
Ocean Facts 101
Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan and Mark Astrella
Tuesday April 14, 2020
Circle Time Today we worked on simple addition and the un family .
Bible Time Part 2 of the story of Jonah.
Rainbow Fish read aloud I do not have this book at my house (it is somewhere in my classroom) so I found a read aloud on Youtube.
Story/Art extension activity This is a fun hands-on activity that parents can do with their children after reading or listening to the story Rainbowfish.
Un Family Music video I love using music and movement to help students learn! Jack Hartman is probably one of my favorites!
Greg and Steve Number Rock Again, using music to help students connect to the topics is just fun!
Read Aloud--Rainbow Fish and Friends: Sea of I did a read aloud of another story from Rainbowfish.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Circle Time Today we played a ABC game with Mr. Munch the shark! We also looked at some fun ways to use play to learn through playdough and pretend!
Bible Time Today was part 3 of Jonah.
Read Aloud Pout Pout Fish promised to help his friend Ms. Clam find her lost pearl. Can he overcome his fear of the dark to keep his promise?
Sing Along Waves in the Sea is a fun song about some of the things you might find in the sea. Can you think of other things we could add to our song?
Wave Bottle We may not be able to visit the ocean right now, but we can explore the waves at home with this fun activity.
Counting Collections Here is a fun hands-on math activity you can do to help your child with their math skills.
Sink or Float Experiement What sinks and what floats? See if you can figure it out !
My Big World with Clifford: What Should He Wear? Learn with Clifford about what we wear in different seasons and types of weather.
My Big World with Clifford: A Teeny Tiny Nest Learn with Clifford about a teeny tiny bird and its nest!
But enough of the pity party! It is a beautiful day and we are having lots of fun with our online class! Here are some of the videos I have done so far!
Monday April 13, 2020
Circle Time Each day I create a video (prerecorded) that attempts to recreate what my class would do during our circle time. We sings songs to help us go through our calendar, we work on the letter and weekly skill, and read stories!
Bible Time This week we are learning about Jonah. I decided to break up the story into 4 separate parts to keep the videos short.
Ocean Song Here is a silly little ocean song.
Ocean Art: Invitation to Create My class does activities like this in our art center at school. There are a variety of colored shapes cut from paper and they are invited to create their own ocean scene or creature. They really get to showcase their creativity and imaginations in this!
I also post different read alouds and educational videos to go along with our weekly theme!
Ocean Facts 101
Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan and Mark Astrella
Tuesday April 14, 2020
Circle Time Today we worked on simple addition and the un family .
Bible Time Part 2 of the story of Jonah.
Rainbow Fish read aloud I do not have this book at my house (it is somewhere in my classroom) so I found a read aloud on Youtube.
Story/Art extension activity This is a fun hands-on activity that parents can do with their children after reading or listening to the story Rainbowfish.
Un Family Music video I love using music and movement to help students learn! Jack Hartman is probably one of my favorites!
Greg and Steve Number Rock Again, using music to help students connect to the topics is just fun!
Read Aloud--Rainbow Fish and Friends: Sea of I did a read aloud of another story from Rainbowfish.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Circle Time Today we played a ABC game with Mr. Munch the shark! We also looked at some fun ways to use play to learn through playdough and pretend!
Bible Time Today was part 3 of Jonah.
Read Aloud Pout Pout Fish promised to help his friend Ms. Clam find her lost pearl. Can he overcome his fear of the dark to keep his promise?
Sing Along Waves in the Sea is a fun song about some of the things you might find in the sea. Can you think of other things we could add to our song?
Wave Bottle We may not be able to visit the ocean right now, but we can explore the waves at home with this fun activity.
Counting Collections Here is a fun hands-on math activity you can do to help your child with their math skills.
Sink or Float Experiement What sinks and what floats? See if you can figure it out !
My Big World with Clifford: What Should He Wear? Learn with Clifford about what we wear in different seasons and types of weather.
My Big World with Clifford: A Teeny Tiny Nest Learn with Clifford about a teeny tiny bird and its nest!
Friday, April 10, 2020
Looking ahead to next week
This next week we will be learning all about the ocean and the animals that live there!
I am trying to add movement and games into my circle time video---which is not as easy as it may sound. So many of the great games and activities that we normally do at school are if nothing else very difficult to replicate on a video recording BUT I am going to do my best to make it work. Stay tuned for new pictures and blog posts as we continue this strange journey of Distance Learning!
April 6-10 Lesson plans
So since we are not all participating in Distance Learning, I thought I'd upload what we did this week in my Facebook group "Mrs. Duncan's Class".
I have been keeping Fridays open for my personal students---we did a Zoom meeting today with a directed drawing! They seem to really enjoy it and it helps keep us connected during this trying time. I am praying we can somehow meet again, even if it is to meet for popsicles one day this summer.
Here is the plan for this past week---I tried to keep it as "normal" as I could but with it all being digital that is not always the case. My classroom normally has lots of hands-on learning centers to reinforce the weekly skills---but I tried to add lots of activities into the week.
This week was a bit harder since my 2nd grader officially started her "home" school things---it was not bad but has taken some getting used to and it get better each day. We try to get our school work done early so we have the rest of the day to play!
Since our regular egg hunt at church and in our neighborhood have been canceled due to social distancing, we thought we would create our own drive-by version!
One thing we did this week online, was a poll for our favorite Easter candy. I made a video of me creating a graph to see our data.
I have been keeping Fridays open for my personal students---we did a Zoom meeting today with a directed drawing! They seem to really enjoy it and it helps keep us connected during this trying time. I am praying we can somehow meet again, even if it is to meet for popsicles one day this summer.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Our new "normal"
Life in quarantine in many ways is far from normal but we are all adjusting and getting into new routines and a new "normal".
Online Circle Time has really taken off! My Facebook group has over 350 members and keeps growing! I never imagined that this would take off like it has! It still feels a bit strange to be teaching to myself and I sometimes feel a bit like Dora the Explore talking to an invisible audience LOL!
Distance learning has its pros and cons but it is definitely a new adventure---it can be quite challenging at times because there are so many things that we do in our classroom that you just can't really replicate talking to a computer camera.
I miss my students from school and church so much---they really become part of your little family and not being able to see them and interact with them really stinks. My preschoolers have done two Zoom meetings (with the safety protocols and passwords) so that has been fun. The first meeting we did a little show and tell and this past Friday we played a Spring Time BINGO :D. We plan to meet weekly through Zoom on Fridays--this week we are going to try to do a directed drawing. My class has always enjoyed those so hopefully it will go well.
Online Circle Time has really taken off! My Facebook group has over 350 members and keeps growing! I never imagined that this would take off like it has! It still feels a bit strange to be teaching to myself and I sometimes feel a bit like Dora the Explore talking to an invisible audience LOL!
Distance learning has its pros and cons but it is definitely a new adventure---it can be quite challenging at times because there are so many things that we do in our classroom that you just can't really replicate talking to a computer camera.
I miss my students from school and church so much---they really become part of your little family and not being able to see them and interact with them really stinks. My preschoolers have done two Zoom meetings (with the safety protocols and passwords) so that has been fun. The first meeting we did a little show and tell and this past Friday we played a Spring Time BINGO :D. We plan to meet weekly through Zoom on Fridays--this week we are going to try to do a directed drawing. My class has always enjoyed those so hopefully it will go well.
Start of week 3 of Social Distancing
Today starts our 3rd week of social distancing and truthfully, so far so good. I have found I have extrovert tenancies at school and church, but once home my family and I are pretty much homebodies LOL. Only 2 big differences-- not being able to see my extended family and eating inside restaurants. Luckily, we live in a day and time that I can video chat with my family and have done some drive by's to say hello.
I am very glad that I have been able to keep up with my twin sister---she works in a dental office and is deemed essential and I watch her daughter while she is gone---so she is in my quarantine circle. I don't think I could do this without her!
My girls have been doing well playing together. The weather has been amazing and I feel our family has truly grown closer together over these last 3 weeks. I know God has a plan for all this and that He is with us through this storm. I honestly have felt very much at peace through all this chaos---and I can only point to Jesus as the source of that peace.
I ended up created an online Facebook group to stream my Facebook Live Circle time videos---I am shocked to have over 160 members!! I am glad to be able to reach out to our community (both my school kiddos and neighbors and others in our community).
I am trying to keep our circle time as "normal" as possible---we do a weekly letter and number, word families, memory verse/Bible lesson. I tried to add extra videos of read alouds and directed drawings too! This is definitely a first in our nation to have distance learning on such a huge scale. I haven't yet received any updates on what my oldest daughter (2nd grade) should be doing so I have made our own "schedule" or list of activities.
School at home is very different than in the normal classroom. One major difference is your class size. Instead of 16 four year olds, I have 2 (my youngest and my niece) and instead of a class with 20+ second graders, I have one. Having mixed age groups brings its only challenges but we are making the most out of it.
I created two activity jars: one for my 2nd grader, and one for the younger two. Inside each jar are many slips of paper---on each paper I have written different activities. For my oldest some of the slip have things like reading, art projects, American Heritage Girls badge requirements, online learning apps, Google Classroom assignments, journaling/writing, Brain Breaks/dancing ,etc For my younger ones, ABC Mouse, coloring, pretend play, legos, playdoh, etc. I tried to create a variety of things for them to do, both academic and just fun. They get to pick a slip out of their jar (gives them a choice) and then I set a timer. For most its between 20-30 minutes but if they are enjoying the activity I let them go until they loose interest (except for TV time. This seems to be working well for them but we will see how it goes this week (our first real week of using our activity jars ).
You can follow my Facebook Online group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/241372353677500
I am also working to upload the videos onto Youtube.
I am very glad that I have been able to keep up with my twin sister---she works in a dental office and is deemed essential and I watch her daughter while she is gone---so she is in my quarantine circle. I don't think I could do this without her!
My girls have been doing well playing together. The weather has been amazing and I feel our family has truly grown closer together over these last 3 weeks. I know God has a plan for all this and that He is with us through this storm. I honestly have felt very much at peace through all this chaos---and I can only point to Jesus as the source of that peace.
I ended up created an online Facebook group to stream my Facebook Live Circle time videos---I am shocked to have over 160 members!! I am glad to be able to reach out to our community (both my school kiddos and neighbors and others in our community).
I am trying to keep our circle time as "normal" as possible---we do a weekly letter and number, word families, memory verse/Bible lesson. I tried to add extra videos of read alouds and directed drawings too! This is definitely a first in our nation to have distance learning on such a huge scale. I haven't yet received any updates on what my oldest daughter (2nd grade) should be doing so I have made our own "schedule" or list of activities.
School at home is very different than in the normal classroom. One major difference is your class size. Instead of 16 four year olds, I have 2 (my youngest and my niece) and instead of a class with 20+ second graders, I have one. Having mixed age groups brings its only challenges but we are making the most out of it.
I created two activity jars: one for my 2nd grader, and one for the younger two. Inside each jar are many slips of paper---on each paper I have written different activities. For my oldest some of the slip have things like reading, art projects, American Heritage Girls badge requirements, online learning apps, Google Classroom assignments, journaling/writing, Brain Breaks/dancing ,etc For my younger ones, ABC Mouse, coloring, pretend play, legos, playdoh, etc. I tried to create a variety of things for them to do, both academic and just fun. They get to pick a slip out of their jar (gives them a choice) and then I set a timer. For most its between 20-30 minutes but if they are enjoying the activity I let them go until they loose interest (except for TV time. This seems to be working well for them but we will see how it goes this week (our first real week of using our activity jars ).
You can follow my Facebook Online group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/241372353677500
I am also working to upload the videos onto Youtube.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Youtube Channel
I can say one positive to come out of this quarantine is that my understanding and use of technology has greatly grown!!
I was having some issues with the Facebook live video feeds (sound kept going in and out) so I decided to switch things up a little bit. I have been using the camera feature on my laptop to record myself and then upload the videos to my Youtube channel. My 7 year old thinks I'm "way cool" since I'm actually on Youtube (hope she thinks that still in a few years haha!) .
Here is the link! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbx3D9A0U3cphLDHrtvQkyA/
Here is the link! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbx3D9A0U3cphLDHrtvQkyA/
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Facebook Live Classroom
Technology can be a blessing---especially right now with schools across the nation shut down and thousands of students left to do "school" at home.
Currently I teacher 4k preschool and am not required to do anything while closed, but my teacher heart can not sit idly by especially when I am doing fun educational stuff at home with my 2 girls and niece:D.
So this week I tried something new for the first time ever!!! Facebook LIVE!
I started using Facebook's Live feed to record myself doing a simplified circle time so I could share it with my students' families.
I'm still getting used to the camera and trying different things but it seems to be going well.
Click on any of the links below to watch the videos we have created so far!
Wednesday March 18
Even my daughter Kailey got in on the action and did a story time through Facebook Live.
We tried to do a video of a math game with our goldfish---it definitely didn't go as planned (certain 4 year olds and a camera LOL) but it hopefully got the point across hahaha!
Lion Directed Drawing
Thursday March 19
Colors story time
Currently I teacher 4k preschool and am not required to do anything while closed, but my teacher heart can not sit idly by especially when I am doing fun educational stuff at home with my 2 girls and niece:D.
So this week I tried something new for the first time ever!!! Facebook LIVE!
I started using Facebook's Live feed to record myself doing a simplified circle time so I could share it with my students' families.
I'm still getting used to the camera and trying different things but it seems to be going well.
Click on any of the links below to watch the videos we have created so far!
Wednesday March 18
Even my daughter Kailey got in on the action and did a story time through Facebook Live.
We tried to do a video of a math game with our goldfish---it definitely didn't go as planned (certain 4 year olds and a camera LOL) but it hopefully got the point across hahaha!
Lion Directed Drawing
Thursday March 19
Colors story time
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Duncan "home" school---COVID-19
So our world has kinda been turned upside down.....businesses and schools shut down as we all try to quarantine ourselves to stop the spread of this COVID-19 virus.
I'll be honest, I swing back and forth between worry and calm....that calm only coming from the Lord. Those moments of worry sneak in at unexpected moments though. Did I get enough food, when will life return to "normal", am I doing enough to ensure my children won't fall behind in their studies, etc. Questions run through my head constantly, especially at night when I try to go to sleep.
BUT, I will not let the enemy steal my joy and my assurance in Christ. I know God is in control in all things, the good and the bad.
Our normal lives are so busy. I have really struggled with this lately in my personal life. I am a wife, mom, preschool teacher, small group director of kids at church.... I wear many hats and feel pulled in many directions. I am tired and worn out many days but I love all that I do. I know teaching is a calling Jesus has given me in my life. But I can not help but wonder if even in the midst of this storm, God has a given us a great opportunity ---a gift of time with the ones we love the most. I am cherishing these days I get to just be with my girls. They aren't having to share me with others right now and its refreshing in a sense.
This year, I have noticed how much my oldest daughter, Kailey, has grown. She is 7, almost 8 and she's no longer that baby I held in my arms. She is quickly maturing and growing up and I don't want to waste even a moment with her. I will use this time home with her to grow our relationship and to create memories together as a family.
Most of my blog posts have been centered around school things---this one is a bit different. It feels good to get things off your chest so to speak and this quarantine is something we've never experienced (and I pray we never repeat LOL)...so writing about it is therapeutic and good to be able to look back upon one day.
We will get past all of this----life will return to a new normal---hopefully one centered more around our families and communities and a nation turned back to the great healer .
We are on day 2 of our home school adventure. I will say so far it is going great!! They are excited and having fun. My oldest thought it needed to be longer and more like "real" school but quickly realized it was up to her---we can get lots more accomplished with 1 2nd grader rather than 20+. Kendall (4k) and Natalie (3k) are able to do just about the same things so I'm basically doing a mini circle time with them like I did at school.
I plan to let Kailey do some self-led research project type activities. I asked her yesterday what she would like to learn about so that gave me some ideas.
One thing I'm looking forward to is our Caterpillars! I bought them for my classroom (we were going to do them as a family towards the end of school) but since they never made it to school, we are going to learn all about them here at home!
I'll be honest, I swing back and forth between worry and calm....that calm only coming from the Lord. Those moments of worry sneak in at unexpected moments though. Did I get enough food, when will life return to "normal", am I doing enough to ensure my children won't fall behind in their studies, etc. Questions run through my head constantly, especially at night when I try to go to sleep.
BUT, I will not let the enemy steal my joy and my assurance in Christ. I know God is in control in all things, the good and the bad.
Our normal lives are so busy. I have really struggled with this lately in my personal life. I am a wife, mom, preschool teacher, small group director of kids at church.... I wear many hats and feel pulled in many directions. I am tired and worn out many days but I love all that I do. I know teaching is a calling Jesus has given me in my life. But I can not help but wonder if even in the midst of this storm, God has a given us a great opportunity ---a gift of time with the ones we love the most. I am cherishing these days I get to just be with my girls. They aren't having to share me with others right now and its refreshing in a sense.
This year, I have noticed how much my oldest daughter, Kailey, has grown. She is 7, almost 8 and she's no longer that baby I held in my arms. She is quickly maturing and growing up and I don't want to waste even a moment with her. I will use this time home with her to grow our relationship and to create memories together as a family.
Most of my blog posts have been centered around school things---this one is a bit different. It feels good to get things off your chest so to speak and this quarantine is something we've never experienced (and I pray we never repeat LOL)...so writing about it is therapeutic and good to be able to look back upon one day.
We will get past all of this----life will return to a new normal---hopefully one centered more around our families and communities and a nation turned back to the great healer .
We are on day 2 of our home school adventure. I will say so far it is going great!! They are excited and having fun. My oldest thought it needed to be longer and more like "real" school but quickly realized it was up to her---we can get lots more accomplished with 1 2nd grader rather than 20+. Kendall (4k) and Natalie (3k) are able to do just about the same things so I'm basically doing a mini circle time with them like I did at school.
I plan to let Kailey do some self-led research project type activities. I asked her yesterday what she would like to learn about so that gave me some ideas.
One thing I'm looking forward to is our Caterpillars! I bought them for my classroom (we were going to do them as a family towards the end of school) but since they never made it to school, we are going to learn all about them here at home!
Zoo Week From Home
Let's make lemonade from the lemons right now and still create fun learning activities!!!
This week is zoo week! I'll add some links to the activities we were going to do in class so that you and your families can do them at home! Remember, play is the best way for kid to learn (plus when its play they are more likely to do it!!)
I have had some parents ask about our daily schedule to help their kids stay on their routines. Click on any of the links to discover lots of great activities!!!!
9:00-9:30 Morning centers
Students sign in (we are working on writing our first and last names independently) and then pick from some morning centers set out on our tables. These would be easy to implement at home. Many of our activities are fine motor skills :
1. cutting on lines,
2. playdough: shape mats, alphabet and number mats, or try even making your own playdough . Playing with playdough builds the muscles in their hands and there are endless possibilities with creativity!
3. legos
4. magnatiles
5.stencils/coloring
Pinterest has SO many great ideas for simple fine motor skill games and activities---it is a highly valuable resource as a teacher and a parent!
9:30-9:45 Circle Time
This is the part of our day where we to our pledges: American Flag, Christian Flag , and the Bible.
This week is zoo week! I'll add some links to the activities we were going to do in class so that you and your families can do them at home! Remember, play is the best way for kid to learn (plus when its play they are more likely to do it!!)
I have had some parents ask about our daily schedule to help their kids stay on their routines. Click on any of the links to discover lots of great activities!!!!
9:00-9:30 Morning centers
Students sign in (we are working on writing our first and last names independently) and then pick from some morning centers set out on our tables. These would be easy to implement at home. Many of our activities are fine motor skills :
1. cutting on lines,
2. playdough: shape mats, alphabet and number mats, or try even making your own playdough . Playing with playdough builds the muscles in their hands and there are endless possibilities with creativity!
3. legos
4. magnatiles
5.stencils/coloring
Pinterest has SO many great ideas for simple fine motor skill games and activities---it is a highly valuable resource as a teacher and a parent!
9:30-9:45 Circle Time
This is the part of our day where we to our pledges: American Flag, Christian Flag , and the Bible.
We do our calendar with songs for the months of the year, days of the week. We have been singing a song for each month. Here is the one for March
We also sing an alphabet song and a count to 100 song to get us up and moving (and to get some wiggles out). I linked the ones we do most often but there are so many great ones on Youtube.
9:45-10:00 Table Time
At this time we move to the tables to work on writing our weekly letter or the number (we stagger it throughout the week so its not overwhelming).
There are lots of great worksheets for writing. I prefer ones where they can practice tracing it a few times before trying it on their own. You can search google images and pinterest for handwriting worksheets BUT you can do other things to help them learn to write their letters too!
Rainbow Write: you use a pencil/pen to write the uppercase and lowercase letter. Then your child uses their crayons and practices tracing the letter over and over, each time using a new color. This helps your child gain muscle memory of how the letter is formed. At age 4, its more about the shape of the letter than perfecting it on handwriting lines. That will come!
Sand/Salt Trays: while these can be messy (sorry) they are lots of fun and a great way to practice writing letters. Here is a bunch of ideas for using sand/salt trays.
Shaving Cream/Pudding Writing: same idea as the sand/salt trays but with a different materials :D
I have many worksheets I can email you if you would like, but don't feel like you have to do them. There are plenty of more hands on type activities.
10:00-10:30 Recess
We have 30 minutes daily of gross motor activity. We go outside if the weather is nice or use our playroom or tricycles at school if the weather is not great. With being home, you have LOTS of choices in play time. Learning doesn't end at recess ---go on a nature walk, count the toys you have outside (balls, swings, trees,etc).
Here is a link to some ideas.
If it is rainy, there are some indoor recess games through Youtube that are really fun too!
Cosmic Yoga is fun too! https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga?pbjreload=10
After Specials and Lunch, we do some read aloud activities. These either go with our weekly theme or our Bible lesson.
Use this week's theme to explore different animals. Cincinnati Zoo is doing an online safari everyday at 3pm.
Use resources like Google, Youtube, and Pinterest to find activities and crafts that interest your child. Pick an animal and do some fun research about it.
Due to all the school closings, there are many amazing resources available for FREE! I have been sharing many of them on Facebook, but will add a few more below :
I'm gonna add the links to the stories we were going to read as a class. You can watch these with your kids through Youtube if you do not have them at home .
Animal Facts Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9DtbDpYJdU
Curious George Visits the Zoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RNpRjMcZDA
Zoo Action Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwRmivbNgQk
Never Ever Shout at the Zoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5wvFgQso4
We were going to make a class book for this story---I can email everyone the page and then we can still make it !
Our memory verse this week is so great!!! When I am afraid, I will trust in You Psalm 56:3
The story is for Daniel and the lions den but another story that goes well with this verse is Paul and Silas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqJl0dzYYuA Daniel and the Lions Den movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3eQ2PBqHE Daniel and the Lions Den
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t_3BuseTS0 Paul and Silas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7qcHEDjk6w Paul and Silas
Memory Verse Songs
Stay tuned for more activities !
Do not stress during this time, instead think of it as a blessing in disguise---we have been given a gift of time. Time with our families, time to make memories and create new traditions. Our world is normally so busy and now we are forced to slow down. Use it to your advantage!
Do not stress during this time, instead think of it as a blessing in disguise---we have been given a gift of time. Time with our families, time to make memories and create new traditions. Our world is normally so busy and now we are forced to slow down. Use it to your advantage!
Have fun! Love you all!
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Farm Week
This week our class will be learning all about life on the farm! To start us off, we made a class anchor chart about "What does a farmer do?"
Each child had a turn telling me what they thought a farmer did---they really did well! Some of the answers were: grow corn, milk cows, work outside, have pigs,etc.
Farm animals are pretty familiar to kids since they all love the Old McDonald Had a Farm song. Later in the week we will turn this fun song into another class-made book :D
I love reading and try incorporate lots of stories into our day. So far we have read Farm Animals and Inside a Barn in the Country.
Our art center is joining in on the farm fun too. I found two farm clipart pictures and hung them on the easels.
I gave the kids the invitation to draw something they might see on the farm. Only a few have gone to the art center so far but boy-oh-boy have they blown me away!
Throughout the school year we have been working on directed drawings and seeing ourselves as artists and writers. Their confidence in their abilities has grown so much---like you can see in these pictures!
I love to use big anchor charts for graphing and presenting information---so to help us think about what animals live on the farm, we made our own chart.
This is a very short list but enough to get their little brains thinking.
To finish off today, we talked about some tools a farmer might use and of course, the biggest, coolest one= the tractor. The various pieces were laid on the table and they assembled the tractor first. Then we mixed shaving cream, glue, and brown paint to make puffy "dirt" paint for the fields. It didn't end up quite as puffy as we wanted (and looked just like chocolate pudding LOL) but it got the job done. While they were painting, we talked about how the farmers use the tractor to make long straight rows to plant their seeds. In a few weeks we will learn more about plants and how they grow too.
It's only Tuesday so we have more fun farm things to do as the week progresses. I am particularly looking forward to Thursday because we are going to learn all about COWS! We will get to "milk" a cow and we will try chocolate, strawberry, and white milk to see which is our favorite (and we will graph our results!!) Stay tuned!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Entomologist Laboratory
Bugs---some people love them and some people hate them! In our classroom we are trying to encourage students to learn more about the world around them and using play helps young children do just that!
Welcome to our Entomologist Laboratory--or bug science area! Our students will spend the month of March exploring bugs!
Welcome to our Entomologist Laboratory--or bug science area! Our students will spend the month of March exploring bugs!
In our pretend area you will see different anchor charts we have made together as well as pictures and diagrams with bug related knowledge! We can label the parts of an insect (and determine if a "bug" is an insect or not!), we can explore the life cycle of a butterfly, we can use magnifying glasses and microscopes to observe the many different animals, we can dig for insects, and we can use insect stampers to record what we have found!
Being able to safely examine these amazing little creatures is a lot of fun!
Voting
Today was Super Tuesday and our school (church) is a polling center. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to teach our class about voting. We have done a few other voting activities and we love making graphs but today we amped it up a bit!
I created a simple ballot with our 2 "Candidates": Chips Ahoy Cookies and Oreo Cookies. We discussed at Circle Time what it meant to vote and why it is important for us to do.
Then the fun part---I introduced the two options and we discussed what we liked about both. Then each child got the opportunity to "vote" for their choice of treat.
After placing their vote, they got to insert their ballot into our ballot box and got a "I Voted" sticker (the real deal too--the sweet volunteers gave me a big roll!!)
After lunch, the votes were tallied and the data was presented on a graph so we could determine the winner.
And the winner was..........CHIPS AHOY!
I think the kids really had fun!
I created a simple ballot with our 2 "Candidates": Chips Ahoy Cookies and Oreo Cookies. We discussed at Circle Time what it meant to vote and why it is important for us to do.
Then the fun part---I introduced the two options and we discussed what we liked about both. Then each child got the opportunity to "vote" for their choice of treat.
After placing their vote, they got to insert their ballot into our ballot box and got a "I Voted" sticker (the real deal too--the sweet volunteers gave me a big roll!!)
After lunch, the votes were tallied and the data was presented on a graph so we could determine the winner.
And the winner was..........CHIPS AHOY!
I think the kids really had fun!
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Dr. Seuss Week
I love Dr. Seuss! I love his whimsical characters and wacky designs! This week at school we are celebrating Read Across America and Dr. Seuss's birthday!
Here are some of the fun activities we did!
1. Cat in the Hat Name activity
We have been working with patterns as well as our names for a few months now. Most of the class can independently write their first and last names :D.
This was an easy activity to "test" them in their ability to put the letters in their names in the correct order as well as make a pattern with the colors. I think they turned out really well!
2. 10 Apples Up On Top
Number sense is a skill we diligently work on in our classroom in a variety of ways. We daily count to the day's date on our calendar, we count how many girls/boys and add them together, we play games, and sing songs. Applying these skills in a variety of ways, helps us to accurately assess their learning.
After reading the book 10 Apples Up On Top, the students got a chance to show us their ability at putting numbers #1-10 in order. Not that we didn't help them, but we only would verbally help them count...they had to glue the numbered apples in number order on their own. Our reason was to see what can they do independently. This activity is one we will set aside for our spring parent conferences too.
Here are some of the fun activities we did!
1. Cat in the Hat Name activity
We have been working with patterns as well as our names for a few months now. Most of the class can independently write their first and last names :D.
This was an easy activity to "test" them in their ability to put the letters in their names in the correct order as well as make a pattern with the colors. I think they turned out really well!
2. 10 Apples Up On Top
Number sense is a skill we diligently work on in our classroom in a variety of ways. We daily count to the day's date on our calendar, we count how many girls/boys and add them together, we play games, and sing songs. Applying these skills in a variety of ways, helps us to accurately assess their learning.
After reading the book 10 Apples Up On Top, the students got a chance to show us their ability at putting numbers #1-10 in order. Not that we didn't help them, but we only would verbally help them count...they had to glue the numbered apples in number order on their own. Our reason was to see what can they do independently. This activity is one we will set aside for our spring parent conferences too.
3. L is for Lorax
This week our letter is L so of course with it being Dr. Seuss week we have to include the Loras!!
This morning during what is normally our table centers, the students were invited to create their own truffela trees from Dr.Seuss's The Lorax. We were not able to read the story during this activity due to a fire drill and then chapel (so we will tomorrow) but they were able to create a fun and colorful trees.
Each child was given a coffee filter and markers. After decorating the coffee filter, they chose two colors of big, fluffy pipe cleaners. We helped them twist them together and then taped them to the coffee filters. TADA!! Truffela trees!
4. Cat in the Hat Directed Drawings
I think one of my favorite read alouds to do is The Cat in the Hat! I have read it so many times I barely have to look at the pages (and for the most part don't mess up the rhyming lol). Since our day was a little short, I chose to read the story to them while my class was eating lunch (we eat in our room). They were so captivated by this silly story that we kept the fun going with an art project= directed drawings.
I LOVE leading kids in directed drawings!! Most start out wary of their ability to draw something, but we do a simple confidence building activity beforehand to pump them up!
I give out their paper and pencils and tell them to hold their pencil up in the air then to repeat after me "I will try my best! I am an artist!".
We also talk quickly about how each person's drawing will look different and that is great!!!!
So, I normally use a light colored piece of construction paper taped to the wall or dry erase board so that everyone can see. I use the colored paper so that they can see how I fill the page and the direction of the page.
We go step by step using simple lines or shapes (great way to review shapes too!!). There are 2 students that struggle a bit with this whole group so I normally pull them aside and we do it in a small group setting (and they do awesome!)
Here are our Cat in the Hats!
5. Thing 1 and Thing 2
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are always a big hit with kids---they are silly and wild and do things we know that should not (fly a kite in the house ?!).
I love finding new ways for kids to use paint---fingers, q-tips, toothbrushes, etc. So today we used straws! I put some watered down blue paint on a piece of paper with Thing 1/2's head on it. Then I showed them how I could carefully blow on the paint to spread it out. They LOVED it! Some blew it around and then used the straw to make it go exactly where they wanted. Here is a quick picture of one students in action ...I'll post the finished projects later once they are dried.
6. There's A Wocket in My Pocket
Earlier in the week, the kids were invited to bring a small "wocket" to keep in their pocket at school. We don't normally have a show and tell at school so they were really excited about this! We listened to the story (I could not find my copy of the book) and then created our own class book about the silly creatures in our pockets. They had a blast creating a silly creature like the ones we see in Dr. Seuss's books!
Wacky Wednesday
Sadly I never got around to taking a picture of all my sweet students in their wacky outfits! They LOVED how silly I looked today hahaha!
Tomorrow is Silly Sock day so more fun to follow!! We also will celebrate reading our 100th book!!!!
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