Pilgrims

This year in Kindergarten we learned about the Pilgrims by pretending we were the Pilgrims!  We played the Pilgrim Simulation Game, and I think it is one of the best ways to learn about the Pilgrim's first year in the New World.   (This was adapted from what I taught previously in Third Grade.)  

We learned that the Pilgrims were a group of people that wanted to leave England because the King told them they all had to go to the same church and worship God the way he wanted them to.  A company gave them two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, to use on their voyage.  Shortly after their departure, the Speedwell ran into some difficulties and they had to return to shore, where 102 passengers cramped onto the Mayflower.  It was crowded. 

Students were split into two colonies.  We gave them a very small space to sit on the carpet or they would go overboard!!  In order to cross the Great Ocean students had to perform tasks like tying their shoes or exercising to simulate fixing the sails and a beam that had cracked during the voyage.  They also answered many questions about the Pilgrims.

When the Mayflower reached the New World, the men went on shore to explore.  Women were sent to wash clothing...imagine how smelly they were!  The Pilgrims were frightened by the Indians, whom looked and dressed differently then they did.  They were also scared by the strange noises they heard at night.  They chose a Governor and set up rules they would follow.  

The first job on land was to build houses, since colder weather was coming! Students ran into the forest to cut down trees.  Once the tree was brought back to the colony, they cut boards to build homes.  Pilgrims used clay and stone to build chimneys and had thatch roofs.  Here are some photographs from our building day!  We used crayon and construction paper.  They needed to use teamwork to complete as many houses as possible in limited time!

Food in the New World was a challenge for the Pilgrims.  They were used to English foods like salted fish, beef, pork, and mutton.  Many Pilgrims were not interested in the new foods that the Indians showed them and refused to eat the game, berries, and shellfish that were available.  To earn food, each colony had to write foods that began with each letter of the alphabet.  They did a nice job sounding out their words. 

Squanto helped the Pilgrims plant corn which had a good harvest.

At the end of the first year in the New World, the Pilgrim had 52 survivors, 20 acres of food, and they had build 11 homes.  They had made peace with the Indians and were thankful for all they had.  The Governor set aside three days for a feast. 

About a month after the feast, another shipload of Pilgrims arrived....and the journey started all over again!

Our simulation was such a fun way to learn about the Pilgrims!  

Technical Difficulties!

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Transportation

In Unit 3 we learned about transportation.  We talked about many different ways to travel and wrote our own version of Duck on a ______.  Today we had specials guests!  Joel and Penny Papineau came to talk about transportation and race car driving!  It was a real treat!  At the end of our presentation we went outside to look at Mr. Papineau's race car.  All the students had the opportunity to get in (if they wanted) and ask questions!  I was even able to suit up!  It was a fun afternoon.  Here are a few pictures!

What a great day to be outside!  Thank you to our guests!  Enjoy your weekend!

Our trip to the Fire Station

During Fire Safety Week, we visited the Erie Fire Station!  They gave us a tour and let us explore the fire trucks and ambulance.  Here are some photographs from our visit...

 First, we saw the radio room.

 Smiling faces!

Listening to the firemen.

Their jackets are big and heavy!

 Surprisingly, there were A LOT of questions about the kitchen!

 In the Ambulance.

 Thanks for letting us visit!  (Special thanks to Doug Rutledge, Marta Rutledge, and Jeff Duncan for the tour!)  We appreciate all you do to keep us safe!

Snow!!

The snow is here...at least for now!  It looked so pretty outside, but it makes me worry about what is to come!  The Darlings were very excited to go outside, except the snow was very wet so they didn't go outside for recess.   Here was our view from the front of the building.

Just a reminder - 

We go outside for recess everyday at 10:35 ad 2:15.  Please dress your child appropriately for colder weather.  (I know it snuck up on us this time and probably left you searching for winter gear!)  Students will need to bring hats and gloves.  They will also need snow pants and boots in order to play in the snow, when it decides to stick.  Please practice with your child putting on their pants, boots, coat, hat, and then their gloves.  This can be a lot of work for them!  Also, please make sure their names are on everything.  Thanks!

I am ready for Indian Summer, how about you?!

Hard Workers!

Yesterday we used the dry erase boards to practice writing our numbers.  We are working on using our lines so there are no 'floaters' or 'sinkers'.  The Darlings LOVED using these boards.  Below is an action shot!

And here they are showing off their work!  Eights can be very tricky.  When working on this at home our poem is "Make an 's' and close the gate.  That's the way to make an 8."  When we finished writing numbers, I gave them sight words to practice.  It is amazing to see how much they are learning in these first weeks of school and wanting to write more words!  

*Be Responsible *Be Respectful *Be Safe

In Kindergarten we have three simple rules...be respectful, be responsible, and be safe.  We will talk a lot this year about what those words actually look like in our classroom.  Now that we are getting into the swing of Kindergarten, I have made some changes and updated our Classroom Behavior Policy.  We are still using stoplight colors; however, I have made some additions.  Instead of students only being able to move down for behaviors that interrupt their learning, they can also move UP!!  Below is a photograph of our clip chart that we use.

Here is how it works.  All students begin the day on Ready to Learn.  Like before,  if a behavior gets in the way of their learning or safety, then students will move their clip down.  If they are hard workers and good citizens, they may have the opportunity to move up to "Good Work" or "Outstanding"!!  This is exciting for them and I enjoy watching them work hard.  I want students to know that I recognize them doing the right thing and working hard to learn.  I always point out that good feeling they have inside.  (We all know the 'real world' doesn't have a clip chart, but we have have the feeling of doing the right thing and working hard.)  Students can move freely on the chart.  If they move down and behavior improves and they make better choices, they may move back up and vice versa.  Students will still color the behavior chart that goes home at the end of the day.  When students move up they will also receive a sticker on their chart.  Anyone who has moved up earns a Bee Buck for our Bee Hive (photo below).  We are working to earn a class reward!

If you have any questions about our behavior chart, please let me know!  I have tried to make students aware that when they move down on the chart, it is simply a reminder to be a safe learner.  It is not the END OF THE WORLD!  (If I have a serious concern about your child's behavior and attitude, I will contact you.)  We all make mistakes and hopefully, we learn from them!

Happy Learning!!

Welcome!

Welcome to our Kindergarten Blog!  I recently found this and thought I would share...

 

Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned: Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup -- they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.
Think what a better world it would be if we all -- the whole world -- had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

~ Robert Fulghum ~

I am excited to be your child's Kindergarten teacher this year.  I should admit, this is my second round in Kindergarten! The first time I was a much shorter five year old at Fenton Elementary! This time around I look forward to working with you and your children to help them grow and have fun learning in these early years! I encourage you to visit our blog often to see what is happening in our clasroom!