I love this time of year. The weather is crisper and colder and seems to bring a renewed focus in the classroom. The children are working hard at mastering letters and numbers, giving a lot of good thought and creative energy to the broad idea of cooperation, and learning about the history of Thanksgiving.
The class has now completed learning how to form all numerals. Next week each student will practice writing (and memorizing) his or her own phone number. They’ve also completed the Frog Jump capitals and are onto the next grouping, Starting Corner capitals. Independent writing continues to develop well, with recent writings on Charlotte’s Web (we finally finished reading it) and a paper entitled, “It’s Important to Me!” When we return from Thanksgiving break, we’ll begin our book making unit. It’s an exciting time.
Next Monday, the class will present their projects on Cooperation at an assembly for students from B3-Third Grade. We’ve completed two projects – a class mural using a crayon resist technique, and a paper patchwork “quilt” where individual kindergarten students teamed up with Preschool and Lower School students, working together on their drawings. A lot of fun happened around these projects and the finished results are lovely. Come a take a look next week – they’ll be hanging in our room!
We’ve been reading books and talking a lot about the history of Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims who came here, and the Native Americans who helped them. As many tribes excelled at weaving, we are also trying our hand at that, and the children are learning to weave using a table loom and smaller potholder looms. (I promise to post photos next week.) We also have discussed the meaning of gathering as a community and next week we’ll join with the B-3’s and the PreK to create our annual “Friendship Lunch.” We open up all three classrooms and the children make the majority of the food themselves. Then on Thursday, we’ll sit down to enjoy our meal. If there is a kindergarten parent available to help next Thursday from 10:45-12:15 or so, please let me know, as extra hands are definitely welcome (and needed!).
Thank you all for meeting with me last week at Parent-Teacher conferences. I always find it to be such a valuable opportunity to focus on each child and share their progress with you. And as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Reminders:
Book orders are due back next Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Please remember to send in one bunch of celery on Monday, Nov. 25. This will be used for Thanksgiving Soup.
Have a great weekend!
Andrea