Santa is tired of milk and cookies!

Last week I did a writing project with my kindergartners. I told them that we were going to make a Christmas book. In the book were going to be their drawings and ideas about what they should leave for Santa on Christmas Eve. I told them that Santa is tired of milk and cookies and he needs something different so here are a few of their ideas and drawings that went into this fun book. They enjoy looking at everyone's drawings during free time and trying to read the book to each other.

M&Ms and grape juice

Pizza and chocolate milk

Jerky sticks and orange juice

Happy Thanksgiving!

To celebrate Thanksgiving my kindergartners did a lot of fun projects. They made turkeys and wrote what they were thankful for, we read stories and talked about the pilgrims and indians and discussed traditions that they participate in on Thanksgiving. After I show you a few photos of the things they made I am going to list each student and what I am most thankful for about them.

Joshua and Savannah

Leah

Ally

Andy

In random order . . . .

I'm Thankful For . . . .

Jeff - your maturity - you set a great example

Joshua - you always want to do the right thing

Leah - your sweet spirit

Savannah - your loving acceptance of everyone

Daisee - your honesty

Telissa - your precious smile

Jacob - I can count on you to get things done

George - the funny things you say

Chandler - your ability to make us all laugh

Ryan - your love for learning

Ally - your joy and love of being a kid

Jennifer - the look you get when you remember an answer - so cute!

Dawson - your energy and loving attitude toward everyone

Logan - your precious attitude - even when you are in trouble

Morgan - your leadership qualities

Erika - your love for learning and following the rules

Laura - your sweet spirit and love for learning

Luke - your love for art and making things

Andy - your sweet smile and kindness to everyone

My class is soooo extremely amazing!! I am truly blessed and thankful!

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day happened to fall on a Wednesday this year which meant my kindergarteners would be able to go to the annual Veteran's Day assembly that Melba has. Well, this year I was supposed to choose one kindergarten student from my class to say a few words up front during the assembly. Immediately I thought of Ally. She does a great job when she talks in the front of the classroom and she is loud enough and articulate enough for the audience to hear her. She did a great job and we were all very proud of her representing our class. I was also proud of the rest of my kindergarten class who sat through a hour and a half assembly without any restroom visits or extreme naughtiness.

Ally is waiting her turn at the mic. My camera died after this picture so I was unable to get a close-up of her saying her words. Sorry!!

November Students of the Week

So these two cuties are my students of the week for the month of November. Both Ally and Joshua exhibit all of the qualities to make them worthy of this award. They are both extremely well-behaved, treat everyone in the classroom with respect and seem to enjoy the educational process. I feel so blessed to have these two in my class this year.

Ally Carlisle

Joshua Waite

The Period!

So - I've been teaching my Kindergarteners what a period at the end of a sentence is. I don't think it's technically in the curriculum for Kindergarten but I'm always using one when I write on the board and they should know why and what it is right? Anyways, I'm always telling them that a period is used when writer's need to stop their thoughts so that their story can make sense. I've gone into quite a lot of detail about it and I thought  that they were catching on to the concept - I have to say I was pretty proud of myself. Well, it just goes to show you that pride goeth before a fall because on Monday while we were doing our stories for Melba writes I was helping Ally construct her sentence. I was curious as to the placement of her period so I questioned her about it. The young man sitting next to her leaned over and said, "Mrs. Franklin I know why Ally put her period there?" To this comment I inquired, "Jeff, why do you think Ally put her period there?" His reply was all too serious and so adorable. With a straight face he replied, "Because she said that she needs to stop there so she can go use the restroom." I guess we still need to work a little bit longer on the whole "period" concept. I had to have a little laugh though - to myself of course!

September Student of the Weeks!!

Congratulations to Laura Forsgren and Jeffrey Fahey for being awarded as my student of the weeks for the month of September. These two students set a great example for the rest of the class. They are always on task, they are kind to others and they are extremely respectful in the school environment. Great job you two!!!!!!!

Laura

Jeffrey

My last name is 2nd!!!

So, yesterday my class was doing their monthly writing project for the district and as they were finishing their work I was coming around and writing their initials in the bottom corner. I was saying their first and last names out loud and then telling them their initials as I wrote them. So, I get to little Jeffrey who acts very grown up for his age - in fact he is my student of the week for last week because he sets an amazing example on how to behave. Anyways, I sat down next to him and said, "Jeffrey is your first name so J is your first initial and Fahey is your last name so F is your last initial, JC" and then I wrote it on the paper. He immediately jumped to the defensive and said, "Fahey isn't my last name!". To this comment I responded with, "really, what is your last name then?". He replied, "2nd!" I have to admit that I immeditely knew what he was talking about and began to giggle inside but to him it was no joke so I wasn't going to let him feel foolish in any way. So I replied to him, "Oh yeah I remember you are Jeffrey Fahey the 2nd". To this he said, "yeah"! I nodded and removed myself to another table continuously laughing inside. It was soooo cute!!!

Fall Trees

We had our very first art project this past week and I have to say it went pretty well. Thanks to an organized art mom and well-behaved kindergarteners (I threatened them within an inch of their life). I have to say that the projects turned out very cute and very original to each kid. It's amazing how much you can tell about a child by just looking at their artwork - it truly says a lot about who they are. It's also amazing to me how much fun and joy it can bring to their little lives and I can't believe there are school districts out there that will not allow art projects to be conducted in the classroom without a full scale curricular intent complete with lesson plans, standards and how it will relate to what is being taught. Let's just let fun be fun. I think that every time they pick up a crayon, paintbrush, marker, gluestick, scissors they are tapping into their creative ability to imagine and express themselves in order to be comfortable with who they are. How is that not educational?

Alright - I'll hop down off my arts and crafts in the classroom soapbox and show you some pictures of their creations. Keep in mind that they are supposed to be autumn trees - sometimes kinderart is difficult to decipher but that is what makes them so darn cute.

Mr. Alabama

So we were sitting around in a circle and Laura my student of the week was doing a show-and-tell in front of the class. She had brought a postcard that she had gotten when she visited Mt. Rushmore. I was trying my best to explain the concept of Mt. Rushmore to a bunch of kindergarteners but didn't think I was getting anywhere. I had told them that a man had decided that he would like to sculpt some giant statues of presidents in this huge rock for everyone to enjoy. One of my students asked if those presidents that he made were dead and I was amazed that she would pick up on that concept and I told her that she was correct. Then little Ryan spoke up and said, "Mr. Alabama isn't dead". Ummmmm . . . . . I sat there confused for a few seconds thinking of a way to respond to that statement when Jacob replied for me, "It's not Mr. Alabama, it's Mr. Arock Obama." I giggled to myself and told the students that Mr. Obama is not dead and he is our President right now. Of course then my kindergarteners were off topic and they began with an array of comments such as, "that's a weird name", "what's a President?", "my brother hates him", "oh yeah, he's in charge of our town", etc . . . Sometimes when they get off topic I have learned quickly that if I just sit and let them chat amongst themselves that it's quite entertaining.

The ABCs

So - I had to come up with a creative way to fill one center and came up with a hands one way of letting me know if they remembered what we had learned that week and it was the letters A, B and C. So, they had to make the letter A out of popsicle sticks, the letter B out of some string and the letter C had to be done with paint dots. They had a lot of fun working on this project and they look forward to taking them home and showing their parents. I was pleasantly surprised as to how well they did.

"IT'S SCHOOLTIME"

O.K. - so recess duty isn't exactly my favorite part of teaching - honestly, it's my least favorite part of teaching. The only days that I enjoy it are when I have everything prepared for the next lesson, maybe even the next few days and the weather is in the 60 - 70s with a light breeze. So - you guessed it - that's NEVER!!!

Well, today I was standing out in the heat of the day for afternoon recess not particularly enjoying myself due to the 90 degrees and the screaming children. When the bell finally rang I nonchalantly but gratefully headed back toward the office do deposite the "phone" (in case of emergencies) when I hear one of my little boys screaming at me tell me that the bell rang and "IT'S SCHOOLTIME - YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING US NOW." Apparently he was distraught that I was walking in the opposite direction that I was supposed to be. My day however brightened because the look on his face was priceless - one of absolute certainty that I had no idea what I was doing. Ahhhh - - too cute!

Catching Bubbles!!

O.K. - so I've been searching and trying out new tactics to get my students attention quickly. So far just asking them to close their mouths doesn't seem to be working - go figure! So I gleaned some great advice from the internet and a fellow Kindergarten teacher who said that the "catching bubbles" concept works great for her classroom. I was hesitant to give it a try because I thought even though the concept sounded really cute I doubted whether or not it would work with my kids. However, I was at my wits end on Monday afternoon and needed "SOME WAY" to get those little mouths to cease from moving constantly. So I tried it - and it worked - and they LOVE it!! Hurray for taking someone else's advice - something I should do more often.

The genius concept goes as follows: I asked them to pretend that there were invisible bubbles floating all around them. When I ask them to catch a bubble they reach into the air, pretend to capture one and put it in their mouths. Well, everyone knows you can't talk with a bubble in your mouth and so it's worked great. It is also really cute to see them walking in line with little puffy cheeks and their hands behind their backs. Hopefully it will last throughout the year.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten!!!

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what todo and how to be I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Elementary 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 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 everyday some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic.

Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.

The First Few Days!!

DAY 1 -

Wednesday was my first day of teaching Kindergarten. I have no experience in teaching this age group. My student-teaching experience was spent in 3rd and 4th grade classrooms and I thought that it would be sufficient for I never saw myself or desired to become a Kindergarten teacher. I should have known better! Luckily my first year teaching in Melba provided me with the experience of a preschool/special education teacher and I definately pulled from that experience while preparing for this adventure. I have to say that now I am excited for this age group and am so thankful that I was able to remain in Melba this year and spend my days off with my own children. What a blessing!! I'm sure that this year will provide itself many life lessons (for myself and my students) as well as many fun stories and projects that I will share with you all.

It began - the first day of Kindergarten. Little 5 year-old children coming through my door eagerly anticipating the beginning of their journey through education. I was so excited to see their smiling faces and to meet their parents. All seemed like it would go exactly as I had planned and I seemed to feel myself relax a little as I looked at these children and somehow thought to myself, "piece of cake". That is until the bell rang, the parents left and I was left with 19 5-year olds staring at me waiting for their first instructions. I remained calm even though my insides began to churn and my brain began to think of what in the world was I going to do with them? Where do I start? What do I say? So, here is my first day outline with a few sidenotes for your reading pleasure.
1) Line practice - ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!!!!! Watching the person in front of you seems like a great way to have them stay in line if they knew what "front" meant. And it seems as if they are more interested in their surroundings than the person in front of them. I thought they were doing great until I looked behind me to see a sea of Kindergarteners, anywhere from 1 foot to 15 feet seperations between them in nothing that resembled a line whatsoever. We practiced and practiced and practiced. And I think I said "We need to have patience" probably every 3 min. And they probably don't even know what "patience" means. FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!

2)Pledge of Allegiance - Explaining this seemed to go well and I even had one little guy who knew it!! Awesome!

3) Go over the rules - Apparently they all seem to think that if they are naughty they get sent to the principals office. When I told them that they would be missing some recess time for being naughty I had a little one ask me what recess was. Awesome!

4) Discipline Plan - My students have to pull cards if they are naughty. They try to stay on the green card all day but if they are naughty they turn it to yellow which results in a 5 min. loss of recess. And red means loss of entire recess and call home to parents. After explaining this in great detail and I thought they all understood I had a Kindergartener willingly walk over and turn his green card to yellow. "He likes that color better."

5)Morning activities for our reading program - Passed out name cards for them to wear. Whose idea was it to give 5-year olds namecards to where all day long? I really don't feel like making new ones each night and no matter how often I tell them to quit playing with them it still happens - constantly.

6) Bathroom break - this went pretty well. I was pleased.

7) reading - this was around 10:15 a.m. and these kids have done nothing "fun" yet so I began to get questions like, "Can I go home now?", "When is lunch I'm hungry?", "Why haven't we painted yet?", When are we going to "play"? and comments like, "I'm bored", "I'm thirsty", "I need to call my mom", "I don't like to color", "I hate books". During this time I became more and more tense - headache dully began.

8) recess - went great - except that I was missing two students when the bell rang. They had lined up with the other Kindergarten class.

9) lunch - went pretty well - had one little boy forget his lunch in the classroom so he had to wait until after lunch to eat. Some kids wanted seconds and some decided that they weren't hungry and wanted to save their lunch until later.

10) P.E. - during this 15 min. short break I ran back to the classroom to try and prepare for the afternoon with these kiddos. I think I ate something but can't quite remember.

11) Afternoon - the most difficult part of full-day Kindergarten. We spent it doing some free-time which they LOVED, read some books - enjoyed a snack and spent 40 min. preparing for the "end of school". Getting backpacks ready, bus necklaces on, room in order, etc . . . .

12) Bus lines - we were supposed to get out there before the bell rang because I needed to get the Kindergartners in the bus lines before the "big" kids came out. Didn't happen!! We were out there early all right but the bus signs were not up so it was stressful once they did get them up. Luckily - all the kids got on the correct bus.

13) Went back to my classroom and took a few headache pills. I think I'm going to need more energy for this job. I'm so glad that it's every other day.

DAY 2:

A whole lot better than Day 1 - I think I was more prepared and they were as well. I was more firm with my discipline and didn't let them get away with much.

Morning: Went great - made friendship salad with the kids and then did some morning reading activities. Only heard one student complain that she was bored. No kids lost at recess!

Lunch: One student didn't like standing in lines so he sat down at a table and I realized that he was sitting there with no lunch only after all of my students were seated and eating. He also did not show up for class after the bell rang and having no aide to help me I couldn't go searching for him. They finally found him in P.E. with the other Kindergarten class.

Afternoon: Again this was the difficult part of the day. We did some math, had free-time, read books, had a snack in which the conversation turned to wedgies somehow. Apprently you can lick the fruit roll-up and your fortune appears. I don't know where the topic of wedgies came from except that one of my boys was calling them fruit wedgies. I asked a student if she knew what a wedgie was and yep - she did - and was pleased to share with the rest of the class. After snack was over I had a little boy say, "I ate my snack but didn't get a wedgie". Oh heavens!

End of the day: Went a lot better as well. Kids on the bus were in line early and I was stressfree as far as that goes. I think that this Kindergarten thing won't be so bad afterall. I am already beginning to love those precious kiddos and all of their funny antics.

Sidenote: It's amazing to me how quickly I can loose a Kindergarten class - I'm in the middle of talking about how we got ready for Kindergarten and my question to the class was, "How did you get ready for Kindergarten?". I called on one student who said, "My favorite cartoon is Spongebob!" - Ummmm . . . from that point on my class was lost - lost to a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. It took me probably 7 min. to regain their attention back to the subject at hand.