Y is for Yellow

We read Yellow Food Fun and then made a list of other things that are or can be yellow. The kids illustrated thier yellow thing and wrote the word. Then they constructed a sentence to create a page in our class book of yellow things.

M & M Math

We had a great time using M&M's to learn about math this week. We also got to eat them!
We sorted and constructed a graph of our M&M's, we made addition problems with our M&M's, and we graphed our favorite flavor M&M's. We also used a Kindergarten Links excel template to create a bar graph of the data we collected. Check out the M&M graphing as well as other templates such as Valentine Hearts, and Lucky Charms that can be used during the upcoming holidays. http://www.teachers.cr.k12.de.us/~galgano/klinkstemp.htm

Muffins

To celebrate letter M we read If You Give A Moose A Muffin and made muffins for snack. Cooking is a good way to incorporate many subjects in one lesson. We talked about following directions. This mix happened to have numbered steps, so I talked about how we would not start with number 3 or 2 and that we need to read the directions in order for our muffins to come out right. I let the kids participate in each step and while the muffins cooked we read the book. We ate the muffins for snack later in the afternoon.

Monsters

In honor of letter M, we read Go Away Big Green Monsters and Leonardo the Monster. Then the kids created a monster glyph based on their favorite color, how old they are, and which monster book was their favorite. This came from Deanna Jump's Monster unit. You can purchase it a TPT.

Maps and Models

We learned about models and maps this week. We watched a discovery streaming video on maps and models and then we used models the kids found in the classroom to create a model of our school. We found a doll from the block center that looked like our principal so we used her to represent the office. The kids thought this was too funny. We also read a great book about maps called Me on The Map. Then the kids drew a map of their bedrooms and labeled them. They came out so cute and I thought it was a good activity because it was something relevant and personal to them.

Animals in Winter

To end our unit on Animals in Winter, we created a tree map of what animals do in winter. I let the students glue the pictures to show if they hibernate, adapt or migrate in winter. They also created a class book about animals in winter.

Pengins and Polar Bears

After researching penguins and polar bears, we created a double bubble map comparing the two animals. The students created penguins and polar bears to go along with our thinking map. The picture is not that good, so if you would like a copy of the words send me a message and I can email them to you.

Hibernation Day!

We had a great time pretending to load up on food (popcorn) and then hibernating under our desks. The students also brought stuffed animals that hibernate to school today.

Bears

We read information books about bears and created a circle map of information we learned.

Geese

We did another experiment today to show how geese and ducks stay dry while swimming in the water all day. We learned about Canadian Geese using the National Geographic kids website. We learned that geese have special oils in their feathers that make them waterproof. To show the students how this works, we used newspaper to represent the feathers, cooking oil to represent the oils, and water to do an experiment. We used a dropper and put water on the paper an saw that it soaked in. Then we put oil on the newspaper and noticed that while it made the paper wet it also stayed on top of the paper. Then we used a dropper to put water on the oil. The students saw that the water stayed on top of the oil in drops and did not soak into the paper. I explained that this is what happens on the goose's feathers. We picked up the paper and watched the water run off.