Dr. Seuss Week - Part 2

Oobleck. 

Oobleck is kind of messy. Really, really messy. Like...wow. And then, even when you clean it up, there is a white powdery layer on all your tables. Really. 

But, guess what? I LOVED it! And the kids LOVED it! And I will make be making oobleck with my littles next year, and the year after, and the year after, etc., etc. forever and ever. The end.

And I'm sure when I clean the tables for the third fourth time tomorrow, the powdery look will be gone. Right? 

Here's what we did:

1. Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck - stop reading around the time everyone in the book is REALLY concerned about the Oobleck and how it is sticking to everything! 
2. I gave each group of kids (4-5 kids in each group)
• 1 bowl
• 1 spoon
• 1 paper drinking cup
• 1 box of cornstarch
3. In each group, I assigned the kids a number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) so that when I told the students a step to do, I also said a number so that there would be NO FIGHTING!
4. We dumped the cornstarch in the bowl
5. We got one cup of water and poured it in
6. We got a second cup of water and poured it in
7. We attempted to mix it with a spoon
8. Step 6 was an epic failure so I picked a number and told that kiddo to mix with their hands [oh, BOY were they excited!]
9. Then I told the kiddos to take turns mixing with their hands (screams and yippee's all around)
10. Then they got to PLAY! ["Keep your hands over the tables and please try not to make too much of a mess..." - feel free to say this; I did. Also be prepared for your pleas to go unanswered.]
11. While they were playing, I went around and talked about how the Oobleck feels, what it's like, etc. (I made sure to hit on that it feels hard at the bottom but if you pick it up, it liquifies!)

Then we tried to clean up (emphasis on tried). We talked about adjectives and words we could use to describe the oobleck [messy, hard, soft, gooey, slimy] and reviewed HOW we made it. We wrote how-to's on this snazzy paper, then finished reading the book!  (click on the picture to get the paper!)

Dr. Seuss Week - Part 1!

Dr. Seuss week has BEGUN! Is it possible to be a kindergarten teacher and NOT love Dr. Seuss?? Today, we had hat day, read The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, and Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! We "wrote the room" with the letters in "CAT IN THE HAT" and we did THIS:

I found the most ADORABLE directed drawing from the Fairy Dust Teaching blog (THANK YOU) and we drew the Cat in the Hat today! Since we are currently learning all about writing how-to's, this was perfect! 

To get my how-to writing paper for the Cat in the Hat, click here. 

Check out these cuties: 

Thanks for stopping by!! 

~Stephanie

Five For Friday- Linky Party!

Happy Friday and Happy first linky party to me :) 

I have been spending {so much time} working on my online portfolio.  Did you know this is becoming a big thing when you're looking for a job?!? Girl Scout Motto: Always Be Prepared! {or wait... Is that boy scouts? It's been a long week}

Last week we had three snow days. We don't really get snow down here in the south, so this was A BIG DEAL. Unfortunately, one of our snow days was Valentine's Day! Fortunately, I LOVE V-Day so we celebrated on the 17th (Monday!) Check out the cute monster bags we made thanks to The Teacher Wife! So. stinkin'. cute! 

In writing this week, we are working how-to {fill in the blank}. My littles are trying so hard to do their best work (and some are just being flat-out silly!). So much sweetness in just a few steps! 

We may be learning about my ABSOLUTE favorite social studies standard - teamwork! Games and activities galore where the kiddos have to work together as a team to compete in THE Kindergarten Olympics! It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but on how you work together as a team! 

This is my FIRST linky party and I am SO excited! Look to the right and follow my blog! 

How-To Writing Freebie!

Hey blog friends! Happy Tuesday! I have been working on writing how-to's with my littles this week and created 2 pages for them to work on! I can't wait for us to finish our how-to's - we just experienced Snowpocalypse 2014 here in North Carolina (I almost had a foot of snow!) which meant THREE SNOW DAYS! Besides going stir crazy, I realized it was the PERFECT opportunity to have real experiences leading up to writing how-to's! I had the kiddos' parents take pictures of them  sledding, building snowmen, making hot chocolate, making snow angels, making snow cream, etc.  and we are writing How To Play in a Winter Wonderland stories. :) I am so, so, SO excited to put this bulletin board up with their writing and pictures!! Go to my TPT store to get these free pages!

The Book Whisperer: A Book Study

I started reading this book with excitement {and some apprehension}.  I mean... I teach the babies and she teaches middle school (I'm shuddering just thinking about that). But guess what??? Introduction and chapter 1 in, and I am hooked! This book is great amazing PHENOMENAL! It truly is about "awakening readers in every child" and I'm feeling the need to be more intentional with my readers' workshop block to more effectively encourage life-long readers. She's changing my approach to this chunk of the day and I haven't even read the second chapter. 

This phrase made me squirm because it is SO TRUE: 

"The structure of the workshop drove everything that I did, and it left me frustrated.  Instead of finding my own way, I was now bent on channeling those master teachers.  If I was unable to follow the step-by-step lesson plans laid out by reading experts because of the unique needs and personalities of my students, my own teaching style, the time constraints of my instructional block, or access to resources, I felt like a failure" (17).

But more then feeling validated in this, I already feel a connection to this writer - a teacher who clearly LOVES to read the way I LOVE to read. And, I must say, I have high expectations for the rest of this book - she has SUCCESSFULLY spread her love of reading to her students year after year and that is what I most aspire to do ~ right from the start, with my kinder-babes! 

More words and phrases that inspire me from Danalyn Miller (author of The Book Whisperer):

"When you take a forklift and shovel off the programs, underneath it all is a child reading a book" (3).  

"I know from personal experience that readers lead richer lives, more lives, than those who don't read" (11).

"I transformed my classroom into a workshop, a place where apprentices hone a craft under the tutelage of a master...I should guide them as they approach their own understandings" (15). 

And last, but not least,
"Reading is both a cognitive and an emotional journey.  I discovered that it was my job as a teacher to equip the travelers, teach them how to read a map, and show them what to do when they get lost, but ultimately, the journey is theirs alone" (16).