A Snowy Day Project

What do you get when you have a school on the the first BIG snow day?  A lot of excitement!  I decided to try not to fight it, but rather to embrace it.  I was fortunate to have my last year's class, the 1st graders} in for part of the morning, so I read some snowy day books.  We did some comprehension activities along with it and we also imagined what it would be like to be snowed in at school over night!  That was fun!

Then I split them up into mixed groups to create a poster of what they would like to do in the snow or see on a snowy day.  I saw some very creative posters!  There were rainbow colored snowballs, snow forts, a tree house on an icy lake, sledding, ice skating, icicles on houses, and of course - lots of birds {Snowy Owls, penguins, Snow Buntings and Cardinals}!  

I love activities like this where the kids are all-in and committed to working on a project!  Afterwards they spoke about their poster to the group and that was interesting too.  Some wanted no part of that, but that will come in time.  I also enjoy to watching these two grades bond together.  We try to get them together every other week, so that they can be more comfortable around each other and make new friends.  They also learn from each other!  It was a wonderful morning!

In nine groups of three kids they set to work 
to create what they love to do in the snow.

The groups of kindergarten and 1st graders worked 
very well together.

The young children were very creative with their 
posters!  I will hang them in the hallway next week 
for you to view.

After the artwork was completed I asked each group 
to come up and talk about what they like to do 
in the snow.  They seemed to really enjoy this project!

Veteran's Day Program

I am so glad that we had school today, so that all of our students could attend the Veteran's Day program.  It was very meaningful and all of the students K-12 participated in some way with inspiring readings, by reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" along with beautiful music by the vocal and band department.  I felt very proud of our school and all of our kids for showing gratitude to our veterans.  They also were a very respectful audience.  We have a great school here, folks!

You can watch the whole program by clicking here on The Cube - Armour School.

This is the K-4 choir practicing their beautiful selection for
 today's Veteran's Day Program. 
 

Patriotic Songs

Have you recently heard your kindergartner singing patriotic songs at home?  That is part of our morning ritual.  After calendar math, weather discussion, and the Pledge of Allegiance, we sing a patriotic song in the classroom.  I have taught them five so far:  

• This Land is Your Land
• You're a Grand Ol' Flag
• This is My Country
• America
• America the Beautiful

Now we are working on The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America.  It takes some practice, but they catch on pretty fast!

Turkey Art

This was a big project with lots of steps, but they did it!

I thought that their "Hand Turkeys" turned 
out great!  They were quite creative!

Something New!

Outdoor Lesson Time!

I came up with a new idea to make children more aware of their surroundings.  It only takes 10 minutes and it seems to be making a difference.  Occasionally after we've been working on a lesson indoors for awhile and we need a change of pace, I have the kindergartners sit outside our classroom door for a short activity.  First, they just sit to look and listen.  Then we talk about what they saw or heard.  

Then I play an "I Spy" kind of game where I ask them questions and have them point.  "How many trees do you see with yellow leaves?"  How many trees have no leaves?"  "Which number is fewer?"  If there are any birds about we listen to them and identify them.  I also ask them to point to a certain color car or the stop signs.  I ask, "How many sides does the stop sign have?" What is the name of that shape?"  "Point to the chimney.  What is it for?"  I have them point to the four directions.  

You get the idea.  You can do this with your child as well.  It is good for students to be more aware of their surroundings and they can learn about math, colors, science and other skills as well.  They enjoy it! 

Seed Dispersion Lesson

In Science today we discussed the different ways that seeds are spread in nature.  The cattails in the room were ready, so we broke one open to look at the teeny, tiny seeds.  Then we went outside and let them fly in the wind.  The kids were surprised at how they flew through the air.  It reminded them of blowing snow.  They loved this science lesson!  Then we came back in and wrote about it in their nature journal.

There are so many seeds in one cattail!

It's snowing!

They were concerned that cattails were going to 
grow on the playground.

The Halloween Party!

A great time was had by all at the Halloween party!  The committee did an awesome job of organizing it and the kids absolutely loved it!  Thank you so much for all that you did!  The kids and I really appreciate it!

Here are the 16 cute little trick-or-treaters!