Footprint Ghosts

I had the kindergartners dip their feet in white paint and then step onto the paper to make footprint ghosts.  Then the kids added the details to their Halloween picture.  They are pretty spooky paintings!

Owl Unit

I taught the kindergartners about nocturnal/night animals.  We talked about many of the different animals that are awake at night.  Then I did an owl unit discussing the different owls that live in our state and their unique qualities.  They really enjoyed this lesson!  

We decided to display our learning while helping to teach others in our school about owls.  I taught a step-by-step owl drawing lesson.  I will add a photo of that tomorrow.  Next, we discussed which facts to share.  This display is in our hallway.  This will be good review for past kindergarten students too.

A couple of days ago I did a PowerPoint slideshow teaching the kindergarten and 2nd grade students about the owls of South Dakota.  I displayed a photo and played the song/call of each owl.  They quickly learned that not all owls hoot.  I also showed some photos of the prey that owls eat.   

I explained how owls cannot digest the fur and bones of their prey, so they cough it up in the form of a pellet.  Next, I gave each kindergartner a pellet and they pulled it apart removing the bones.  They compared the bones that they discovered to that on a chart.  It was mostly rodents and a couple of birds.

I imagine that you are thinking that this is gross, but kids seem to find it fascinating and so do I.  It is a good learning experience because it teaches students about anatomy, the food chain and it gets them thinking deeper by piecing the puzzle together.  Its a bit like being a detective.  The students were all actively engaged in the activity and having great conversations about what they were finding.  Kids thinking and asking good questions...this is what teachers love to see!

They compared the bones to the sorting chart.

The looks on their faces made me smile.

The bones were quite tiny.

"Look!  A skull!"

The 2nd graders and K-kids worked well together!

Here's the crew!  They are hard at work!

Some October Journal Entries

Here is another batch of journal pages. These are from their October journal.  I love their drawings!  

"Mrs. Preheim is going birding with all of us kids."

"We saw a Black-capped Chickadee!"

"I like combining with my dad."

"We went birding at the lake!"

"Halloween is fun!

"The Fall leaves are pretty!"

"I like hearts!"

"I liked the parade."

Paper Plate Skeletons

The big cutting project of the year is cutting out the bones for the paper plate skeletons.  The kids really enjoy this project and they sure are cute!

Drawing on the skeletons was their favorite part.

An Awesome Bird Video - The Original DUCKumentary

The Original DUCKumentary is a wonderful film about ducks.  It focuses on Wood Ducks in particular. I have shown 15 minutes of the show for several days to the kids.  They love it!  It is a very educational and fun show to watch.  I learn something new every time I watch it, so grab some popcorn, snuggle up with your child and enjoy a cool show about ducks.  I think they may surprise you by knowing some of the ducks already!  Nearly all of the ducks in this show are in our area with Wood Ducks being at the lake right here in our town.  Click below to watch the video.

The Original DUCKumentary

I took this photo of a male Wood Duck at our local lake.

September Journal Entries

The kids continue to draw and write their ideas in "kid writing".  It takes time and lots of lessons and practice, but by the end of the year you will see the practice has paid off!  When they are finished they ask for "grown-up" writing from myself or the teacher that is helping me.  That is where they watch us write it and we explain what we are doing.  One girl still says, "Teacher, I'm ready for human writing."  That is so cute!

"I like trees!

"I like to play with my friends outside!"

"I like to look at birds.  I like to eat with my family!"

"I like everybody in school!"

"I like Zachary and Andrew!"

"I like to see birds!"

"I like to see birds!"

"I like to go outside and eat carrots."

"I like Mrs. Preheim."

"I like to go outside!"

"We are fishing!"

"I like to play ball tag!"

Fire Safety Month

The kids look small next to the huge firetruck!

A big thank you to the firemen for taking the time to come to school and teach the students about fire safety!  After the presentation, the K-5 students got a take turns getting a ride on the fire truck and they got to try on some gear, if they wanted to.  The kids were thrilled!  It was a big deal to them!