More Of Our Kindergarten Year in Pictures 2007-08

Our Year in Pictures - Kindergarten 2007-2008

Limbo Rock - Luau Party Day

Luau Party - A Great Way to End the Year!!

Today we celebrated the end of our marvelous kindergarten year with a Hawaiian Luau which included outside stations, hula dancing lessons, and a BBQ. Students came to school wearing brightly colored clothes or Hawaiian shirts and skirts. All the centers were put together by our kindergarten team. These centers included a beach ball relay (above), sea shell relay, limbo, musical beach towels (in lieu of musical chairs) and free play w/chalk, bubbles, and jump ropes. At noon, we had a BBQ and later in the afternoon a hula dancer came in to teach some basic moves of the dance and the meaning behind the moves to the children. This was a day of celebration for our kindergarten students. They worked very hard all year and it was time to have a great time with friends. We have four days left in our magical year and we have big fun planned for each of the last four days of our kindergarten journey!!

Safety Patrol Celebration Snapshots

Safety Patrol Celebration -Thanks So Much!!

It was a happy and sad day on Friday when we had to say good bye to our wonderful patrols, Miss V. and Miss M. These two girls were dependable, pleasant, and hard working. Every day they would come in and check to see what they would be doing with the children that morning. They brought the students in 15 minutes before school officially started. They would read books, work on projects, and listen to the Kindergarten students tell their stories each day. Having the patrols all year brought a special closeness and bond with the teachers and students. On Friday, we celebrated with a breakfast, cards, and a gift for them to remember us as they make the big leap into middle school. I have a feeling we will be seeing these two again someday - maybe teaching a few doors down from us!! Thank you so much Mrs. Cothern and Mrs. Ellis for your hard work as patrol sponsors and giving us this opportunity to know these two very special girls this year!!

Our Day at the Beach

A Beach Day and BBQ Fun!!

As we are approaching the end of our Kindergarten year, our very own Mr. & Mrs. Dickinson thought it would be a great idea to have a fun beach day and BBQ with the class. So this past Sunday, we met at the beach house and enjoyed a beautiful day of fun in the sun. The kids had a blast playing in the water, building sand castles, and finding shells together. The parents had a chance to sit back and enjoy watching their kids have a good time. Soon it was lunchtime and our hot dogs and hamburgers were delicious. After lunch, we went back out to the surf. In a matter of minutes a shark (not too big) was spotted and parents scrambled to get their kids out of the water!! One of the children said, "I don't know why everyone's excited about seeing a shark...that's where they live." Well, I guess that was right but it's still scary!! After a few moments, kids were back in the water (not too deep) and having a great time. So, you can see, it's not all work and no play in Room 104 -- it's a beautiful balance. Thanks to the Dickinson's for the great day at the beach and to Kelly for some great pictures of our day!!

Our Butterfly Experience

Out Popped A Beautiful Butterfly!

"Wow," said Sophia, "it is beautiful." Our class was very fortunate to be able to witness the emergence of a Monarch butterfly from its chrysalis today. We have had a mini caterpillar garden in our classroom for several weeks. Our Science teacher brought in some milkweed plants with butterfly eggs on them. The children have seen the eggs turn into tiny caterpillars and then bigger and bigger caterpillars -- and eat up all of the milkweed plants. They have seen the daily growth of these insects and have been able to talk about all the changes they have seen in them everyday. They noticed that when the caterpillar slowed down its eating, it started to look for a place to spin its silk button. It then formed into a J-shape. Mrs. Stevens (the Science teacher) put a net around the plant and hung it from the ceiling. Then the caterpillar found its way up the net and hung from the top. In about a day or two, it formed a beautiful green chrysalis and stayed like that for a week or so. Today, we noticed that the green chrysalis was brown. This meant that the butterfly would soon come out...and it did!! We have three more chrysalis hanging in our net and by early next week we should be releasing the rest of the butterflies into our butterfly garden in front of the school. Eric Carle would be so proud!!!

A Snapshot of our Mother's Day Breakfast

Mother's Day Celebration - May, 2008

Today we celebrated Mother's Day with mothers, grandmothers, and some fathers joining us for our special morning of entertainment, poetry, and songs. Each mother was greeted by her child and shown to his/her chair. After all the parents were in the room, we started with our first song, "Slippery Fish" (Charlotte Diamond). Students wore head pieces, made by our very own Mrs. Ellis , of different animals from the sea to go with the song. Then students (two by two) recited the Mother's Day Poem (Before I Was a Mom). We sung a class favorite (Alphabet Soup) and finished with "This Little Light of Mine" done in sign language. Soon it was time for the tissues to come out because the video segment of the event was about to begin. This was a slideshow which included a baby picture, a five-year old picture, and a picture of the child with his/her mom. It was beautiful. The video concluded with random photos throughout the year. Our breakfast included all kinds of pastries, bagels, cakes, and coffee/ice cream punch. It was wonderful. Mother's stayed to enjoy breakfast and left with a special gifts made by the children and a special placemat (see above picture) for them to use on Sunday.
Mother's Day is one of the biggest events of our Kindergarten year. We prepared for weeks to get the songs, poem, and movements just right. The children were as excited as a field trip day. We hope that through our efforts, Ms. Johnson, Mrs. Ellis and I, the children learned the importance of this special day and learned to always make this day, "Mother's Day" as grand as it should be! Our mothers deserve it and we love them!!!

Field Trip - Publix and Kilwin's

Publix and Kilwin's - What a Great Field Trip!!

Today was the last field trip of the year and what a great one it was. We went to Publix Supermarket and Kilwin's. This trip complimented our Science unit on food. First, we boarded the bus and headed to Publix. The manager greeted us and guided us on our first stop - the bakery. The students were quizzed about what food items they would find in the bakery and what ingredients it takes to make those items. A cake decorator came out from behind the counter and showed the students how she makes icing roses. Our next stop was Fruit and Produce. Here the students were shown some various tropical fruits and vegetables such as coconuts and mangoes. The mangoes were sliced up and children were given samples to eat. We stopped by the fish counter and the manager pulled out a live lobster - WOW!! The meat counter was next and different kinds of meats were shown - even buffalo! We went through the double steel doors into the back of the store and we were shown the big freezer, the stacks of crated fruits and cans, and where the trucks unload their goods on the hydraulic lift. Then we were shown the recycling machine where big boxes were put in for demonstration and they were crushed before our eyes. (Publix is the number one company in Florida for recycling!!) Our last stop was the dairy section and different cheeses were shown and explained. As we left, we were given cookies, popcorn, and gift bags from the store. What a wonderful treat that was!! Next, we boarded the bus and it was off to Kilwin's at St. Johns Towne Center. The sweet smell of chocolate hit us as we entered the store. Kilwin's is known for its Homemade Ice Cream and Fudge, Homemade Chocolates, Brittles, and Caramel Corn. We were shown how to make waffle cones (and Ms. Johnson and I got to make one). Students had the chance to sample any ice cream flavor they wished. They were shown how the chocolate comes to the store (in a big ten pound brick) and how they use a hammer to chop it up. The children were gifted with chocolate covered marshmallows as they left.
This was such a great field trip for the kids. They learned about community businesses and how stores operate in their neighborhood. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful companies such as Publix and Kilwin's in our area and appreciate how they welcomed us on our visit. I heard a few children say, "This is the best field trip ever!" Who would think that going to the supermarket and getting some ice cream would make such a memorable event?