Bunny Brunch

     Easter has a way of sneaking up on me and I often find myself scrambling to fit it all in before it's time to move on down the bunny trail!

     Despite this year's short notice (aka poor planning!), I still managed to pull a few "rabbits" out of my hat!
   

The whiskers appear when you add syrup!

     The trick to these little critters is to make the pancakes at home and then layer them between sheets of wax paper in your crockpot.  Bring the crockpot to school (which means you get to leave the griddle, mix, eggs, oil, etc. at home!), plug in and set to the warm setting.  Easy Peasy!

     And if you have generous parents who offer to help, ask them to buy and cut up the melon and/or strawberries.  Big time saver!

     Add a few rabbit ears, oval-shaped plates, cute napkins & table cloths and abracadabra - it's a bunny brunch!

     You can assemble the plates for the children or let them build their own bunny face!

     Who doesn't love pancakes?

Happy Easter and thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

When the Leprechaun Comes Marching In

     While March 17th was intended to be about St. Patrick, the leprechaun has now taken center stage and even seems to have upgraded his status to one that rivals Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.  My own kids were even known to call it  "Leprechaun Day," when they were young.
     In the classroom this can be a tricky time for teachers! We want to feed children's interest and imaginations, yet we don't necessarily want to spend all month looking for leprechauns as children gather evidence in the form of lint specs found on the carpet.
    So here are some activities that I have found, that allow me to embrace the fun and magic of the season, while keeping the leprechaun "fever" in check.

     At the beginning of the month, I introduce a seasonally-themed attention getter and line-up song that infuse fun and imagination into our daily routines.

You can find this FREEBIE here:

   
     Green and shiny things are added to centers and are available throughout the month of March. Pretend play naturally arises from the children's work with the materials they find there!

 

play dough with shiny, loose parts

St. Patty's Day themed sensory table

shades of green to explore in the art center

pots and gold for counting, measuring, and comparing

    

shamrocks in the science center for observing and drawing

     Penny investigations, using mini pots of "gold," are done in small math groups and used to practice skills such as counting, fair shares, measuring, estimating, predicting, missing addend, and more!  Lucky, the math mascot found on each page, guides children through each investigation by asking "math talk" questions. 

  

You can find this here:

     Guided drawings of leprechauns using Arthub provides great fine motor practice!  The children add their own details making each one unique! 

They also write about what they would do if they caught a leprechaun. 

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     Sight words are practiced using this fun game where children take turns reading a word in hopes of finding the "pot of gold" that is hidden behind one of the cards.

You can find this FREEBIE here:

     As the big day draws closer, the magic really begins! With one day to go, we find a poem, some cups, and markers in our snack basket.  The poem invites us to decorate the "hats" and leave them overnight.

Find the poem and directions here:

     The next morning, the children are surprised to find these "shrunken hats" sitting atop a little bag of gold.  

     In the afternoon we go hunting for more gold.  Each gold piece is hidden with a 100 grid number card. As children find each card, they bring it to the 100 chart and place it in the matching pocket.

Find the number cards here:

     The gold, which is an assortment of pennies, plastic coins, chocolate coins, and candy go into their bags.  

     In the end, rather than stifling their imaginations, I've chosen to fuel them and incorporate the magic of the season into their play and learning.  What works for you when the leprechauns come marching in?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

   

     

     

     

     

       

     

The 100th Day of School: How it All Began

     

     Did you ever wonder how the 100th day of school began?  Many years ago, I had the pleasure of connecting with one of its originators while writing a book about this time-honored tradition. 

Here's what I found out:

     Back in 1979, Lynn Taylor, along with her colleagues David Cooper and Mary Hurdlow, celebrated their first 100th day of school.  The idea grew from their experience with a program called Math Their Way and an activity called The Days of School Graph.  Lynn published the idea two years later in the Center for Innovation’s newsletter and it all grew from there.

      On that first 100th day, Lynn remembered using Sesame Street’s The Count to do a magic trick, where he transformed 100 pennies into a one dollar bill. Presto chango! 

   

     She also shared her 100th-day snack, a recipe she called Hiyaku, named after the Japanese word for 100.

     Our 100th day is coming up this week and we are inviting parents in and setting up Investigation Stations.  

Check it out here!

And what's the 100th day without a fun hat to wear! 

Grab your FREEBIE here!

So, what's in store for your 100th day? 

Thanks for dropping by!

Jackie

     

       

What's New in the New Year?

     

     When you work in a school, the “new year” comes twice - once in September and once in January.  A bit confusing for the Kinders who also think school ends on the 100th day (how many times have you explained that one?!) Anyhow, both are about new beginnings and fresh starts and after all the hullabaloo that December brings, January is a welcome change!  

     While there were no party hats, horns or ball drops to greet the children when they arrived, they quickly noticed that the tables had new names to reflect the season: snowflake, evergreen, and pine cone and that they had new tablemates. 

There was also a new “trophy” for the VIP table (the weekly reward for good table manners).  

     Amidst this morning buzz was lots of talk about holiday happenings so we began the day with a “toss and tell” to share one thing about our winter break.  

     We then got out the calendar, crumpled up the December page and threw it in the garbage (they love this)! 

     After reading Squirrel's New Year's Resolution, they did a turn and talk to share one thing they'd like to learn or get better at in the new year. 

   In previous years, I’ve also read The Wishing Tree and An Orange in January and we celebrated the New Year by eating an orange and making wishes!

New pencils, new crayons, and new name cards (for our last names) were also part of our first day back. 

     Best of all, we've had a lot of new skills to celebrate as we complete the winter pages in our Show How You Grow Books and see just how much we've grown since September! 

     What's new in your new year?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

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Birthday Circle

     When I was in kindergarten, there was a wire that hung from one end of the classroom to the other. On it hung the months of the year. When it was a child’s birthday, they drew a picture of themselves and our teacher, Miss Lynch, clothespinned the picture next to the birthday month cut-out.  Since my birthday was in June, I waited with anticipation for my turn to come.  Two weeks before school ended, my special day finally arrived and I drew myself in a sunny yellow and white daisy dress that was a much treasured hand-me-down from a neighbor.  The teacher liked it so much she went across the hall to show the other kindergarten teacher.  This is my one and only memory of kindergarten and I often think about why this might have resonated with me.  Partly, it was because of my teacher’s response to my picture, but I also think that I loved the tradition of the birthday line and the opportunity to feel special for one day. 

Our birthday timeline - we drew cakes instead of portraits.

    
     So when I became a kindergarten teacher, I began to search for ways to celebrate birthdays that were simple, yet meaningful, and discovered the Montessori Birthday Circle.  While there are many variations, here’s how it works in my classroom.
     A few weeks before a child’s birthday, I send home a timeline that has places for pictures of the child at each year of their life.  On the child’s special day, we gather round the birthday circle and the child walks around the "sun" once for each year of their life.

     At each rotation, the parent shares a photo/story of their child at that age. If parents aren't able to attend, they send in the timeline and I share it. Once we reach present day, I ask the child to tell something they would like to learn how to do or get better at in the next year as they move from age 5 to 6 or 6 to 7.

   
     We follow that with a fun movement activity where we "make a cake" for the birthday child.  This rhyme can be found on Dr. Jean's website.  Once the cake is made, I "light" the candles using a pointer with purple streamers and we sing Tom Chapin's Happy Birthday song.

     The child then picks out a favorite book from our classroom and the parent reads it to the class in their honor.

    Other ways we honor the birthday child include wearing a birthday sash,

choosing a birthday chair to sit in for the day, 

 
  and taking home a birthday rock as a memento of their special day.

   
     How do you celebrate birthdays in your classroom?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie

North Pole Party

     Despite the forecasted green Christmas, we were able to bring a little of the "arctic chill" to our classroom with a North Pole Party.

     The children visited four stations (Santa's Workshop, Mrs. Claus' Kitchen, Reindeer Games, and Winter Wonderland) where they participated in a fun-filled activity at each stop. “Elves” (parent helpers) were available to punch their cards and assist as needed at all stops along the way.

Ornament Making at Santa's Workshop

                       Cookie Decorating in Mrs. Claus' Kitchen 

Reindeer Ring Toss

Snowflake Making in Winter Wonderland

     Next year, I'd love for Santa to stop by for a surprise visit. Until then, I'll be looking for a Santa suit and a willing volunteer. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Jackie