Happy Thanksgiving!
Today, Mrs. Hausman brought along story books that all had sleepy bears as the main character. This first story kicked off a discussion about hibernation as there is (accurate) information about the hibernation behavior of lots of different animals. In addition to having beautiful illustrations, using autumn-ish colors throughout, the story also conveys a wonderful message of looking out for one another... when Bear sees that it's time to go to sleep for the winter, the message is passed from snails to skunks in the forest so that all are prepared for the impending season. In the next story, it is getting cold and time for hibernation, so Old Man Winter says, "Sleep, Big Bear, sleep." But Big Bear doesn't hear very well and instead, in an attempt to follow his directions, drives a jeep, sweeps a house, climbs a steep mountain, etc. Ultimately, Old Man Winter yells loudly enough for Big Bear to understand him, and the bear heads off to his den for a much-deserved rest. Lots of chuckles from the kindergarteners during this one! The kindergarten kids enjoyed "helping" Mrs. Hausman read our next book by whispering "-don't wake up the bear!" In this one on a winter's eve, as a bear sleeps in his cozy cave, a cold-eared hare creeps in to snuggle in his soft fur. Several animals join her to warm up various extremities. Each time she warns, "-don't wake up the bear!" A mouse is the last to arrive, curling up in his ear. However she develops the sniffles and lets loose a loud sneeze. The lumbering creature wakes up and growls and the animals scatter. The bear merely trudges off and snacks on some berries. The final story was ... One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on! As usual, Mrs. Hausman left us wanting for more stories! We can't wait to see her in December! Has your child talked to you about our STAR Friend activity? If so… you have probably heard all about it! It is, by far, the favorite time of day for most kindergartners in room #166! Each day before going to lunch, I reach in to our STAR basket, with my eyes closed and lots of drama (of course), and pull out the name of one lucky friend. That child becomes our STAR Friend for the day (and the envy of his/her classmates...ahem... we are working at being happy for our friend and waiting, patiently, for our own turn in the spotlight... it is not an easy wait!). We just started our "second round" of this activity this week. During the first round, we took the opportunity to get to know a little more about each of our new classmates and worked on our questioning skills by interviewing each STAR Friend. The children were very curious about each other and, with some practice, asked some great questions. Through questioning, we learned our classmates' favorites: color, food, storybook, friend, activity, shoes, and more! They seem to enjoy all of it, but… the thing they seem to LOVE the most about being the STAR Friend is being the Line Leader! The STAR Friend has the awesome responsibility of leading our line to specials, recess, lunch, and dismissal. For our second round, we have added a song that we sing while the STAR Friend makes his/her way to the front of the group, an extremely fashionable crown, and a book - compiled of pages created by their friends. I also take their picture to add to this post... I'll continue to add STAR Friend photos as each child enjoys their turn. For this second round, we also kept that most-sought after "Line Leader" position as a STAR Friend perk. Ask your child to tell you about our STAR Friend routine; feel free, and be prepared, to assure them that if they haven't had their turn, their name is still in the star-shaped basket and... just maybe it will be their turn next! Check back daily for more STAR Friends! |
AuthorMy name is Charlene Sipe and I'm the teacher in room #166 at Einstein Elementary School. Archives
May 2016
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