Chinese New Year

On Thursday, February 7 our class learned about the Chinese New Year.  Our fourth grade buddies joined us for activities.  We read a book and then made dragon puppets, red envelopes for good luck in the New Year, and fortune cookies.  Our classes used the new RES mobile cooking cart that was funded through a grant.  We were also fortunate to have Natsuko Ota, a kindergarten teacher from Japan and Canada, join us.  She is friends with Ms. Darby.  Natsuko Ota taught students how to do origami (paper folding). 

Fourth Grade Buddies

Fourth grade buddies and kinderbuddies created and played math board games.  They worked together to come up with a game they both could enjoy.  They all did a great job cooperating and compromising!

Snowshoeing

The weather stayed cool enough for us to snowshoe this morning.  Students walked, ran and climbed with their snowshoes on.  They quickly realized that snowshoeing can be tricky.  I was surprised at how well they did.  We had very few falls.  Students thought it was especially fun to walk on top of the snow.  Almost everyone mentioned that snowshoeing is hard work and fun.  We all got our exercise today and should sleep well tonight. 

Sledding with our Fourth Grade Buddies

What a great day for sledding!  We had a fantastic time sledding with our fourth grade buddies.  Most of us smiled and laughed the entire time we were sledding.  We were a bit tired out when we finished.

Kindergarten Five Senses Festival

        Kindergarten students had a wonderful time engaging in Five Senses activities in each of the kindergarten classrooms.  In Mrs. Mumford's room students made tactile books and rubbings.  They were able to explore textures and the way different materials feel to the touch.  In Ms. Agner's room they made sachets from natural materials, such as pine needles, clementine peels, cinnamon, rosemary, and cloves.  The smells were amazing.  In Mrs. Gilbar's classroom students explored the sense of taste as they taste tested a variety of foods.  Students enjoyed cucumbers, kiwi, Veggie Sticks, dried papaya, lemon slices, craisins, red peppers, and many other foods.  Our Five Senses Festival was an enjoyable way to end our Five Senses science unit.  We want to thank all our parent and community volunteers who provided supplies for our festival, cut material for sachets, and volunteered in our classrooms during the Festival. 

Technology in Our Classroom

We have a BrightLink Interactive Projector in our classroom.  With this tool we are able to project onto the whiteboard from the computer.  We can share books and games from different sites such as Starfall.com and Tumblebooks.  Students are beginning to use the interactive system more independently.  Recently, they have been exploring how to write, draw, erase, and change size and color of writing.  They are learning to do all of these things very quickly.