Homework Calendars and Our Science Center!

I feel like this weekend has been sooo busy so far!  Hopefully today I can catch up on some relaxation time!

I have had several parents express an interest in additional nightly homework.  So I got busy this weekend and created a set of monthly homework calendars.  Students who complete at least 20 of the activities each  month will get a prize.  I kept the activities pretty generic, so that this could be used by other teachers.  Here's a sneak peak...

To download October through April, head over to my TPT page.  Due to formatting issues, I had to upload each month separately.

On a side note, look what my AWESOME teammate gave me...

A zebra print shoe organizer!!!  So I turned it into a science center for our classroom, the kids LOVE it!!

The labels are tough to see, but here's what we have:

• 3 science puzzles
• "What makes a sound?"
• Magnifying glasses
• Tongs
• 2 discovery bottles
• Bugs
• Rocks
• Science books
• Nuts and bolts

I also threw in some lacing cards for some extra fine motor practice! :)

Fine Motor Fun!

Another week down! Now time for some OSU football! GO BUCKS! :)

This week we've really been working on strengthening our fine motor skills. We've been working diligently on correct pencil grip and writing skills. I decided to put together a fine motor station as one of our classroom rotations. I took a trip to the dollar store and found SO many great things! I'm so pumped!

I also printed out some practice cutting sheets that will go into the center. I used similar pages for the students to trace the lines, but they would also greatly benefit from some cutting practice. If you want to nab the cutting page, it's in my TPT store here.

Later I'll post some pictures of the center in action!

Literacy Centers

Happy Monday!!

Today in Maryland, the weather was ABSOLUTELY beautiful!  It felt like fall, which is my favorite season! =)

The students have been so excited to try all of our activities during literacy centers.  We're really focusing on correct pencil grip and letter formation while writing.  The students love "rainbow writing" with their colored pencils!

 

And everybody's favorite, "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom"!  The "Spider Game" requires students to match "beginning sound spiders" to their corresponding letter on the spiderweb.  I can't take credit for this, I found it last year on our school's "freebie" table and snatched it up!

Tomorrow we will be starting our guided reading groups.  Usually I wait another week or two, but this group is very eager to read!  YAY!! =)

Here We Go!

It's been a FANTASTIC first week of kindergarten!  Our class worked together to make a list of classroom rules.  We decided rule number 4 was a very important one, and we discussed what it meant to be a good friend to others.

We also explored literacy centers and practiced our rotation schedule.  We're off to a great start, and I'm looking forward to next week!