Weekend Cooking---Getting Ready For The Work Week

Cooking for a strict vegetarian, a complete carnivore and myself (somewhere between the two) definitely requires more than one pot!

Have to be ready for my husband's birthday tomorrow with his favorite, chicken sauce. This is a slow cooking meal.

Common Core...Getting Ready

Inservice training to be ready for the transition to Common Core Standards. Tomorrow is ELA Professional Training Team (English, Language Arts).Looking forward to learning more about how to teach along these standards.

Week of the Young Child activities continued...

Puppet Time! I am so lucky to have my artist husband Gary Cangemi  present to my kindergarten class!

Fun puzzle time, block time and more!

So proud to be an American!

What a sad past week this was. So many heavy hearts, all of us with thoughts of our fellow Americans.We see the future when we look into the happy faces of our wonderful little kindergartners! Through it all, so proud to be an American!

When I Grow Up To Be Big Me...

More of Week of the Young Child activities:
Book Wagon---Find your own favorite story!

Put that imagination to work---What do you want to be when you grow up?

Week of the Young Child--Celebrations Begin!

During the week of the young child, we try to celebrate each and every day with fun and special activities. We start with "Chalk Talk"! The children express themselves through individual and group drawings on our outside playground.

Wow, a week of PSSA testing! Hats off to all the upper grade teachers who administer these assessments! Keeping the little ones quiet is always a task but we are trying and so hope that your testing goes well!

Oh, so hard to be sick on the weekend. But at least I won't have to miss any school.As all of you teachers know, this is planning time. Need to be ready for my little 5 year old kiddos tomorrow!
                                                               
                                                         

Kindergarten Sea of Rainbow Fish

I love this book so very much!!!!  It can be used to emphasize friendship, caring and sharing. It is so much fun to read. The children almost always have already heard this story more than once. I "liberate"  a phrase from my friend, our school Librarian: A book is like an old friend, fun to visit over and over again. We always wrap up this book with fun, colorful activities.

Yes, time for glitter!

Time to display our Kindergarten Sea of Rainbow Fish!

Story time is a Special Time!

Yes, Story time!!! I love story time, it's always a special time.Again, I say, where else can you find a job where you get to read a storybook and get applause after reading? My motto: Kindergarten is the place to be!!!

Through the years, I have picked up lots of different tricks and I really think how I start story time is a hodgepodge of different ideas. This is how I begin: Story time is a special time and we use all our listening skills. When we are in the story time nook we listen with our ears by hearing. We listen with our eyes by looking directly at the speaker, showing respect. We listen with our brain by thinking. We listen with our mouth by keeping it quiet. We listen with our hands and whole body by keeping them still, not busy. And we listen with our heart, because truly listening is a loving act. 

This really works for me. It gets us all in focus, ready to listen. And, of course, we all sit "criss-cross applesauce"!

I always try to do a "theme" related one way or the other to the story I have read. The children do a color page or other activity. 

Ready for Spring!

Spring is here, at least the calendar says so. In Northeast PA it's still rather cold, 20's in the morning and frost encasing the cars. Just watched the weather forecast, though, and they claim warm weather is fast approaching. In Kindergarten we are all ready for spring! Our imaginations are all revved up! We are in the mood for colorful creations.

We all have our own ideas and want to express them.

It's so great to watch the children come up with their own creations.

They work on their own drawings or pair up with a partner. We "share in the air" when we're all done so everyone can have a look at each other's work. They enjoy holding their papers up high and showing off their work! 

Kindergarten is the Place to Be!!!

Welcome to my world---The Wonderful World of Kindergarten! I have taught for 33 years and and truly love it! There is nothing better in this world than being surrounded by 5 and 6 year old children, what an amazing age. Imagination runs rampant! The littlest thing causes big smiles. Seriously, where else on earth can you find a job where you get to read storybooks and get applause after you're done reading ? You've got to admit, it's pretty wonderful! Everyday there is something new and exciting. That is why I decided to drag myself into this century and try a new adventure for myself---this blog! I am very new at this. I hope to be able to share some new ideas, tried and true strategies and fun stories .Kindergarten is the Place to Be!