Gingerbread Stories & COOKIES!

This week, we started reading stories based off of the traditional tale of the Gingerbread Man.  There are many variations of this tale that we will read over the next week or so.  The kids love them!  So far, we have read The Gingerbread Man and The Gingerbread Boy.

You can watch and listen to a version of the story at home here:  http://www.speakaboos.com/story/the-gingerbread-man

We will continue to do learning activities based off of these tales.  Next Friday, Dec. 20th, I'd like for the kids to decorate gingerbread cookies!  But, I need your help.  I need a family that would be willing to bake some cookies for us.  Then, I will ask for donations for decorating materials from others.  If you are willing to bake a classroom set of cookies, please let me know as soon as possible.  Thank you for your support!

Speaking of cookies... last week, we learned a little bit about making cookies.  We did some shared reading of a book entitled We Make Cookies.  We modeled the steps it takes to make cookies and we wrote our own shared writing recipe.  This week in the Drama Literacy Station, we have been practicing following the recipe to "make" cookies!
Take a look:

A great way to extend this learning at home is to bake cookies with your child!  Fun and learning at the same time!  Superstars might even draw and write about each step together ;)

Here are some great pictures from our classroom over the last few weeks:

Putting numbers 0 to 20 in order!  What mathematicians we are becoming.

Playing Monster Squeeze on the lab tops!

Click here to play at home!

Today we learned to recognize and find the first and last letter in our names.  We glued each letter of our names into our literacy journals and highlighted the first and last letters!

The vocabulary of letters vs. words can be tricky.  I encourage you to try this at home with other names from your family and other words that your child knows.  Write the words and prompt your child to identify the first and last letters in the word.  Circle or highlight them.

The Snow & Cold are Here!

Burrrrrr!  The snow and cold are here, so here are some things you need to know and some helpful tips for preparing your child for school in this weather.

1.  First, get a re-usable and sturdy bag.  This will help your child store and carry the extra winter gear that he or she will need for outdoor recess.  Your child can also easily hang this on the hook or store it below the coat rack on the floor.

2.  Your child should have:  a hat, gloves or mittens, boots, & snow-pants.  Scarfs aren't a bad idea either!

Outdoor recess is generally 20-25 minutes after lunch and this can lead to cold and tearful Kindergarteners when they are not prepared for the weather.

I also usually have a few students that don't want to wear all of their gear.  I will hear, "I don't have a hat," or "I forgot my gloves."  But when I look in backpacks, I often find them.  Please have a conversation at home about the importance of wearing all the gear to stay warm.

I strongly suggest water-proof & warm gloves like these:

These stretchy, cotton ones quickly get wet in the snow & aren't great for keeping hands warm for long periods of time outdoors:

3.  Make sure your child has a pair of tennis shoes or sneakers to wear during the school day.  Boots are pretty clunky in the classroom and can lead to falling.  This is also especially important for P.E.  Your child can change into his/her shoes each morning and put boots on again for recess.

4.  Teach your child how to get dressed in winter gear.  First, snow pants.  Second, boots.  Then, jacket & zip.  Then, hat.  And last, gloves.  This order can be difficult for some students and can take some time when students are not used to doing it for themselves.  "Supervise" this process at home;  don't do it for your child!  He/she needs to learn!

Last, if you are struggling to buy winter weather gear this year, please let me know.  Sometimes there are extra pieces at school or special programs that can support families.

Thank you for your support with this process!

Scholastic Books

This week, we have a lot of opportunities to buy great books!  As usual, we have our classroom Scholastic Book Order.  Click here to order online.  Books make great holiday gifts for your child.  If you would like to keep your order a secret from your child, just let me know I will give the books directly to you.


This week, Carpenter is also hosting a Scholastic Book Fair.  You may look at and buy books directly at the school.  This is a fundraiser for the school and you received a flyer showing some of the books for purchase.  Today we will view the fair as a class and your child will create a "Wishlist" in case you cannot visit the fair with him or her.  Here are the book fair times, if you would like to visit:

Tuesday & Wednesday
11:30 am - 1:30 pm (lunch hour)
3:30 - 4:30 pm (after school)

Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00 pm Family Night


However, if you cannot visit with your child and still would like to purchase books, send the cost of the book, plus 6% sales tax with your child to school.  An envelope or baggie works well and if the money is meant for a specific book, please write it down so that we can help your child shop.


Happy Reading!

Handwriting Review for Homework

Handwriting is an important Kindergarten skill.  In Kindergarten, students learn to:
* Form letters from TOP to bottom
* Write from LEFT to right
* Return sweep to the next line
* Form letters clearly and fluently

Although we do formal handwriting practice in the classroom, sometimes when students write on their own they forget the proper letter formation.  To give a little extra practice with each letter, I am going to begin sending home extra handwriting practice.  This is great fine motor practice.  These are letters we have learned in the classroom.  They will look like this:  (There are TWO SIDES each day.)

Your child should:
1.  Review the formation steps
2.  Trace the first example letter (first box) with a pencil.
3.  Write in the second box with a pencil, starting at the dot.
4.  Continue from left to right (trace, write, trace, write, etc.) and return sweep to the next line.
5.  The last line (without the box) is for your child to write the letter him/herself.
6.  Circle the best one!
7.  Copy the word.
8.  Color the picture.
9.  Draw and write other examples of words that begin with that letter in the extra space.


This homework starts tonight with M and N!