Getting to Know the Routine

A look back at the second week in Kindergarten reveals small glimpses at important parts of our day.  Below you will see the children proudly displaying their numeral writing on chalkboards- it's part of a system of instruction where we "wet, dry and try" the strokes to make each number or letter as a way of training our muscle memory. You can also see the children working in pairs to play "Ladybug Race"- a game the Ms. Kathy, our Math Coach introduced on Friday.  Earlier in the week we enjoyed our time in the Courtyard making Fairy and Elf homes and playing hopscotch in the round.  Last but not least we worked together to color a "mystery puzzle" the turned out to be a colorful picture of two children with a heart between them.  All in all a beautiful week of getting to know one another and the different parts of our day.

Welcoming a New Class

It was a very successful first week in Kindergarten for the children in Room 28!  We spent time getting to know each other (and our schedule) through work and through play both INSIDE and OUTSIDE of Orchard School.  In these photos you can see the children and Mrs. Freeman engaged with playdough during our Explore (free play time) at the end of the day and bringing their focus to a sequencing paper involving scissors and glue sticks with Miss Allyson. 

Another activity that required patience and a careful approach was collaging names with seeds- a follow up to a book we read called The Surprise Garden.

 Speaking of the garden, we explored some of the outdoor spaces that make Orchard "a wonderful place to grow".  Below you can see kids playing our own version of Bocce in the courtyard while others are drawing with chalk or playing in the sand.  

We had our first Friday Forest adventure and took a group photo at the stump circle after looking for insects and taking a quiet moment to hear the sounds all around. 

Looking Back

It's hard for me to write the final post of the year but this is a happy one.  And, a big shout out goes to Ms. Freeman, whose mother-in-law is the inventor of the awesome "scrolling calendar" we've used everyday this year to keep track of our days!  Here's how it worked...  A common feature of our daily End Meeting was to collectively decide on an experience from the day that we wanted to "capture" on the scrolling calendar. Each week the calendar displayed a square for each day (so 7 squares). But on our last full day together we finally unrolled the scroll!  It stretched from the K space to Mr. Pecor's room!  And below you can see us revisiting highlights from the year- when Aiden joined our crew, when we met Leo Lionni's Frederick, and more!  What a gift to ourselves.

Happy Summer!

Mindful Movement by Our Own Design

An exciting project that we were able to enjoy right at the end was a kind of culmination of much of the work we have done throughout the year with mindful movement (often called yoga).
Starting at the beginning of the year I introduced different poses and breaths to the children as a way to bring awareness to the present and to help regulate our energy.  We kept up with this practice through brain breaks, with our 100th Day Sequence of 10 poses for 10 counts each,  the website "Cosmic Kids", and most recently through the Design-Your-Own-Sequence Template that I created for the class.  Our tech integration specialist, Kristen Courcelle, was incredibly helpful to me with this project.  You can see how it works through the pictures below.  First, children sit down at their Chromebook and click and drag stick figures in familiar poses to create a movement sequence in 8 frames.  Next, they stand up and try their own sequence being mindful to link their breath to the movements with slow, full in and exhales.  After trying their own sequence, children can team up with a friend to simply try someone else's or, to practice a sequence together!  Alternatively, we can project one person's sequence for the whole class to try as a group.  It's a design your own mindful movement break!  Have a look.

Ending Strong

You can tell by the posting date that school has ended and I'm still trying to catch up!  It was hard to say goodbye and the quote of the week from the last week of school rings true, "Good friends don't say goodbye, they simply say 'see you soon'".  Perhaps this post (and the one or two that will follow) will help us to remember some great moments from the last two weeks and to stay connected.  Have a look at the flurry of Candle Days that we enjoyed in the last two weeks.  We learned about Nature Appreciation with Colin and Graham, Crystals with Josie, Art Inspired from Nature with Matilda, Costa Rican Animals with Shea, and Healthy Cooking with Mesa.  So much fun!

At long last...

Here are some stories that we wrote in EARLY spring but just managed to post.  Some students read their's as recently as today!  Maple sugaring was on our minds.

Time Is Flying

In these final weeks it seems like each day we are doing something for the last time.  The word "bittersweet" comes to mind for sure!  Have a look at us making cards for our fifth grade buddies and then enjoying play time with them on the playground .

Right down to the last days we are continuing to learn from one another.  Recent Candle Days have highlighted Taekwondo and Tibetan Culture.

Our final Social Studies unit of the year, mapping, has captured our interest and will be featured in individual Kindergarten Memory Books.  Below you can see a classmate working hard to map the classroom using the idea of a "bird's eye view".