Sunday, September 9, 2012

Connecting

During the study of Our Families/Ourselves,
we talked about the differences in our days and nights.
I illustrated my morning commute 

(that is a scary car-I really drive a van) and my nightly routine.  
The children thought I looked like a mermaid--ha!
I loved the connections that were made by the students!
The above drawing shows the construction site that he sees on his way to school.  His night picture includes trampoline jumping!
The drawing on top made me smile--notice the "X marks the spot" for our school.  This lil guy drew a computer monitor on his night side.  The bottom illustration is more straightforward: he gets out of bed in the morning and he gets into bed at night!  Sometimes, his brothers hang out in his room, lol!

I brought my boys' train set to our class for Super Center Thursday.
Wow--this has been a huge hit, plus an eye-opener for assessing/correcting social cues.  We also bring out the PetShop critters, kitchen set, and babies/purses/phones for Super Centers.  There is a three hour stretch on Thursday afternoons....we all need a half hour to let our imaginations roam.  Because most of my students have gone to preschool, I don't bemoan the lack of playtime in my schedule.  But I try to include physical, visual, and auditory learning in my stations during literacy and math.  When we explore topics and themes in social sciences, we have time to cook, role-play, research, create.  At this time of the year, especially, I am mindful that I am teaching kindergarten, not first grade.  Honestly, it's always good to keep that fact in mind.

Do you have time for play?  
(The worksheet was from Ingles360...I don't see it on her freebie page, but there are a bunch of goodies there!)

5 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh I laughed at this adorable post. I miss you my friend. Thank goodness there are teachers like you who are not trying to teach first grade. It scared me as teachers race to nowhere.
    I love how you think...
    Fran

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  2. Love your students' work! I totally agree with you-kindergarten should be playful- we are NOT teaching first grade! Besides-our students are such babies still in September!
    Meredith
    Keen on Kindergarten

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  3. Your kiddos are so creative! Love their drawings. I have to be kind of a rebel to sneak in play, but I do it. Some of our powers-that-be don't see the value in it, but we certainly do, don't we. :)

    NotJustChild'sPlay

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  4. We are encouraged to allow time every day for play. We have traditional center time at the end of each day for 30-45 minutes. I think we are shorting children of their need to explore, talk, share, and enjoy school. They will need those skills as they grow!

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  5. What a darling blog page & post you have! I love that you teach in a Christian school! You have a warm heart that is shared by all around you! I am your newest follower!
    Amy Howbert
    Little Miss Organized
    amyhowbert1@gmail.com

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Thanks for being part of my story!