We began our week with a question:

 What do animals do in the winter time?

Here were some of the children's responses...

Mice dig in the snow to keep their family warm.

Penguins skate on the ice. 

Snow wolves walk around and find creatures to eat. 

Bears dig a hole.

Whales swim really, really, deep.

Owls get super soft feathers so they can fly more quietly.

 

Do animals curl up when they are cold?

We decided we needed to investigate this further! We read books, watched videos and had many discussions about how animals prepare for the changing seasons. We learned that in cold climates, most animals will either hibernate, migrate or adapt. This week we focused on animals that hibernate. Ask your child about our hibernation game show and some of the amazing facts we learned! 

 

 Chipmunks dig a hole.

 Snakes live under rocks.

 Bears hibernate in the winter.

Bears eat a lot before they sleep.

Did you know ladybugs hibernate?

We were extra artsy this week. We spent time adding to our mural every day and carefully painted the mandalas we drew last week. 

 

 

We began exploring the concept of measurement and our kiddos dove in to some activities that had them comparing the length of many of our classroom objects. Try finding a variety of things around the house and have your child order them from shortest to longest :)

 

 

 They LOVED this game ↓

Each player chooses a mystery object from the pouch. 

Compare the length of each object. 

The player who pulled the longest object gets a point! 

They were SO precise with their measurements! This would also be a very easy activity to set up at home :)

We played floor hockey in gym this week!

 

Classroom Information and Reminders

1. Our home reading program is off to a great start! Thank you so much for supporting your child as they begin to explore the exciting world of reading. If you have any questions about your child's reading, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask. Please see last week's post for details about volunteering to help our kiddos read and switch their books each week.

2. Valentine's Day is around the corner. Please see last week's post for details. Due to Teachers Convention, we will not be at school on Valentine's day. If children would like to bring in valentines, they will be given an opportunity to hand them out on Wednesday, February 12. 

See you Monday! 

Miss Roberts 💖

 

 

We had a week filled with mindfulness activities and it was glorious! This week was all about being aware of our thoughts and making sure we choose ones that make us feel good. We learned that thoughts are like bubbles floating around in our mind all day long. We get to decide which ones to keep and which ones to pop! Children took time to reflect on some of the thoughts that swirl around in their mind.

One of the most important skills we practice in kindergarten is self-regulation. We spend a lot of time talking about how to be conscious of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. When we're able to identify how we are feeling, we can use strategies to help us work through them. We read a beautiful story called My Magic Breath that taught us about the power of breathing to help us feel calm. Children created their own magic breath paintings and shared about how their breath can help them when they're feeling upset.

 

 

We explored a new mandala centre and even attempted drawing our own on our early dismissal Friday. These simple and repetitive designs involve focus, concentration, and creativity! The children were challenged to complete their drawings in silence and they totally rocked it! 

 

 

 

Our letter of the week was D and our kiddos showed off their super writing skills again. They're becoming more confident with letters each week! 

 

 

 

We always start our day with 20 minutes of transition time where children independently work through challenges I put out on the tables. They loved this letter challenge! One day we drew pictures and wrote words beside each letter and the following day, we found things in the classroom that begin with each letter. This would be such a fun and easy thing to do at home!

 

 

 

The morning class started working on a pretty spectacular mural that we will most definitely be coming back to next week!

 

Classroom Information and Reminders

1. If you're interested in ordering anything from Scholastic, paper and online orders are due back by Monday, January 27.

2. Home reading has begun!! Yaaaay!!! The kiddos were SUPER excited about bringing home books this week. Please take the time to read the purple information letter in your child's home reading bag. This will help our home reading program to run as smooth as possible. Thank you so much for your support at this exciting time! If you're interested in volunteering to help our kiddos read and switch their books (Mondays and Thursdays), please sign-up online: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B4CAAA82AAAF49-home

3. I have started to receive questions about Valentine's day. Your child is welcome to bring in valentines to hand out to their classmates if this is something they are interested in doing. If your child chooses to bring in valentines, I have a couple small requests:

• Organizing the handing-out of these things can be a bit difficult. To simplify the process, I am asking that students sign their valentines with their own name, but leave the "To" part blank. Or write, To: My friend. We have 17 children in each class.
• We have spent a great deal of time learning to write our names with lower case letters, using a capital only at the beginning. As your child will be writing their name many, many times, please encourage them to write their name this way.
• Due to student allergies, I request that students not bring in food treats for each other. If you are interested in sending in something extra, pencils, stickers or any other non-food treat is welcome (but not necessary!)

Have an amazing weekend! Enjoy the SUNSHINE!!!

Miss Roberts :)

 

We love going to the library!