Star Behaviour and Artists at Work

Last week we started our Star Behaviour program in kindergarten.  It is a system that serves as a reminder for students to follow all of the (strange and new) rules that come along with starting school.  It has built-in consequences and incentives and it's my favourite way to manage twenty energetic 4- and 5-year olds who are getting used to raising their hands, changing into indoor shoes, and asking to use the bathroom.  This year I have added a punch card as a way to communicate with parents about how their child's days are going, and as a way to reward students who make an effort to follow classroom expectations.  After seven days on the star, your child will get to pick a ticket which will give them a prize like staying in at recess with a friend, eating their snack at the teacher's desk, or wearing a costume to school. 

Today we used watercolour paint to decorate our September printing samples and self-portraits.  The kids took great care to add detail and vibrant colour to their work.  

Our literacy centres are up and running!

We started our literacy centres yesterday.  They will help the kids practice a variety of literacy-related skills on a daily basis.  Three of them will change weekly to go along with our themes and to help keep the kids engaged.

Listening to Books:

The kids use a QR code scanner on the iPad to pick a story.  It takes them to a website to listen and 'watch' the book that they chose.

Lire, dire et écrire: Find the words, read the words, and write the words

 les couleurs

 

Reading in our Classroom Library

Activity: La coccinelle est rouge.

Word Work: Letter Beads

Hooray for Math Centres!

We started our math centres today.  They will get changed every two weeks after the kids have had two chances to do them.  They will also be tiered to match the skills that each child is working on so that they will never be too easy or hard. These centres are so much fun and offer tons of hands-on learning.

Ordering numbers and linking them

Sensory bin: Sorting colours

Playdough Mats

 

Counting and Colouring

Number Identification: Où est mon goûter?

Technology: Unreliable ... but always fun!

We got the interactive whiteboard (the SmartBoard) up and running after some technical difficulties yesterday. The kids loved playing with our 'giant computer'.  We popped bubbles to help us get to know our new friends' names and the kids also got to write on it during free play. 

Second Day Pics

Well, we've survived another day in kindergarten!  It was another fun-filled afternoon.  We went out for our first 'recess' and the kids did such an amazing job following the rules that I am predicting that we will be going out with the big kids sooner than I had planned.  My little afternoon group is picking up the kindergarten routines and rules quickly, and I am so proud of them.  Enjoy a few more pictures of the kids playing with their new kindergarten friends.

Logan, Evelyn and (birthday boy) Brody
 

 Bella and Logan

 Garcia

Mason

Eric, Garcia and Olivia K.

 Dean

 Danika

 Norah

 Brody and Mason

 Dean

Seren

 Shae-Lynn

Evelyn and Cayden

 Owen, Olivia K. and Garcia

 Seren, Eric and Cayden