Kindergarten Math Centers - Part 1

Our whole day is centered around workshops, so I like to keep the trend going for Math as well.

 

St. Patrick's Day Craft Addition Rainbows

Winter is endless in New England, and even though we have a had a mild one, I am over it! The numerous snowmen projects that have been adorning our hallway need to go. I wanted a colorful St. Patrick's Day display that would help us all to feel springy - what is better than a rainbow with a bit of gold at the end?

I saw Kwik Stix Tempera Paint on KinderKids instagram and I was intrigued - painting fun without the hassle of cleaning brushes? That is a must have in any Kindergarten!

Kindergarten Math Centers - Exploration Thursdays Part 5

Exploration Thursday came about after watching my class explore all the new materials in the beginning of the year.

Kindergarten Math Centers - Buddy Games Wednesdays Part 4

I decided to include Buddy Games Wednesday into my math centers to increase teamwork and communication skills, as that is an area Kindergarten students always need to work on.

Sensory Bin Ideas for K-2 Classrooms

I had every intention of creating sensory bins last year but sadly never got around to it. This year I was determined to make them for my class!

Things I Love...December Edition

My December favorites...some already purchased, some just coveted!

ideel - London Times - Cap Sleeve Lace Fit and Flare Dress

London Times has become my latest obsession for dresses. They are so comfortable, machine washable and gorgeous! It is a bit early to be thinking of sleeveless dresses in NH, but I am loving the navy/gold combo!

Would You Rather - Opinion Writing in K-1

We always start our day the same way in Kindergarten. My students come in and unpack their binders, then they grab their name tag and they are off to the Would You Rather display!

 

Visual Hundreds Chart

Before I became a Kindergarten teacher, I spent 7 years working as a Certified Instructor in grades K-5. Over those years, one thing really stood out to me - how little understanding many students had of the hundreds chart. 

Editable Calendars

Finding the right behavior plan for a class can be tricky. I tend to change mine with each new school year. When I taught 5th grade I used ClassDojo. Then when I moved back to Kindergarten, I used a card system: green for good, yellow for warning, pink for note home and blue for a role model.

All About Me Book for K-1

I must confess, the beginning of last school year is a blur. I found out in July that I was switching schools, and moving from 5th to Kindergarten.

Things I Love...July Edition

I had a crazy busy year switching from 5th grade to Kindergarten. My poor blog has been quite neglected because of this! Of course, this has not stopped me from shopping -- I mean really, can anything stop that? ;)

Here are the things I love for this month - coveted of course, not actually purchased, but hey, a girl can dream!

Click the pictures for links!

ideel

I love ideel - I mean I am seriously addicted to that site. They have gorgeous clothes and amazing prices. I am obsessed with how you can shop by designer too now! I love that zebra dress more than words can express.

White House | Black Market 

My sister and I visited this store recently for the first time. I have to say it was more than I ever expected! I had been eyeing their clothes online for awhile, but I wanted to wait to see them in person. I love their prints - even on the pants! And I am not usually a printed pants kind of person. ;)

DSW

DSW is always my go to for shoes, I love how many options they have. I would buy all four of these in a heartbeat...however I must stick to my no shopping promise!

T. J. Maxx

I have been moving away from big purses lately...I just feel like I don't need to carry that much stuff and it is so much easier to change over little ones more often! I LOVE this glitter clutch - I may end up breaking my vow for this one!

Zoya

As I was cleaning my nail polishes out the other day, I noticed that the majority of my polishes come from Zoya. I adore their color selection and I really feel they last longer on my nails then any other polish. My favorite thing is how easy they are to remove! These are the two colors I am currently coveting!

What is on your (dream?) shopping list for this month?

Kindergarten Word Wall

For a more updated post about my word wall, please click here!

End of the Year Memory Books for K-1

As every teacher knows, the last few weeks of school are a hectic time. They are packed with field trips, field day, assemblies, graduation activities and a whole lot of active children!

Being back in Kindergarten for the first time in ten years, I was a bit unsure of how I could go about keeping them occupied; while still writing, reading and of course, having fun!

I thought that a memory book would be our best bet. I wanted it to be a writing activity we could all do together - but I didn't want anyone to feel stressed or overwhelmed at the thought of making a book.

I decided to use a combination of graphic organizers and open responses. This would allow my students who loved to write the option of expressing themselves freely. The graphic organizer would give enough structure and motivation to even my most reluctant writer! (Or anyone who had a severe case of "summer brain" those days!)

I let my students choose which version they preferred:

They really enjoyed being able to choose the pages they wanted to complete and the style in which they could do it.

We did the graphs together and the class names made a wonderful morning work activity those last few mornings!

One of the parts that my class loved the most was the borders and black and white clipart. They liked coloring it in and I loved how uniquely different each book turned out.

This activity definitely made the last few days a lot more fun for everyone!

If you would like to see more, click here or on any of the pictures above!

I hope you have a wonderful last few weeks of school!

Money Games for K-1

Updated for 2022 with a new, clean look!

The time my Kindergartners have been eagerly awaiting has arrived...our money unit! They are consumed by all things involving money right now!

So, I created some fun games to fit into our centers that will help to reinforce the names, coins and their value.

This set includes:

 Money Puzzles

• 4 way puzzles matching coin front, back, name and value
• 2 way puzzles matching coin with its name
• 2 way puzzles matching coin with its value

Game boards

• What’s the Value? (name the coin and value you land on)
• Name that Coin! (read the value and name the coin)
• How Much Am I Worth? (read the coin name and state its value)

Bingo

• 6 boards (5x5) featuring front and back coin clip art
• call out cards featuring coin name or value for easy differentiating!

These games are excellent resources for math centers, summer skill packets or take home resources!  Click the pictures above for more information!

Happy Sunday!

Pre-Primer and Primer Sight Word Slide Shows

We have been working feverishly on our sight words in every way possible in Kindergarten! We have been writing them, coloring them, spelling them, searching for them in books and poems and building them in sand, with clay, magnets and so much more.