Monthly Archives: August 2012
Sound System
When we got our new Promethean Boards, we also got a surround sound system installed, so the sound fills every corner of the room, meaning all students can hear the same thing!
We also got a voice amplifier (which I’m not sure how I ever taught without!) and now when I wear it, my voice is amplified through the speakers. It could be a microphone, but I’ve been told that if you hear yourself through the speakers when you are talking, you have the volume up too loud.
It’s been great this week since I have a cold, I don’t have to talk as loudly when talking with the kids. I love wearing it when reading a story. 🙂
Here is another way I’ve been using it:
(Amplifier on left, iPhone on right)
I’ve been hooking my iPhone into the amplifier with a double ended headphone cord. The music I play on my iPhone is then sent out through the speakers. What Kindergarten teacher doesn’t have a little Chicka Chicka Boom Boom music on her iPhone? 🙂
I just put the amplifier around my neck, pick music, the put my iPhone in my pocket. 🙂
Anyone else using a voice amplifier with their Promethean Board?
Brown Bear Game
This Spin a Brown Bear activity came from Donna Glynn (KinderGlynn).
My kiddos loved this game and I promised that we can play again next week!
I made a class set of the spinners so that everyone could play initially, but I think I will put some of them out in a Math Work Station. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Beginning of year Math Work Stations
Here are some pictures of the first 5 Math Work Stations I will be introducing next week:
This is the Button Sorting Center I got from our local Lakeshore store. I put the buttons in a bag (because the box wouldn’t fit in the tub). The children sort the buttons on to the appropriate cards (by shape, color, size). I put the cards that will allow them to sort by shape first. I’ll add the other cards in as we learn about other ways we can sort.
This is another Lakeshore product. This game is the “Shapes” blue math box. The children spin the spinner and place the corresponding shape on their mat.
This game is 1-2-3 Zingo (guess where I got it from…Lakeshore!!) Having one right down the street from school is costly! 🙂 This game will work on number concept.
This numbers puzzle I got at Marshall’s in the toy section. I’ve purchased about 20 different puzzles from them and they are around $2.99-$4.99 each.
Yet another activity from Lakeshore! This is the “Counting” blue math box. The children place the correct number of ants on to each picnic food.
PB Technology
Here is a look at some of the activities we’ve used our Promethean Board for this week:
This is a writing mini-lesson we did on “Things We Can Write About”. This chart came with our new Writer’s Workshop resource.
During this Morning Message, we sequenced the animals in Brown Bear. The kiddos had to drag the animals from the bottom (where the white space is) up to boxes that were numbered 1-9.
In this Morning Message, the kids helped me to list all the animals in Brown Bear. I did all the writing (because it was the 13th day of school!).
This was the morning message where I introduced our first sight words. The children drug the words down into the sentences where we decided they made the most sense. 🙂
Mouse Paint
I’m getting ready to do some work with my K kids on “Mouse Paint”…so what are your great ideas for this book? I’m going to do a big chunk with color mixing, retelling, and sequencing. Does anyone else have some more ideas? Is there a animated version of Mouse Paint? I like my K kids to be able to watch the story to help those who are more auditory/visual.
Also, all of my posts will now be posted right to my Kristen’s Kindergarten Facebook page, so be sure to “like” us so you can quickly catch up on posts. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Swaps
Hi All!
I’ve had lots of e-mails asking if I know where everyone’s swap packages are…I do not have any knowledge as to when they will arrive at individual locations or cities. I was given a date as to when I could expect them to begin arriving, but did not get a window as to when they would all be delivered. Please be patient as they all arrive to their locations. Group 2 was shipped by UPS, however about 7 of the group 1 people participated in both swaps and their packages were delayed in being mailed until I had received all the group 1 swaps.
Group 1 swaps were mailed last Saturday by USPS and many were mailed the slowest, cheapest way possible to stay with in costs (and I had to pay $150 out of my pocket to make up the difference). So I ask you to please be patient–there was no way I could pay to have delivery confirmation put on each package, that would have cost WAAAY to much! 🙂
Please let me know if you have received your package. 🙂 I’m crossing names off my list so I can tell when packages are being delivered where. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Mouse Paint
Hi All!
I’ve just posted some retelling cards on my Teacher’s Pay Teachers store. I’ll be using these cards the week after next to help my kiddos retell “Mouse Paint” and introduce our Pocket Chart Work Station. I also plan to make a set for use on my light table using transparencies. 🙂 This would also be a great set to use with “White Rabbit’s Color Book”
Kristen 🙂
Swap Sharing
Hi All!
I’m ready to share some of the swaps I’ve received over the last month. I’m going to share a few at a time (and the downloads if there are any). I thought I would share most of them as I use them in my classroom–just need some time to unpack them! 🙂
Here are a few to tide you over:
Kari created several extra “Spin a Sight Word” sheets:
Spin a Top Game alphabet docx.
Shelisa created the “Buggy Dice” and workmats and she sent along the templates for the dice so you could make more if you wanted to:
Shelisa also has a store at Teacher’s Pay Teachers…check out her work here. 🙂
Maggie (from maggieskindercorner.blogspot.com) provided this pdf for you to make your own sight word envelopes:
Beth Stovall sent these graphics and words for making your own “Pop corn word” mats:
Temporarily removed while Beth works on a few things. 🙂
Sarah McEwen sent the playdough math workmats:
Here are the directions from Becky Mogee for the Five-Ten Frame paint chips:
And last but not least, here are the swaps from Yvonne:
Roll A Tower
Playdough Spelling Mats
Playdough_mats_spelling_level_1
I’ll post pictures of the rest when I use them in the next few weeks. Also, if you swapped with us and are able to send along pictures or documents like the ones above, I’ll post them! 🙂
Kristen 🙂
I {heart} Pinterest! :)
I’ve decided to try something this year–since we’re still at the beginning of the year! 🙂 I’m going to see how many lessons I can create by getting inspiration from Pinterest. We all use the ideas from there! 🙂 It doesn’t mean that I won’t come up with my own ideas, but with the time crunch we are all in now as teachers, I thought it would be great to not reinvent the wheel too many times! 🙂
I’ve already got a button on my left sidebar so you can check out all the pins I have so far, but I’m going to link a few of my boards here:
Hope you can find some more great ideas! 🙂 Happy Pinning!
Let me know what great ideas you’ve found on Pinterest! 🙂
ALL the swaps are getting mailed out…
in the morning! 🙂 I can’t believe how much bigger my living room and dining room look! I didn’t realize I had this much room! 🙂 I am missing a few addresses, so I e-mailed those people to ask them, but I still need an address for Christy Phillips (please e-mail it to me at fuzzlady77@hotmail.com). 🙂 The boxes are stacked 4 high on my couch and loveseat and I am already imagining the looks from the nice people at the post office in the morning! 🙂
I’ve already decided that for the next swaps, everything MUST fit in one of the large post office mailing envelopes, but no more boxes! 🙂 I think I will also be limiting the number to 10 for each of the swaps because I can’t keep running huge stacks of boxes to the post office. 🙂 I will however, be sure to always share the pictures and downloads on my blog for those who cannot get in to the next swap.
Please let me know if you have received or when you receive your swap box. The last group was sent by UPS and my brother who works for FEDEX swares that UPS looses packages right and left. Many of you from the 2nd group should have received them by now…so just let me know by commenting on this post. 🙂
I’ll get started posting the swaps and pictures soon. Just waiting for some sunny days to get the lighting right. Don’t forget, if you need to e-mail me your swaps, please do that so I can get them posted online.
This has been fun for me–I LOVE getting mail! 🙂 But I’ve also learned a bit about organizing this whole thing and keeping everything straight. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Kristen's Kindergarten 