Category Archives: My 5 Senses
September’s Limbo!
Okay, so we really haven’t been doing the limbo in my class room in September, but it sure feels like it to me! I was able to teach my kids for the first 2 1/2 weeks of school, and ever since then, my student teacher has been teaching full time, so I feel like I’m in limbo!! She’s all done teaching next week and then I’ll ease my way back in, although, one could get used to just observing…you hear the most interesting things that way!
I thought I’d better get my blog updated and after some urging from a few friends of mine (Hi Ellen and Vicky!!), I knew that I REALLY needed to!! So here’s what we’ve been up to so far during September (what I can remember anyway! 🙂 )
Last week was all about Apples. My student teacher read the Big Book called Apples (it’s from Scholastic and has a book about pumpkins on the back side of it, so it’s really 2 books in one!). The children learned a song all about the life cycle of the apple tree (she got the song from the September Scholastic News) and then they cut out some pictures to help sequence it on paper. She also used another Big Book called “The Apple Pie Tree” and the children learned about what the apple tree looks like in various seasons. The children brought in apples and participated in several activities with them. On Wednesday, they each were given an apple and asked to observe it. They then put them back into a large group and tried to pick out their apple from that group. Friday, they had a tasting party, and had to decide which apple food was their favorite: apple juice, apple, cider, applesauce, apples. They then graphed their results.
This week, they are doing something with The 5 senses.
It’s so different updating for you when I am not the one teaching it! 🙂 I am aware of what is going on, being taught, and all that, but it’s different describing someone else’s teaching to you…especially since it’s not mine! 🙂 It’s very interesting watching a different style than I am used to…not as much Inquiry as I am accustomed to, and math in a different order, and no writer’s workshop yet. I need to teach something to someone before I go crazy!! I finally am teaching some in small groups during our Decodable book time and during math, but I’m also getting caught up on some things, and ahead on others. I’m going to try to post my October lesson plans for you soon…my to-do list is dwindling down to nothing, so that will give me something to do.
If anyone has any questions, requests, etc. now is the time to get them in…before I get busy again!
Not much of an update for you…but I promise to get going again here soon!
P.S. We’re on Magic Tree House Book #3 for those of you keeping track at home! 🙂 Oh, and we also started Name Work Station and Word Work Station today as well.
Kristen 🙂
5 Senses/Nutrition and Dental Health
We have been talking this week about 5 Senses/Nutrition and Dental Health–nothing like waiting until the last week of the month to squeeze it all in! 🙂
Monday, we started by reading My 5 Senses by Aliki (Big Book) and talked about how our senses help us in everyday life. We also made a new Predictable Chart titled, “I can…” and the children finished the sentence with a sense that they can use. In the afternoon, we took a “Hearing Walk” around the inside of our building and just listened to things. We came back to the classroom and listed all the new sounds we heard in our school. We also tried to complete a 6×6 Sudoku puzzle of our own and I had to help with about 1/2 of the puzzle and then they could finish the rest themselves.
Tuesday, We read another book about using our senses and finished up our Predictable Chart. We also had tasting day. I had three things for the children to taste–these are things that are easy to get! I got them from restaurants! 🙂 I had them taste soy sauce, taco sauce, and honey. I put a little bit in each paper cup and then had the children taste it. We then made a chart telling how it tasted (salty, sweet, or other):
We also talked about how to care for our teeth. I show the children every year how to best brush their teeth by using a dry erase board. I draw some teeth covered in plaque:
And then I take a tooth brush and brush it gently away. I usually use a yellow marker to show plaque, but I couldn’t find it! So we went with a black marker:
Wednesday, we talked about the Food Pyramid. I made cards for each of the food groups and put them on the floor inside my Venn-Diagram circles:
The children sorted our play food into the groups and then we talked about what a serving size of each would look like. I got these placemats and work booklets from Teacher’s Treasures early this year when I was there and they were great for today’s lesson.
Monday, I also added a new pocket chart poem to Pocket Chart Station:
Kristen 🙂
Kristen's Kindergarten 