Take a Look

Here's a little peek into my classroom. :)

The dramatic play area, with our seasons tree "growing" in the corner.

Math and Building area

School bus bulletin board. The kids did self portraits last week, and now they are "looking" out the windows. 

Whole group area. I LOVE my rug. 

I loved this self portrait. Kindergarten art is the best! 

I started teaching last Wednesday, and this week is my first full week of teaching. So far, I'm having a great time. Stories coming soon!

Book Love: First Day Jitters

*Back to School Book Love*

Title: First Day Jitters

Author: Julie Danneberg

Illustrator: Judy Love

Why I Love this Book: My site teacher gave this book to me last year at the end of my student teaching for 2 reasons. Mainly because it is a story about how even teachers get the jitters on the first day of school. But the character in this story is a teacher named Sarah (yes, spelled with an h--so not exactly like me, but close enough). I enjoyed reading this book to myself as I was preparing for my first first day of school as a teacher. I did feel a little bit jittery, but I was also really excited. :) This book is a great way to talk about some of the different emotions both teachers and students feel at the beginning of the school year. 

Book Love: David Goes to School

School is starting this week, and I want to share some of the back-to-school books that I love and will be using in my classroom! Here's the first in a back-to-school series of Book Love posts.

Title: David Goes to School

Author: David Shannon

Why I Love This Book: If you are familiar with the David books that this author produces, you know that they are simple, funny, and true to life. I think this book is a fun way to talk about rules and procedures in the classroom. I think it's especially great for Kindergarten kids because they are new to Elementary school, and for some of them, new to the structure and routines that come with being a part of a class. From a teacher's perspective, I think we all encounter kids like David who might need a little bit more help to learn how to be a student. We have the opportunity to help teach them those essential skills that will allow them to be successful throughout their education. For me, this book is a humorous reminder to be patient with those students who seem like a terror, but really just need our support and guidance. 

Children Learn What They Live

A poem, by Dorothy Law Nolte

If a child lives with criticism,
      he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
      he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear,
      he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity,
     he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child lives with ridicule,
     he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy,
      he learns what envy is.
If a child lives with shame,
      he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with encouragement,
     he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with tolerance,
     he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with praise,
     he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with acceptance,
     he learns to love.
If a child lives with approval,
     he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with recognition,
     he learns that it is good to have a goal.
If a child lives with sharing,
     he learns about generosity.
If a child lives with honesty and fairness,
     he learns what truth and justice are.
If a child lives with security,
     he learns to have faith in himself and in those around him.
If a child lives with friendliness,
     he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.
If you live in serenity,
    your child will live with peace of mind.
                         With what is your child living?

Book Love: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Authors: Don and Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood

Why I Love This Book: I was camping this weekend in "bear country," and for some reason thought of this book. It's a simple, interactive story that promotes ideas of problem solving and sharing as the little mouse needs to find a way to keep his red, ripe strawberry safe from the big hungry bear. The illustrations are fun and engaging, as is usually characteristic of this author and illustrator duo. It is a great read aloud for all different levels of early readers, including toddlers and preschool aged children, because of its interactive nature. 

Book Love: I Can Be Anything!

Title: I Can Be Anything!

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Illustratior: Jimmy Liao

Why I Love This Book: This was another find as I was browsing in a book store one day. This is just a fun and happy book that celebrates imagination and believing in yourself- whether you want to be a "paper- plane folder" or a "puppy-dog holder." Many "when I grow up" stories focus on jobs and careers, which is an important thing to learn about, but I love that this book explores the idea that there are many other things that we can do and be in life, besides our jobs. I love that it places value on all of life's possibilities. Honestly, I think this is a book that younger kids, older kids, and kids-at-heart can all enjoy and learn from. 

Blue Soap

I was going through some old school papers the other day, and found one where I related this story about blue soap. It was a great reminder about the power of allowing kids to make their own learning discoveries.

A preschool student had been painting using blue paint. I observed her as she went over to the sink to wash her hands. The soap in the dispenser came out as white foam, and as she began to rub her hands together with it, it began to turn blue. I watched as she suddenly became interested in the blue soap, and then also noticed how the water running down also began to turn blue. She said:

"It's all blue. I can even make blue soap. It changes the soap!" 

Her apparent excitement was the direct result of a discovery about the world that she made all on her own. It is my belief that this kind of learning is much more meaningful and engaging to a child than if I had stood up in front of the class and turned the soap blue. She didn't need me to do that to learn what she learned-- I didn't even have to say anything to her as she stood at the sink. She was able to learn from her own experience. 

Sometimes I think that teachers get so stressed out about everything we need to teach that we feel the need to control every aspect of the learning environment. We are so worried that students learn the material that we miss out on moments like this one because we jump in and do all of the talking or even the interacting with materials. There is a time for direct instruction, but there is so much more that children can learn from doing it themselves.