Numeral Writing 1-5...

We have been working on learning to write numerals. We practiced writing numerals in the air, on our hands, and on the backs of our friends. That was funny! We also practiced writing numerals on whiteboards. We have a fun game we play called "Numeral Dice Toss". We are getting quite good at these numerals.

Fun With Buttons & Corduroy...

We've spent several days working with buttons. Yes, buttons! We've sorted them, counted them and even made a little book about them. We listened to a story called Corduroy, by Don Freeman. We also watched a video based on the book. We compared the book with the video version. We all agreed both were excellent. Some things we liked about the video include, Corduroy riding on a train, when Lisa came back to the store to get Corduroy, and how she decided to name him.

We finished up our Button Books and took them home to add to our reading libraries.

Maybe you can get some paper and crayons and make your own book about buttons!

You can see a sample of our little book here:

Our Kindergarten Safety Adventure...

Last week we had a special chance to learn about keeping safe at home. A big trailer came to our school filled will all sorts of reminders of how to keep safe. The trailer was sponsored by the Home Safety Council and Lowes. We had fun learning about common household safety hazards and what to do should we find them in our own homes. Rover was the mascot that helped us learn about safety. He has a web site where we can go to experience more safety adventures. Visit Rover at Code Red Rover. Check your home for safety hazards too, be sure to point out hazards to a grown-up.

McDonald's Night...

We had our first No-Cook night of the '08-'09 school year at McDonald's on Tuesday night. The weather was perfect for kids to enjoy the playground area. Thanks to all the families and staff who came out to support our fund-raising efforts. As always, I brought my camera along to capture as many smiling faces as possible!

Learning Letters and Sounds...

In class we are learning the letters and sounds. We are learning a song that helps us too. We have all kinds of books that teach letters and sounds. We have puzzles and games to teach us too. We are also looking for more websites to help us.
We already visit the Alphabet Antics wiki, Inkless Tales, Star Fall and our own ABC Page.
This video makes use of environmental print to help with letter recognition. Enjoy:

Check back later for more alphabet fun!

Back-to-School Picnic...

We had our first family gathering at school on Wednesday. The P.T.O. planned an evening for families to come to school and have dinner, picnic style. Unfortunately, the threat of rain forced us into the gym. But that didn't stop folks from having a good time. Even our new superintendent, Dr. Torres, stopped in for a visit. We look forward to many other family events this school year.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Starting New...

Today was the first day of the '08-'09 school year. It was an exciting day! We're off to a great start! We learned where to deliver the attendance sheet and took a nice tour of the school. We got to see where the music room, computer lab, library, art room and gym are. We worked on our Bubble Gum books and had time to play as well. We're still waiting on all the permission notes before we post any pictures of our new class. We'll tell you that we have a lot more girls than boys this year. (Last year it was way more boys than girls.) We're going to have so much fun learning all sorts of interesting and fun things this year. We can't wait to share what we do!

First day flowers courtesy of Floraltique

20,000 Visitors...

Wow! We started our Kindergarten Blog a little less than a year ago and we have had 20,000 visitors locally and from all over the world. It's almost hard to believe that anyone, outside of our classroom, would be interested in what we do in class. 

Thanks to the many folks who have visited and continue to return to see what is going on with us. Thanks to the parents who have allowed their children to visit and explore our blog on a regular basis. Thanks also to the parents of my students for your trust and allowing me to share your child with the world. Thanks to the many other students across the globe that have visited as well. Thanks to instructors/professors who use our blog as a model for how to blog with young learners and the potential that lies within using Web 2.0 tools with such young students. Thanks to our "Blog Buddies" in New Zealand as well as other classrooms we have come to know through the wonders of blogging. The Kindergarten Tales blog audience has far exceeded anything I could have every imagined in such a short time! I am practically at a loss for words!

In a little over a week, we'll be starting a new school year with two new sets of Kindergartners. Only a few of them know of the blog; but if things go like they did our first year... the students will quickly become excited and involved! I am very excited to see where we will go with it this year as well.

We certainly hope you will continue to check in on us as we share our learning with the world. We look forward to reading your comments and giving you insights to what we do in Kindergarten.

Thanks again!

National Geographic Kids....

Today I came upon a web site that has lots of interesting videos and other fun stuff. It's National Geographic Kids. One of the videos I watched was on swarms of locusts that used to be in America and suddenly disappeared. Check out the video "Lots of Locusts" to learn why! Personally, I am not a big fan of bugs, but I found this bug page to have some fascinating photos of bugs.
Another interesting spot on their website offers Green Tips. Remember this past school year we made a list of things we can do to "Go Green". I have really cut down on the number of plastic/paper shopping bags I get when I am out and about. Hopefully you have too! Several stores now sell re-usable shopping bags like the ones we got from Jewel, one of our local grocery stores. I continue to replace my regular light bulbs with CFL bulbs, like the ones donated from Home Depot. We have to keep in mind that even a small step toward being green is still a positive step. Back to National Geographic Kids...they have a craft section where they show you how to make your own Re-Usable Grocery Bag. Maybe you can give it a try.
Go to the site and see what other fun things are waiting for you at National Geographic Kids! Maybe you can leave a comment to share your favorite parts of the site too.

Another Counting Book...

I love sharing books with you! Nothing beats curling up in a comfy spot and reading a good book, but books online can be fun too. I like the fact that some books can be shared online. There is a site called Big Universe that shares books online with you. If you really like the book, you can choose to buy it for your own library. If you want to share the book, you can also email a link to your friend. If you find a book you think I might like, send me the link in email or include it in a comment below. I would love to see what you like to read.

At Big Universe, I came across another online book that encourages you to use your math skills by counting things you may see in the city or wherever you live! You'll need to click on the link, I am not able to place the book directly on the page.

This book is called: Counting in the City. Another interesting book at this site is called: Counting at the Zoo.

 Again, think of ways you can use your counting skills when you are out and about town. Maybe you can find things that you can count by 2's, 3's, 5's or 10's.