Classroom Winter Wonderland!

This time of year is so much fun...who doesn't love snow! We are putting some seasonal spirit in our classroom....there are now lights hanging by the window, and today we made some really amazing snowflakes! These aren't your average paper snowflakes; they're very decorative! Many of the students left saying they wanted to make some at home, but they are a bit complicated. Here are the directions step-by-step in case your student needs a "refresher"!

1) Gather 6 pieces of regular printer paper, or construction paper. Cut them into same-size squares (Ours are 8.5x8.5). Fold corner to corner, twice, so that you end up with a triangle as shown (if you unfolded it, there would be 4 small triangle folds).

2) Draw lines that start at the side of the triangle that only has one fold (the side with just one crease that cannot open). Make your lines parallel to the longest side of the triangle, and leave 1/2 inch at the top. Cut on the lines, making sure you do not cut about 1/2 inch from the edge of the opposite sides.

3) After you finished cutting the 4 lines, open it up gently. There will be triangular cuts. start from the inside, matching the triangle points from each side and taping them. Flip the paper over, and choose the next two most inside triangles, and tape the ends together. Flip again. Repeat until your paper looks like the picture above.

4) When you have made 6 of the snowflake pieces, attach them by holding an edge of each together, and staple them. Then, staple the middles of the flakes together helping it keep its shape.

ENJOY THE WINTER DECORATIONS! 

Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes

An easy and fun coin counting game we have learned in our classroom today is how to add pennies, nickels, and dimes. You will need a variety of coins, and two dice. Here are the rules:

1) Mix all of the coins together in a pile
2) Roll the two dice, and add up all of the "dots"
3) However many dots there are, that's how many coins you pick (pick randomly)
4) Line up the coins from greatest value to least value
5) Count the coins from greatest value to least value

Have fun playing! You can also do this with a spinner from any board game to determine how many coins you will choose!

Your Hearts are Growing, Mr. Grinch!

We are getting more and more hearts on you, Mr. Grinch! We continue to do kind things for each other, and each time a person is caught being kind (on their own, without even being asked!) we will keep adding hearts! We have 3 more weeks to fill you up, then celebrate with a Grinch Party! Way to go, Crew Members!

"Sign" Me Up!

We have started to use Sign Language in our classroom! Let's face it...first graders need to get their wiggles out sometimes! Using sign language allows them to move while we are singing songs, walking down the hallway, or while they are trying to ask me questions. 

There are a few signs that we use regularly in our room. If you ask your child how to say "bathroom", "thirsty", "more", "please", "stop", "yes", "no", "wait", or "sit", they should be able to show you most or all of them. These really come in handy, especially when I am talking to the whole group, but need to communicate something briefly with a student who has an immediate need. For example, if I am teaching the whole group a lesson, but every 5 minutes a student has to use the bathroom, I would have to take 30 seconds of instruction time to let them ask the question and answer them. Trust me, the 30 second intervals will add up when you have 28 six and seven year olds! When using sign language, they can silently show me the sign for "bathroom" and I can sign to them "yes" or "wait" without stopping the lesson at all. 

They have really enjoyed learning our transition songs too! So far, we know the Silly Pizza Song, and The More We Get Together. They might be able to perform these for your families by now! 

The following video is a great resource to use with all children, even little ones who aren't speaking yet. Try some of these signs at home! 

Books, Books, and More Books!

Our class collected $118 for our classroom book fair! WOW! Here are the new books we have purchased to enjoy in class; there are books to grab everyone's interest! The students were all VERY excited to see these, and we are working on reading through all of them during story-time so that students who cannot read the words yet can either read the pictures, or re-tell the story. THANK YOU FAMILIES!

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch!

Dear Mr. Grinch,
You have a heart that's two sizes too small! We've decided to help you solve your problem! You have no hearts in our class right now, but in the next 5 weeks we plan on filling you up with hearts of kindness! Whenever I catch an act of kindness in our class, that student writes their name on a tiny heart and tapes it somewhere on your body. If you are filled with hearts of kindness by the middle of December, our class will have a party in your honor! We will watch The Grinch movie, have Grinch snacks, and be able to sing WhoVille songs! We hope you are filled up soon!

TumbleBooks!

Mason is now part of the TumbleBooks Library! You can access the website by clicking HERE, entering our username (remc13) and password (which can be found on the flyer that was sent home, or email me for the password), then you can explore the website! You will find storybooks, games, learning language resources, and read-alongs. The students have been practicing using this resource in class and in computer lab, and absolutely love it! It's an educational way to spend computer time!

Halloween!

What a fun Halloween we had in our classroom! Thank you SO much to ALL of the parents who came to join us, and for all of the help you provided! All of the students had a great day, and were so excited to share their costumes with each other. Here is a picture of our special Skeleton Bones activity we did in the afternoon....Q-tips are great arts & crafts supplies!