Magformers for my Classroom!

I have a Donors Choose Project I am trying to get funded. I am trying to get Magformers for my Kindergarten classroom. These are magnetic shapes that can be made into just about anything. Take a look:

Magnetic Science in Kindergarten

Aren't they awesome?

 

Swans, Frogs and Snails!

We have been studying the pond for about two weeks now. We have covered ducks, snails, swans, frogs, fish, and are doing turtle next week.  I have included some of our activities we did.

Swans

This was a fun part of the pond unit because, not only did we learn about swans, but we compared three versions of The Ugly Duckling. The first version was the original story, the second was a story we had in our spelling series and the third was the Disney movie in which the duckling does not grow up.The kids did a really good job of explaining the differences and similarities between the stories.

 After we did our literature portion, we did our swan page in our Pond Journal and then made these EASY paper swans.

 They liked making them into hearts!!

 Frogs

 Frogs are, obviously, a main part of our pond week. We watched this awesome video and the kids got to listen to the sounds of frogs. There were surprised that some do not RIBBIT. Some even scream!

 We did the life cycle of a frog on a hat. Grab it here.

 After our frog hat we made a paper plate frog with a party blower tongue. Major hit with the 5-year-old scene. He isn't the cutest frog on earth, but he is a lot of fun! Grab the template here.

 

 Snails

 What kid doesn't love snails? We had fun painting these little guys. I drew with a white crayon on the paper plate and they watercolored it. When the swirl appeared they thought it was magic. We cut out his body and added some eyes. He is probably the cutest snail ever. Grab the template here.

Kindergarten Counting

I have FINALLY finished my Counting Sets pack. I think it has been about 4 months in the making, due to the craziness of my schedule. But, it's done and I am excited to share it.

 Cut and Paste Number Order

Have your students cut apart the numbers and glue them in order on a separate piece of paper.

 Count and Cirle

 (You count......and circle)

 Count and Write

(You count......and, you get it.)

 Base Ten Cut and Paste

I am excited about this page. Not only do students get handwriting practice, but they will be practicing base ten on a weekly basis. 

 Ten Frames

Count the dots and write, or draw the dots.

(Keeps those little minds busy.)

 Number Posters

I usually add one poster a week. I am a very visual person and too much visual is distracting for me. However, teachers I work with put them all up at once as a reference. Your choice!

Just a little added bonus, for those of you who do not already have number play-doh mats. Kinders LOVE play-doh and this is a fun way to work on ten frames and number association. You can also put them in sheet protectors for dry erase fun. 

Kindergarten Counting is a system I have been using for years and it really builds on previous number knowledge throughout the year. It is all Common Core aligned and give students a firm understanding of number sense when combined with Rote Counting. 

I hope you enjoy!

New (well, newer) Beginning of the Year Assessment

Hi Guys,

So I have been noticing a lot of people pinning my Kindergarten Diagnostic Test that I use at the beginning of the school year. And then I remembered that I never uploaded the new test! The only difference is that I added a hexagon. (I know, big deal, right?) But, I thought I would upload the new one anyway.

So, here is the new one with that ever important hexagon. See my Assessment label for how I test letters and sounds at the beginning of the year to go along with this assessment.

I have to say, though, I have used ESGI this year as an assessment tool and it is amazing! If you ever have the opportunity to get it or ever demo it, you should. It keeps my testing organized, lets me inform parents of results and even prints flashcards. I was lucky enough to have my district buy it for my Kindergarten team. I highly recommend it.

Ducks!

We started our Pond Unit yesterday! It is always my final unit of the year. Yesterday and today we learned all about DUCKS!

Kids love ducks. They love to quack! We sang this rhyme for a LONG time after we made our duck craft and if I hadn't stopped it we would probably still be singing it.

We made a duck craft (that is ADORABLE), learned the life cycle of a duck, what a duck eats, where it lives, what makes it special and we wrote something we learned in our My Science Pond Journal. Check it out below.

Duck Craft

 Isn't he cute? Simple too. Have kids paint a paper plate brown. Fold in half and staple. I cut a slit in one side to insert the head. Add the head, bill, feet, eye and feathers! Temple is below and it's FREE!

 Our little flock from one of my groups.

 I ran them off on colored cardstock. My kids don't like coloring much! (Crazies!)

Free Template!

My Science Pond Journal

We use a science journal for most of our units. This month it is Pond so we are using My Science Pond Journal.Check out the Journal in my TpT store.

 Cover

 Writing about ducks.

We are working on facts and not opinions.

Drawing about ducks

Ducks are definitely something I use to engage students in the pond unit. They love them and it sets them up for the whole month. Tomorrow we will talk about what a habitat is design a pond of our own.