Welcome, 2010/2011 First Graders

Hello, new students! I hope you had a wonderful summer and are all ready to begin an exciting school year in a brand new classroom! We will learn lots of new things this year, and have a lot of fun while we're at it. I will be posting pictures and comments to this blog about once a week, so check in often! The first day of school will be here soon, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Look for me on Tuesday!

End of the Year

This will be my last post of the school year. I want to thank all of you parents for your support and help during the last nine months, and also thanks to all my fantastic students for your hard work and positive attitudes! We've had a great year, with tons of learning going on, and it's been so much fun to watch your progress, particularly in reading. You guys are AWESOME!!

Every year, I take my kids on a walk to my house for a snack, and then to Eastside Park for some playtime. We chose a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine and blue sky. My neighbors love this tradition and look forward every spring to seeing my class walk up the hill.

We set off to my house at about 9:00 am.

While I went inside to get treats, the kids played a rousing game of Duck-Duck-Gray-Duck in my front yard.

Run!!

Popsicle time!

Hmmmmm, good!

Very tasty...

And no drips to wipe up from the desks!

After finishing up and wiping sticky fingers, I let the kids peek in my front door, and then we walked through the backyard and off to the park.

All of the first grade classes were at the park when we arrived, so the kids had lots of fun playing with all of their buddies. The equipment was very busy, and building sand castles was popular, too. Kind of dirty, but very fun!

These boys were having a great time burying Carson in sand.

First, his feet...

and then all the way up to his neck!

Still smiling. 

Time to stand up...

and brush off.

The park was a very busy place with over 80 kids there, but

the kids had a great time, and everyone hated to leave.

My last message to all of you is one I've said many times this year: "The more you read, the better you read!" So... read lots this summer, and stop by my room in the fall and show me how much you've grown over the summer!

Thanks again for a fantastic year!

The Little Red Hen - Performance!!

After lots pf practice during the last few weeks,the kids did a GREAT job on our play on Thursday, and we had a wonderful audience of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, and friends.

"Welcome to our play, "The Little Red Hen!"

"We are the Cows."

"We are the Sheep."

"We are the Pigs."

"We are the Rabbits."

"Let us set the scene for you

By the pond there stands a mill,

And down the road a barnyard,

Where things are quiet and still.

The dog, the cat, and the duck
Are having a lovely day.

Now all three have stopped to listen -

Red Hen has something to say!"

"Look! I have found a grain of wheat.

Just think of what I could do.

I'll dig a hole and plant it.

I just need some help from you!"

"Sorry, but I can't help you.
Why don't you go ask the cat?
I need to chase my stick now,
So out of my way.  Please scat!"

"MEOW!

I'm over-due for my cat nap.

Why don't you go ask the duck?
I need my 9 a.m. rest,
I say no, but I still wish you luck."
.

 "Help you dig a hole, you ask?

This time I'll have to say no.
I'm ready for a nice swim,
So off to the mill pond I go."

"They all refused to help,
They all refused to help.
She did it by herself.
She did it with no help."

"Now it's time to take the grain to the mill. 
Just think of what they will do.

They'll grind it into flour.
Who will help me carry it. Will you?

"Suddenly, the dog stopped chasing,
the cat rubbed her sleepy eyes,
the duck waddled up from the pond.
They all smelled a great surprise!"

"Oh, how I love homemade bread.""
"I'm tired from resting all day!"
"I want a piece from the end!"

"Wait! I have something to say!
You didn't help me plant the wheat,
Cut or carry the grain.
I did it all by myself.
And now you expect to eat?
I plan to eat this bread myself.
Next time maybe you'll learn
The things we want,
We have to work for and earn."

"They all refused to help,
They all refused to help,
She ate it by herself,
She ate it with no help!"


We then invited all of our guests to return to the classroom for some treats - breadsticks, of course!
Good job, kids! You were awesome! And thanks to all of you who came - you were a great audience.

"Little Red Hen" in Rehearsal

We will be presenting our class play, "The Little Red Hen," on Thursday, May 27th, at 2:00 pm in the Library Commons! The kids have been practicing very hard and they're READY for a live audience!

The Cows: Will, Nora, Dillen, and Lexie

The Sheep: Lewis, Ruby, Gavin, Ally, and Lukas

The Pigs: Adam, Elaina, Carter, Mallory, and Ethan

The Rabbits: Rebecca, Bruno, Jenna, and Cole

The Duck: Gavin

The Cat: Sierrah

The Dog: Carson

The Little Red Hen: Maggie

Please join us on Thursday!

April Students of the Month

Congratulations to our April Students of the Month!

Ruby, Carson, and Rebecca always try to do their best!

Keep it up, kids!

Class Trip to The Children's Museum

We went on our First Grade Class Trip to the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul on Thursday, May 13th. We were supposed to go to Como Park as well, but since the weather was rainy and cold (48 degrees - brrrrr!) we skipped the zoo and headed back to CF after lunch. Fortunately, all of the morning activities, including lunch, were inside so we stayed warm and dry.

Could those smiles be any bigger? Jenna, Mallory, and Maggie were so excited!

Are we there yet?

Finally, we made it. We listened to instructions in the Big Room at the museum. There were only three main rules - stay with your helper, walk, and have fun!
Each child was assigned to a group of 3 kids and an adult, so the groups were free to explore the galleries on their own. This works great, but it was hard for me to get pictures of everyone in the class since I had my own group to watch. Once we split up at the museum, I didn't see some of the kids until we ate lunch! Our volunteers were fantastic, and everyone had a really good time. Creative play is encouraged in every gallery, and the following pictures show just a few of the many activities available.

The grocery store is a popular spot. Kids LOVE to pretend!

The restaurant is also a fun. What's for lunch?

What will we be when we grow up?

We just finished a unit on Careers, so the uniforms were especially fun.

The play house is great, too!

Future x-ray techs?

Any broken bones?

Dr. Elaina was checking for Rebecca's heartbeat.

The baby was next for a check-up.

Waterworks is so much fun! Look at that bubble!

Boat races. Ready, get set....

Go!

Our class t-shirts sure help to keep track of everyone!

There's a traveling dinosaur gallery that was awesome!

The ant hill gallery is always everyone's favorite.

At 11:15, we were called back to the Big Room, where we ate our lunches.

The room was really crowded, but at least it was dry!

The kids were really disappointed about not going to the zoo, but the teachers and chaperones, not so much. We got back to school at about 12:30, just in time for a little Math and our afternoon special classes.

Thanks to all of our chaperones! The kids were really good, and I think everyone had a great time, even though it had to be shortened. Of course, Friday was sunny and clear, but
when reservations are made 8 months ahead of time, there are no guarantees on the weather!