October Students of the Month

Congratulations to our October Students of the Month!

Keep up the good work, kids!

Winter Has Arrived!

We had our first snowy day last week when kids needed all their winter gear. What a project, getting 20 kids ready for outdoor play. And you think your entryway is a mess? Come check out the hallway when everyone is getting ready! I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of the process. It only took about 5 minutes to get eveyone outside, and that time will decrease as eveyone gets better at new zippers, snaps, boot ties, etc.

A one-piece snowsuit is great, but tricky to get into!

Boots are required to play on the hillside.

New snow pants!

Cozy jacket!

New boots!

So much stuff!

Scarves are a great idea for keeping out the chilly wind.

Zippers can be tough.

Pink boots - will they still look that clean in March??

Finally, ready to go!

Don't forget hats and mittens!

Cool gloves!

The pictures say it all!

Please be sure label ALL outerwear, especially snow pants and boots, since many of the children have similar styles. Last year, one mom tied a piece of yarn to the buckle on her son's snow pants, and he never had trouble finding his! The lost and found gets pretty full as the winter progresses, so if your child is missing something, be sure to check there!

First Snow!

It snowed last night! The kids all came in very excited this morning, and most of them thought there would still be snow at playtime. We took a tally of their predictions, and the totals were 17 for snow, and 3 for no snow. The 3 were right. It was all gone by 11:00. However, more will be coming soon. Please be sure children are dressed for outdoor play, as they will be going outside every day (unless the temperature/wind chill is below 0). Children will need hats, warm jackets, mittens/gloves, snow pants, and boots.

Get ready!!

It's been an extremely busy week, and no time to take any pictures (that doesn't mean we haven't done anything)! Please look for your child's report card today, and also read the letter attached to the Peek at the Week about our upcoming Diorama Day!

Have a great weekend!

Halloween

We had a great day on Halloween! We started the day by getting into costumes and showing off for everyone in the class. Then we began our 1/2 hour pumpkin activity sessions by working on pumpkin math and reading with Mrs. Bracken. We estimated the weight and circumference of a giant pumpkin, and then read a mini-book about costumes and added a picture of ourselves on the last page. Then we headed to Mrs. Dahl's class to play some pumpkin games. After that, we went to Mrs. Winchell's room to hear a pumpkin story and play pumpkin bingo. Our last session was in Mrs. LaPan's room where we learned about bats and made a bat hat. We ended the morning with a parade in our Commons with all of the first graders as we sang "Five Little Pumpkins." It was really fun to go to all of the classrooms for a special activity!

Here we all are in our costumes.

Don't we look great?


No one was too scary.


It's fun to pretend to be someone (or something) else!
We got back in our regular clothes before playtime, and then worked on Red Ribbon Day activities in the afternoon (drug awareness), and also designed and carved a pumpkin .
Thanks to Levi for the great sticker books, and to Sam for an afternoon snack!

I invited everyone to come to my house for Trick or Treats, and quite a few kids showed up. I took a picture by our class pumpkin of everyone who came. It was fun to see all of you, and your brothers, sisters, and friends!

Thanks, kids, for being on your best behavior on a very busy day - you were awesome!

The Gruffalo

Excitement was in the air as the kids came in on Thursday morning, and it wasn't for Halloween! We were all set to go on our first field trip to see "The Gruffalo" at the Sheldon Theater in Red Wing! We loaded the buses and headed out by 8:45 for a 9:30 show.

"Are we there yet?"

"When are we going to be there?"

"How much farther?"

"How many more minutes?"

Finally, we made it and found our seats in the theater. We read the book "The Gruffalo" several times during the week, and we were so anxious to see how the actors would tell the story. What would the mouse look like? How would they show a snake? What would the Gruffalo look like? We knew lots of details, but now we had to wait again to see the real thing. Here's what we learned ahead of time about the Gruffalo:

He has tusks, terrible claws, terrible jaws, and terrible teeth!

He has purple prickles on his back.

He has a poisonous green wart on the side of his nose.

He has turned-out toes.

He has orange eyes.

He is big and hairy, but he is not scary!

Unfortunately, I could not take pictures during the play, so I can't show you what the Gruffalo really looked like - just use your imagination! The play was fantastic, and it was so much fun to see how the actors portrayed the characters in the book. When we got back to school, we talked about the play and drew pictures of the characters. Ask your child abour his/her favorite.

Thanks to Grant's mom for coming along and keeping track of kids at the end of the line!

When can we go again?

September Students of the Month

Each month, several students are chosen as Students of the Month. Mr. Koven comes to the room and presents awards to the special kids, and congratulates them on their achievements. Elizabeth and Sanskar were chosen for September for their great adjustment to a new school, and their willingness to make lots of new friends.

Good job, kids - we're so glad you're in our class!

(Nice tie, Mr. K - M&M's - my favorite!)

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

It's that time of year again when the bugs are coming inside to warm up, at least they are at my house! Fortunately, the only bugs at school are of the paper variety, except for a stray box elder bug here and there. Our Language Arts story this week was a make believe story called "A Surprise for Zig Bug." The bugs in this story live in a hut, and they can swim, talk, play tug of war, and drink lemonade. We read about real bugs, too, and then we made our own. Don't they look great decorating the wall by the Bug Center?

At the Center, we can learn more facts about bugs by reading books, using a flip book, doing a puzzle, and making bug rubbings.

We learned that bugs have 6 legs.

They also have 3 body parts: a head, thorax, and abdomen.

Some bugs have wings, and some don't.

Most bugs also have antennae.

Bugs have spots, stripes, and crazy colors.

Some bugs also have feeding tubes.

Some bugs even have stingers!

We worked so hard!

Looks good, but it needs a few more legs!

This bug has big wings!

We also learned that some bugs feel with their antennae and hear with their legs.

Almost done.

Our bugs were fun to make!