Sunday, February 4, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Week of January 22-26
Dear families,
This week in Numeracy we learned about the attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes. For the SKs, this was a review. First, the children helped create an attribute chart the four basic 2-D shapes: square, circle, rectangle and triangle. Then they explored and made 2-D and 3-D shapes at 5 different centres. We also talked about how 2-D shapes can turn into 3-D shapes, and cut a spiral from a circle to demonstrate this concept. With our Reading Buddies, the children cut and folded 6 flat pieces of paper and turned them into beautiful 3-D snowflakes. The children also counted and graphed 2-D shapes, and "read" the room by finding as many real world 2-D and 3-D shapes as they could, for example:
Cubes: Bubbles the Beta fish's tank, dice
Spheres: balls, marbles, fish food
Cylinders: markers, marble works tube, pencils, cups
Triangular Prism: Groovy Girls tent
Cone: top of a pencil
Rectangular Prism: tables, books
In Art, the children turned 2-D shapes into a 3-D object, three spheres of snow called a snowman. They did this using two sponges, and it was interesting to observe the children's thought processes and explanations about what they made. The children also made and wrote about a large 3-D scene using 2-D shapes that they had cut, coloured and glued, adding details. They are on display in our classroom. The children learned a poem about 3-D shapes. Finally, we returned to our original attribute chart and the children shared their new learning.
In Dramatic Play, the children having a wonderful time playing in the popular "Starbucks" centre! They are also being introduced to Canadian coins and bills and their values, as well as gift cards. One child asked, "Has this gift card expired?!?"
In DPA, the children did several Cosmic Kids Yoga sessions, including "Cloud Shapes," "Betsy the Banana" and "Minecraft Yoga." Cloud Shapes is an excellent one for teaching relaxation and self-regulation techniques. Try these at home! Unfortunately the gym was being used by the House League groups but the kids were excited to play on the bikes and scooters again now that the sleds and shovels have been put away!
The children also had a visit from a children's author in the Library, and were treated to a magic show by Lucas' sister Mia and her friend Chloe.
The Scholastic Order is due on Monday, and includes Valentines Day and 100th Day of School books. Thank you for supporting Scholastic.
At today's Sharing Assembly, Jackson, Lucas and Yara received certificates for Teamwork. The children sang a song called "Getting Dressed." Well done! In our classroom, the children did dot-to-dot alpha and numeric mittens, then coloured them in to match their real mittens.
In Science, the children watched some interesting videos by astronaut Chris Hadfield about how to brush your teeth, wash your hair, and do other daily activities in outer space.
On February 9, some Toronto Maple Leaf players and the mascot will be visiting LKS! Wear blue and white to support the Leafs!
The ROM will be bringing its portable planetarium again to LKS! More info to follow!
In the Computer Lab, the kids did Bookflix activities with Mrs. Mosun. Bookflix is a free TDSB program that you can access at home.
The 100th Day of School is fast-approaching! Next week and the following week we will be doing a lot of numeracy activities related to the number 100! Please assist your child with bringing in 100 small items (that can fit into a zip-lock bag). They are due by February 9th and will be displayed on the hall bulletin board. I have sent home a hundreds chart to assist your child. When they bring them in, they will get a "100" sticker and will write about what they counted. We will also practise counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
Thank you to Rielle's mom who was our Mystery Reader, Yara's mom who helped with Friday's pizza lunch, and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Mosun who reorganized our room! It loos amazing!!!
That's the news for this week. I hope you have a terrific weekend!
This week in Numeracy we learned about the attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes. For the SKs, this was a review. First, the children helped create an attribute chart the four basic 2-D shapes: square, circle, rectangle and triangle. Then they explored and made 2-D and 3-D shapes at 5 different centres. We also talked about how 2-D shapes can turn into 3-D shapes, and cut a spiral from a circle to demonstrate this concept. With our Reading Buddies, the children cut and folded 6 flat pieces of paper and turned them into beautiful 3-D snowflakes. The children also counted and graphed 2-D shapes, and "read" the room by finding as many real world 2-D and 3-D shapes as they could, for example:
Cubes: Bubbles the Beta fish's tank, dice
Spheres: balls, marbles, fish food
Cylinders: markers, marble works tube, pencils, cups
Triangular Prism: Groovy Girls tent
Cone: top of a pencil
Rectangular Prism: tables, books
In Art, the children turned 2-D shapes into a 3-D object, three spheres of snow called a snowman. They did this using two sponges, and it was interesting to observe the children's thought processes and explanations about what they made. The children also made and wrote about a large 3-D scene using 2-D shapes that they had cut, coloured and glued, adding details. They are on display in our classroom. The children learned a poem about 3-D shapes. Finally, we returned to our original attribute chart and the children shared their new learning.
In Dramatic Play, the children having a wonderful time playing in the popular "Starbucks" centre! They are also being introduced to Canadian coins and bills and their values, as well as gift cards. One child asked, "Has this gift card expired?!?"
In DPA, the children did several Cosmic Kids Yoga sessions, including "Cloud Shapes," "Betsy the Banana" and "Minecraft Yoga." Cloud Shapes is an excellent one for teaching relaxation and self-regulation techniques. Try these at home! Unfortunately the gym was being used by the House League groups but the kids were excited to play on the bikes and scooters again now that the sleds and shovels have been put away!
The children also had a visit from a children's author in the Library, and were treated to a magic show by Lucas' sister Mia and her friend Chloe.
The Scholastic Order is due on Monday, and includes Valentines Day and 100th Day of School books. Thank you for supporting Scholastic.
At today's Sharing Assembly, Jackson, Lucas and Yara received certificates for Teamwork. The children sang a song called "Getting Dressed." Well done! In our classroom, the children did dot-to-dot alpha and numeric mittens, then coloured them in to match their real mittens.
In Science, the children watched some interesting videos by astronaut Chris Hadfield about how to brush your teeth, wash your hair, and do other daily activities in outer space.
On February 9, some Toronto Maple Leaf players and the mascot will be visiting LKS! Wear blue and white to support the Leafs!
The ROM will be bringing its portable planetarium again to LKS! More info to follow!
In the Computer Lab, the kids did Bookflix activities with Mrs. Mosun. Bookflix is a free TDSB program that you can access at home.
The 100th Day of School is fast-approaching! Next week and the following week we will be doing a lot of numeracy activities related to the number 100! Please assist your child with bringing in 100 small items (that can fit into a zip-lock bag). They are due by February 9th and will be displayed on the hall bulletin board. I have sent home a hundreds chart to assist your child. When they bring them in, they will get a "100" sticker and will write about what they counted. We will also practise counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
Thank you to Rielle's mom who was our Mystery Reader, Yara's mom who helped with Friday's pizza lunch, and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Mosun who reorganized our room! It loos amazing!!!
That's the news for this week. I hope you have a terrific weekend!
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Week of January 15-19
Dear families,
I hope you're enjoying the milder weather this weekend!
Last week was a busy one in Room 166! On Monday, Dr. Vivian Wong (Elea's mom) did a wonderful and fun presentation about Germs and How to Stay Healthy that was perfectly geared to the children's level of comprehension. Elea did an awesome job as her mom's "patient" and Dr. Vivian provided all the children with little care packages that were sent home in Friday's mail bags. Thank you so much Dr. Vivian! The kids' inquiry work about Germs went home on Friday too and we "cleaned" up the whole classroom by removing the germ stickers. Mrs. Mosun and I work hard to keep a clean classroom (cleaning the tables with disinfectant, for example) and we want all the kids to have a healthy winter. :)
In Literacy, we are doing a comparison of five winter books, starting with Stella, Queen of the Snow (one of my favourites), The Mitten, The Hat, and then Thomas' Snowsuit. The children are learning about the words "characters, plot, setting, sequence, beginning, middle and end" of the stories. The letter sounds of the week were D and M, and the words were WANT and BY, and IN.
In Numeracy and IT, the children enjoyed playing coding games on the iPads. Our two classroom computers are working well now with headsets. Next week we will be doing an extensive inquiry on 2-D and 3-D Shapes.
In Art/Science, the children drew snowflakes with chalk on black construction paper, using real photographs of snowflakes for inspiration. Mrs. Mosun is also making crystal snowflakes with the children using pipe cleaners and a "magic" mixture of Borax and hot water. The children do not touch the mixture.
Our song of the week was to remind the kids about the order of how to put their winter clothes on. The tune is "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes...":
Snowsuit, boots, coat and hat
Coat and hat, coat and hat.
Snowsuit, boots, coat and hat,
Mittens always last.
The children enjoyed doing Yoga to the theme of "Frozen" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
Another thank you to my former Kindergarten students Tatum and Lola who pair-share read "Deep Snow" to the kids. On every Monday morning during Homeroom, Lola and Carly (another former student) will read with the children one-on-one. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much to Hope's dad who was our Mystery Reader this week!
Next week the Home Centre will turn into Starbucks! The kids will love pretending to serve hot chocolate and other yummy beverages, and serving healthy snacks and treats. They'll also love using the play cash register and play Canadian money. We'll do a big unit on Canadian money in the Spring. Thank you Starbucks for donating cups! Thanks Mrs. Mosun for this awesome idea!
Friday was a busy PA day for teachers since we are writing Report Cards (called Communication of Learning in Kindergarten). All children will receive their reports on February 12.
I hope you have a great Sunday!
I hope you're enjoying the milder weather this weekend!
Last week was a busy one in Room 166! On Monday, Dr. Vivian Wong (Elea's mom) did a wonderful and fun presentation about Germs and How to Stay Healthy that was perfectly geared to the children's level of comprehension. Elea did an awesome job as her mom's "patient" and Dr. Vivian provided all the children with little care packages that were sent home in Friday's mail bags. Thank you so much Dr. Vivian! The kids' inquiry work about Germs went home on Friday too and we "cleaned" up the whole classroom by removing the germ stickers. Mrs. Mosun and I work hard to keep a clean classroom (cleaning the tables with disinfectant, for example) and we want all the kids to have a healthy winter. :)
In Literacy, we are doing a comparison of five winter books, starting with Stella, Queen of the Snow (one of my favourites), The Mitten, The Hat, and then Thomas' Snowsuit. The children are learning about the words "characters, plot, setting, sequence, beginning, middle and end" of the stories. The letter sounds of the week were D and M, and the words were WANT and BY, and IN.
In Numeracy and IT, the children enjoyed playing coding games on the iPads. Our two classroom computers are working well now with headsets. Next week we will be doing an extensive inquiry on 2-D and 3-D Shapes.
In Art/Science, the children drew snowflakes with chalk on black construction paper, using real photographs of snowflakes for inspiration. Mrs. Mosun is also making crystal snowflakes with the children using pipe cleaners and a "magic" mixture of Borax and hot water. The children do not touch the mixture.
Our song of the week was to remind the kids about the order of how to put their winter clothes on. The tune is "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes...":
Snowsuit, boots, coat and hat
Coat and hat, coat and hat.
Snowsuit, boots, coat and hat,
Mittens always last.
The children enjoyed doing Yoga to the theme of "Frozen" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
Another thank you to my former Kindergarten students Tatum and Lola who pair-share read "Deep Snow" to the kids. On every Monday morning during Homeroom, Lola and Carly (another former student) will read with the children one-on-one. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much to Hope's dad who was our Mystery Reader this week!
Next week the Home Centre will turn into Starbucks! The kids will love pretending to serve hot chocolate and other yummy beverages, and serving healthy snacks and treats. They'll also love using the play cash register and play Canadian money. We'll do a big unit on Canadian money in the Spring. Thank you Starbucks for donating cups! Thanks Mrs. Mosun for this awesome idea!
Friday was a busy PA day for teachers since we are writing Report Cards (called Communication of Learning in Kindergarten). All children will receive their reports on February 12.
I hope you have a great Sunday!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Week of January 8-12
Dear families,
Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful holiday in spite of the freezing temperatures! We did a graph about which toys Santa brought and the most was "Hatchimals!" Thank goodness the cold snap is over and the kids can enjoy their time outside.
Last week we started our inquiry on Germs and Healthy Habits. We talk throughout the year about good hand hygiene, but now that winter is here it's a good time for a refresher on keeping germs away. To start things off, I put hand sanitizer and glitter on my hand and shook all the kids' hands to demonstrate how easily germs are spread. We watched a "Sid the Science Kid" called "the Journey of a Germ," read a book with our Reading Buddies about germs, read other books about germs, talked about what germs CAN, HAVE and DO, created a web chart called "Stay Away Germs!," put germ stickers around the classroom, glued pictures of germs on paper hands, sang "If You're Healthy and You Know It" and "Wash Your Hands," and are reading and colouring booklets called "Germs are Ick, They Make Me Sick." We also passed around two pieces of bread (with no preservatives!) and the last child coughed on it. We put it in a baggie beside identical pieces of bread that I put in the bag wearing gloves, and we'll watch what happens as the germs and bacteria grow! We also sequenced the steps involved in proper hand washing, and talked about healthy food versus junk food. Dr. Vivian Wong (Elea's mom) has very kindly offered to talk to the kids about staying healthy. She will come in Monday morning, and we will finish our inquiry next week. PLEASE remind your children to keep their hands out of their mouths (whether it's nail biting or in their mouth or nose) so that we can all stay as healthy as possible. When children do this in the classroom they are asked to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Thank you.
In Numeracy, we also completed a STEM activity based on The Gingerbread Man. First we read the story. The children helped me figure out how to divide the class into three equal groups using tally marks, and then each group had a separate building task. Group One had to build a bridge, Group Two had to build a boat, and Group Three had to build a hideout. The children communicated and worked cooperatively to complete their task, and then explained how they did it. Great work!
We had a fantastic snowfall at the end of the day on Friday and the children "caught" snowflakes on black paper and looked at them through magnifying glasses. Some of the centres that the children will be working in are making snowflakes, looking at actual photographs of snowflakes and drawing them,
The words of the week were COME and LOOK. Our Jolly Phonics sounds were M and D and L.
The kids are really enjoying doing "Cosmic Kids Yoga!" They did a Star Wars one, a Penguin One, a Polar Bears one and a Christmas one.
The children also enjoyed our scheduled time in the gym. We played Duck Duck Goose, Mrs. Mosun lead them on a Bear Hunt, and they "skated" on pieces of paper. They love our time in the gym. Thank you Mr. Currie for providing this time for the Kindergarten classes. Please remember that your child needs running shoes in order to participate in gym activities.
The next Scholastic Order is due on January 26. Thank you so much to Maya's mom who was our Mystery Reader this week!
Next week we will start a Jan Brett Author Study, starting with the beautiful story "The Mitten." We will also be learning a lot more about winter, and I am preparing a special unit on The Winter Olympics which are February 9-25. Go Team Canada!
That's the news for this week! I hope you have a terrific weekend!
Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful holiday in spite of the freezing temperatures! We did a graph about which toys Santa brought and the most was "Hatchimals!" Thank goodness the cold snap is over and the kids can enjoy their time outside.
Last week we started our inquiry on Germs and Healthy Habits. We talk throughout the year about good hand hygiene, but now that winter is here it's a good time for a refresher on keeping germs away. To start things off, I put hand sanitizer and glitter on my hand and shook all the kids' hands to demonstrate how easily germs are spread. We watched a "Sid the Science Kid" called "the Journey of a Germ," read a book with our Reading Buddies about germs, read other books about germs, talked about what germs CAN, HAVE and DO, created a web chart called "Stay Away Germs!," put germ stickers around the classroom, glued pictures of germs on paper hands, sang "If You're Healthy and You Know It" and "Wash Your Hands," and are reading and colouring booklets called "Germs are Ick, They Make Me Sick." We also passed around two pieces of bread (with no preservatives!) and the last child coughed on it. We put it in a baggie beside identical pieces of bread that I put in the bag wearing gloves, and we'll watch what happens as the germs and bacteria grow! We also sequenced the steps involved in proper hand washing, and talked about healthy food versus junk food. Dr. Vivian Wong (Elea's mom) has very kindly offered to talk to the kids about staying healthy. She will come in Monday morning, and we will finish our inquiry next week. PLEASE remind your children to keep their hands out of their mouths (whether it's nail biting or in their mouth or nose) so that we can all stay as healthy as possible. When children do this in the classroom they are asked to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. Thank you.
In Numeracy, we also completed a STEM activity based on The Gingerbread Man. First we read the story. The children helped me figure out how to divide the class into three equal groups using tally marks, and then each group had a separate building task. Group One had to build a bridge, Group Two had to build a boat, and Group Three had to build a hideout. The children communicated and worked cooperatively to complete their task, and then explained how they did it. Great work!
We had a fantastic snowfall at the end of the day on Friday and the children "caught" snowflakes on black paper and looked at them through magnifying glasses. Some of the centres that the children will be working in are making snowflakes, looking at actual photographs of snowflakes and drawing them,
The words of the week were COME and LOOK. Our Jolly Phonics sounds were M and D and L.
The kids are really enjoying doing "Cosmic Kids Yoga!" They did a Star Wars one, a Penguin One, a Polar Bears one and a Christmas one.
The children also enjoyed our scheduled time in the gym. We played Duck Duck Goose, Mrs. Mosun lead them on a Bear Hunt, and they "skated" on pieces of paper. They love our time in the gym. Thank you Mr. Currie for providing this time for the Kindergarten classes. Please remember that your child needs running shoes in order to participate in gym activities.
The next Scholastic Order is due on January 26. Thank you so much to Maya's mom who was our Mystery Reader this week!
Next week we will start a Jan Brett Author Study, starting with the beautiful story "The Mitten." We will also be learning a lot more about winter, and I am preparing a special unit on The Winter Olympics which are February 9-25. Go Team Canada!
That's the news for this week! I hope you have a terrific weekend!
Monday, December 25, 2017
Week of December 18-22
Dear families,
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts and the beautiful poinsettia! You are so kind!!!
This past week the little elves in Room 166 were very busy! They wrapped presents and wrote cards in the "North Pole," learned a spelling song called "Santa," wrote cards to their Reading Buddies, learned about Hanukkah and made a Star of David ornament, sequenced the events from the beautiful story "The Polar Express," touched a real sleigh bell, read and coloured a booklet called "To the North Pole," estimated and counted candy canes, graphed who likes and who doesn't like candy canes, danced at the Holiday Dance-a-thon, sang carols with the whole school, made ornaments and crafts at our Holiday Party, played outside in the snow, and got a letter back from Santa!
Thank you so much to Hudson's, Sarah's, Mia's, Kate's and Ella's moms who organized and helped the children make wonderful crafts at our Holiday Party! Thank you as well to Jackson's dad who was this week's Mystery Reader!
The SKs also measured holiday things using non-standard units of measurement (stones), and we read lots of holiday books. All the children read a book about Christmas Grumps (kind of like the Grinch) and wrote and drew a picture about how they would "make a Grump grin."
There were no snuggle books sent home this Friday. The words of the week were HE and SHE.
Here is a website with ideas to support the mindful exercises we do during Quiet Thinking Time: www.tricycle.org/trikedaily/three-poems-children-mindfulness. We will be doing some more "Cosmic Yoga" in the new year.
It was our turn to use the iPads last week and the children practised their coding skills with the "Box Island" and "Scratch Jr." apps.
I have sent in a request to the Scientist-in-the Classroom website for April 20 in the morning for the "I Can Be A Scientist" session. When this date is confirmed I will let Tiffany and Tara know so that they can coordinate volunteers.
That's the news for this week! When we return from our holidays the children will be learning about Germs and Healthy Habits, as well as studying The Gingerbread Man fairy tale. Thank you in advance to Elea's mom Dr. Vivian Wong for volunteering to teach the children about germs and staying healthy!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday and I wish you good health and much happiness in 2018! See you on January 8th!
Mrs. Tyndall
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts and the beautiful poinsettia! You are so kind!!!
This past week the little elves in Room 166 were very busy! They wrapped presents and wrote cards in the "North Pole," learned a spelling song called "Santa," wrote cards to their Reading Buddies, learned about Hanukkah and made a Star of David ornament, sequenced the events from the beautiful story "The Polar Express," touched a real sleigh bell, read and coloured a booklet called "To the North Pole," estimated and counted candy canes, graphed who likes and who doesn't like candy canes, danced at the Holiday Dance-a-thon, sang carols with the whole school, made ornaments and crafts at our Holiday Party, played outside in the snow, and got a letter back from Santa!
Thank you so much to Hudson's, Sarah's, Mia's, Kate's and Ella's moms who organized and helped the children make wonderful crafts at our Holiday Party! Thank you as well to Jackson's dad who was this week's Mystery Reader!
The SKs also measured holiday things using non-standard units of measurement (stones), and we read lots of holiday books. All the children read a book about Christmas Grumps (kind of like the Grinch) and wrote and drew a picture about how they would "make a Grump grin."
There were no snuggle books sent home this Friday. The words of the week were HE and SHE.
Here is a website with ideas to support the mindful exercises we do during Quiet Thinking Time: www.tricycle.org/trikedaily/three-poems-children-mindfulness. We will be doing some more "Cosmic Yoga" in the new year.
It was our turn to use the iPads last week and the children practised their coding skills with the "Box Island" and "Scratch Jr." apps.
I have sent in a request to the Scientist-in-the Classroom website for April 20 in the morning for the "I Can Be A Scientist" session. When this date is confirmed I will let Tiffany and Tara know so that they can coordinate volunteers.
That's the news for this week! When we return from our holidays the children will be learning about Germs and Healthy Habits, as well as studying The Gingerbread Man fairy tale. Thank you in advance to Elea's mom Dr. Vivian Wong for volunteering to teach the children about germs and staying healthy!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday and I wish you good health and much happiness in 2018! See you on January 8th!
Mrs. Tyndall
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