"D" week was delicious in kindergarten. A trip to the local Krispy Kreme showed the students how doughnuts are made. Back at home they dictated the steps to their parents using our newly learned math words: first, second, third, and fourth.
Here is an example by Ethan: "First, the doughnuts pop out of a machine that cuts them. Second, they fall into a boiler of oil to cook. Third, they go on trays on a conveyor belt to cool down and go to the sugar shower. Fourth, people put them in boxes."
We also witnessed the fourth stage of our butterfly's life cycle when it popped out of its chrysalis in class. The excitement and wonder in the students' faces was a joy to behold. Benjamin is a good example.
September 15, 2008
In kindergarten we introduce the concept of community. What better way to learn about the community than to build one of your own. Each student makes a model of his/her home (a 12x12 cardboard square painted green with a milk carton house and a toilet tube tree), and then we set them out on the floor with a few other cardboard buildings and masking tape roads to represent our neighborhood. We review our addresses and see who lives closest to the school, who lives farthest away, and who are our nearest neighbors. And then, of course, we play!
We also make a map showing the location of our homes. As the year goes along, we can place symbols on the map for the various community helpers whom we visit. We will end the year with a Community Helpers' Day, dressing up in simple costumes depicting what we would like to do when we grow up.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2008
During “b” week Mrs. Sawanowich brought in some big boxes.We read Christina Katerina & THE BOX by Patricia Lee Gauch and talked about what we could build with our boxes.Since many children were interested in a castle, that’s what Mr. Sawanowich, our creative consultant, constructed.The class painted the castle colorfully and cooperatively and enjoyed some carefree playtime therein.It was pretty cool!
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 During our first week of kindergarten, we began our journey into reading.We can already read one thing – a.We know that the letter a makes three sounds as heard in apple, apron, and wasp.It might not seem like a lot, but it is a great beginning.We look forward to learning many, many more sounds and words during the remainder of the year.
We also learned about alligators.We used our imaginations in Mercer Mayer’s There’s an Alligator Under My Bed.Reading Monica Kullong’s Alligators: Life in the Wild, we discovered interesting facts about these creatures.Did you know that alligators have stones in their stomachs?They use them to grind food and to keep their bodies low in the water.When a baby alligator has trouble pushing out of its shell, the mother gently rolls the egg in her mouth until it cracks open.Finally, alligators never stop growing.They can grow longer than your SUV!What an amazing creature God has made.
We tried our hand at creating alligators from home-made play dough.Shaeleigh made a great alligator!
"D" week was delicious in kindergarten. A trip to the local Krispy Kreme showed the students how doughnuts are made. Back at home they dictated the steps to their parents using our newly learned math words: first, second, third, and fourth. 
