A- Camping We Will Go!

Hello Everyone! My kindergarten adventure has come to an end and now it's officially summer vacation.  I am ecstatic about having a much needed break for a couple of months!  Being a teacher does have it's rewards!  The end of the year went by in such a blur which is why my poor little blog has been neglected. Take a look... and you'll see why!


All teachers know that the last couple of weeks of school can be well... a little painful. The kids sense summer break and their behavior changes with the season.  With that in mind I was trying to come up with a fun summer activity that would engage them and that's when camping popped into my head!  What could be more fun than camping?  Apparently nothing my class loved it!!!  

In order to prepare for my camping theme I headed on over to Eberhart's Explorers  and The First Grade Parade to get some ideas.  The campsite idea above came from Eberhart's Explorers it was easy to prepare.  The fire was made out of orange, yellow and red tissue paper sitting on top of sticks that I collected.  Thanks to my dad (who is a camping fanatic) for letting me borrow his camping chair.  

The kids were so excited to sit around the campfire (with the lights dimmed) and sing campfire songs.  Their favorite campfire song was called A- Camping We Will Go (tune: Farmer in the Dell).  Not only did we sing songs but we also learned about fire safety. The kids learned Smokey Bear's Five  Rules for Fire Prevention.  We talked about forest fires and how it effects the animals that live in our beautiful forest (it was an eye opening conversation for many of them).  

We started off our unit by graphing who has been camping and who hasn't.  The idea for the tent graph came from The First Grade Parade.  

Can anyone say, "yummy!"  My class sure did!!!  The kids had a blast making and eating their S'mores!  

After we ate our S'mores the kids made a keepsake to take home to remember the day.  I found this idea on The First Grade Parade.  

Together we brainstormed about the steps to make S'mores.  I typed their ideas and they glued them in order on the back of their art.  They were thrilled about being able to bring this home to share with their parents about how to make S'mores.  

This idea also came from The First Grade Parade.  I had the class describe how the S'mores tasted to them.  I was BLOWN away with the adjectives that came out of their mouths!


Before I sign off I want to share who showed up to grace me with his presence the day I packed up my classroom...

                                                                      This GUY!  

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be blogging again soon!  

Miss Hood

Open House Festivities!

Open House has come and gone and I am one tired teacher! Here are a few pictures of my classroom.

This is a fun project that I like to put up for Open House.  I ask each one of my students to dictate a story to me about anything they want.  The stories are hilarious!  Then I have them draw a picture of themselves.  The last step is for them to watercolor the environment to place their drawing on.  The parents love this art!

This is one of my favorite boards.  It's all about spring.  This kids made ants, butterflies, and ladybugs to put on it. 

Life cycle of a butterfly

In the picture above you can see the grass the kids planted as well as our vegetable garden. 

This is a picture of my BoardMath.  I found these great decals at the Dollar Store that I have been using to make the board more kinder friendly.

Miss H. 

Field Trips and Insects

Hello friends! Take a look at what my class has been up to in the last few weeks.

Field Trips,  Field Trips,  Field Trips ... AHHHH!

Here are a few pictures of our field trip to the farm.  

We went to the beach to learn about the animals and plants of Lake Tahoe.  If you look closely at the picture of the meadow you will see a coyote.

We learned about insects.

Here are some of our favorite books about insects.  

My class used this chart to write about what they learned.

We graphed our favorite insect.

Here is our butterfly diagram.

They observed the metamorphosis of a butterfly.

Here is our life cycle of a butterfly art.  Macaroni was used for each stage.

Plants Rock!

Hi friends! My kinders are in the process of learning about plants.  Check it out!

You and I both know how crucial it is to find good books that complement what our teaching.  I ordered these books from Scholastic with my bonus points. The pictures in the books are beautiful which is why my class loves them.  The content is meaningful but simple... perfect for kindergarten!

My kindergartners learned about the parts of a plant.  The picture below shows my large science notebook that came with the science curriculum.  

We made a diagram of the parts of a plant.  I know... it's not beautiful but it did the trick.  

Opps I cut off the word flowers.

They got to demonstrate what they learned by drawing and labeling their own diagram.

We planted a vegetable garden in the Root-VUE Farm.  I purchased this at LakeShore and I am so glad that I did.  It is a great way for the kids to observe how quickly roots grow.  

We planted carrots, radishes, and onions.  On the two ends we planted a radish and carrot seed. This picture was taken before the roots and seeds began to grow.  

Everyday we record our observations on this chart.  

Each student in my class planted their own grass.  It's their responsibility to take care of it.  I placed the grass under a grow light... fingers crossed hope it grows!

Here is a fun experiment to do with your class.  

1. Save an avocado pit

         2.  Put four toothpicks in it

     3.  Fill a cup full of water

                                                            4.  Place the pit inside the cup (it doesn't need to be fully submerged).  

                                                            Hopefully a plant we grow.

I asked my class to make a prediction whether or not a plant could or would grow out of these pits.  Most of my class doesn't believe it's possible.

I found these magnifying glasses at the dollar store.  The kids use them to observe all of the growth that has been occurring.

Don't forget to leave a comment I would love to hear what you think.