Kindergarten Kiosk: 2011

20% off Happy New Year Sale

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Visit our "Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012 Sale" available at both of our online stores.

New Year: Curriculum Essentials for Math, Literacy & More: Featuring Clocks Calendar and New Year's Fun

Celebrate the new year the academic way. Check out our new thematic unit today. All scripted lessons are linked to common core standards.

The Grinch Reader's Theatre

Are you looking for a great way to keep students learning as Christmas Vacation Approaches?

Check out this great reader's theater "The Grinch." Your students will love it! It is available for only $2.00.

Building Visual Cognition and Spatial Reasoning

Constructive Design at the Art Center is more than just a finished project. This important component of the early years is a powerful learning tool. What things can be accomplished there? Well here are but a few:

Develops fine motor skills
Builds oral language skills
Allows practice with geometry and practice analyzing, comparing, creating and composing shapes
Builds visual imaging and cognition
Strengthens spatial reasoning skills
Fosters creativity
Builds concentration and focusing skills
Fosters intrinsic rewards
Allows for problem solving
Builds ability to take risks
Develops an imagination
Allows for stories to extend and flow
Empowers play and storytelling
And on and on..

The following photos are our latest design projects. These are not glyphs. Although I am not totally opposed to glyphs, I feel that it truly limits the constructive design possibilities. These projects are created by the child’s own imagination, looking at illustrations, studying finished products, watching other student’s creations in development, and/or looking at real photographs.

Teaching Kindergartners to Write

For years I have taught young learners the joys of written expression. I have developed a technique that is a "magic bullet" of sorts when it comes to writing. With this technique, a simple line is used to materialize each word. This technique is based on the theories of Vygotsky and Elkoin. It helps children learn to plan their writing and visualize words and sentences. This approach has been field-tested in my classroom and that of colleagues, and has shown amazing results.

Visit my TPT store to check out “Writing to Read in the Early Years.” For only $3.00 you get a proven method for early writing success.

Soon you will enjoy hearing the stories of students such as Mark. “I like sex. I love sex. I am so glad that I am sex! 5 was boring."

Kindergarten Christmas Program

The Bear's Great Adventure!

A Christmas Play in 4 Acts.

After a lot of hard work by eager 5 and 6 year olds, our program turned out to be a great success. My colleague and I have been doing this program for 15 years (30 productions), and yes, it has never been the same twice. We never know who is going to have a meltdown caused by severe stage fright (Santa Claus this year), who is going to scream the words at the top of his/her voice, who will find the world is his/her stage, or who will cry endlessly because they cannot see mama (even thought she is on the front row). But we do know that this is a play that delights and brings joy to the kids and parents alike. For the first time ever we are sharing the script to this play on our TPT store. We include with it many tips and hints for success.

One thing that we really like about the play is that 3 of the acts are non-Christmas. Consequently it is friendly for students of all religions. It is the story of 4 little Bears who take a winter walk and have an adventure along the way. Act 1: The Woods; Act 2: Mother Goose Land; Act 3: Winter Wonderland; Act 4: The North Pole.

Alphabet Letter Fluency Game

It is time for our December Freebie!

This game will have your "Little Elves" dancing as they quickly learn or review alphabet letters.

Click on the picture to be directed to the free download!

Also enjoy 15% off this weekend at our TPT store.

Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Dramatic Play

The Drama Center is a great way to build vocabulary and increase reading comprehension. This week we have finished our bear unit with the fable “The Three Bears!” (It is amazing how many students have never heard this story-- All the more reason to do it)

After reading two versions of the book and doing a compare and contrast activity, we made a story map. Using this map, we developed our story element wall using cooperative efforts! The children were very proud, especially the group that made Goldilocks. They made her so large because she was such a big problem in the story.

Next, we used the elements of the story to design the 3 Bear Cottage in our playhouse. It is finally put together. Tomorrow will be the first day of play in the center. I will add those pictures later.

The students will reconstruct the sequence of the story, retell the story, use the vocabulary in the story, and more as they learn in a child’s authentic way--play!

My playhouse changes into something new about every three weeks, the children love it! In fact, last year I received a great thank you from a student that had moved across the country following his kindergarten year. The letter was very touching as he listed the things he would never forget about kindergarten. Yes, you guessed it, the playhouse changing into new things was number 1 (He even listed them all).

There has been a trend to throw out the dramatic play in kindergarten. Please do not give in! The house is critical to a child’s development and a great place to practice academic, social, emotion, verbal, and cognitive skills.

Another Kindergarten teacher on my team (Hi Stephanie!) had the brilliant idea of having the children plant paperwhite narcissus to give to their parents as Christmas gifts. We planted the bulbs in gravel and water (super easy) a few weeks ago and now they're just about ready to burst into bloom. Everyone who has seen them has wanted to plant them as gifts for neighbors or coworkers; they are so beautiful.

My example is planted in a glass jar so that the children can see the roots growing, but the children's are planted in a red plastic cup with a poem glued onto it on green paper.

Here is the poem:

It’s winter time when all things sleep,
Except this little flower,
Like stars that shine at Christmas time,
To brighten every hour.

I want to be your little flower
And make you smile each day,
To brighten up your darkest nights
And chase the clouds away.

And here are more instructions on how to plant paperwhite narcissus (these instructions are for planting in soil--ours are in gravel which works great too!).