Our tongue is our taster

Today the we talking about tasting one of MY favorite things to do ! We talked about how we use our tongue to taste things and we even checked out our tongues in a mirror !

We looked at salt and sugar . By using our eyes we couldnt tell which was which so we used out tongues. Then we made homemade lemonade.

It was SOUR !

We had a lot of fun today !

Not even a mouse...

Our first nap time of this year just started and so far so good.... We have had no screamers or runners. As the norm we started the " I gotta go potty one more time" parade. This early in the year you hate to say "no" even if they just went.

This is the way our day started out . Kat is the youngest and has found a way with her sweet voice to wrap each one of us around her little finger.

I spent the day Saturday in a training called TIPS. This is a great parenting tool I will be able to offer you . I have information on a wide range of topics and as the need arises we will use them. I am excited about the possibilities with these four little boxes.

Today we started talking about our feelings and our emotions. What did a " what we know " chart and these guys know a LOT about emotions. One of the biggest things we can do to help children learn how to deal with life is teaching them to recognize their emotions and giving them a name. For instance if a child hits another child we say " Look at your friends face. Does he look happy or sad? ( Wait for answer) How does it make you feel to you made your friend feel sad. When you hit someone they feel this way." Learning to read OTHER peoples feelings also is a learned skill. Dont we all know people that have no filter or no knowledge of others feelings? The book below is about many emotions that this little boy goes through. As we read we made the same face or emotion he was making.

More friends playing dress up.

Everyone likes to feel important - like a star ! Today we decorated a star with each child's picture on it.

We also acted out with figures the nursery rhyme of Little Miss Muffet.

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider, who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

It is important that children learn that letters make words that can be read back , like in a book. One way we do that is I dictate a LOT . Today we dictated ten things that make us happy.

Today was our first MUFFIN TIN MONDAY ! Mondays is almost always finger food and served in a muffin tin. Muffin Tin Monday is a great way to serve a new food or even make a themed lunch such as all one color. The kids love it. Today Aveary said " Ms. Debbie, are these trees good?"

And then we all fell asleep - exhausted.

Kat will be a big sister this week ! Randy was holding her and read her a book. She retold the story to him. His heart melted and he asked me to video. I thought her mom might like a video of her baby... before the new baby comes home. Both are obviously very lucky kiddos to have a mommy that finds reading important.

Who are your friends ?

Today, day 2, was a much better day. I felt more accomplished and focused. I think the kdis felt more comfortable.

Our first goal is to learn our friends names. We played name games all day. The first one was a matching game with our pictures. All of the pictures were face up on the table and each child playing with me ( three at a time) chose a matching set of pictures and tried to tell me that friends name. The veterans were smart and chose all the " oldies first.

Today was also our first cooking experience. Ms Jodie helped the kids make neopolitan bars. It seeems like it was fairly easy for them to do. And it was very very yummy.

Source: picky-palate.com via Debbie on Pinterest

This is an activity we did with our names. Remember I told you I dont neccessarily TEACH the letters as in workbook type stuff but this poster below is one way I highlight letters. Remember in the upstairs playroom there is an HUGE A in a gold frame on the wall? So they already see it every day. Today as we did names all the A's are in red, the rest are in blue. I simply pointed it out. We also counted the number of A's. It was 16 - the exact number of friends we have at school.

During circle time today we also sang some songs, read a book about school, danced and played a game. The game was Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee. Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee, wont you say your name for me ? I threw a bean bag to each child and they stood up and said their name and their favorite food.

We did journals today. Basically... free art. An opportunity for each child to slow down and write or draw ( whatever they want ).

Today was our first birthday celebration. William turned 5. Tradition is the birthday child gets to chose a treat and receives a book for their birthday. William chose chocolate chip cookies. William loves to draw robots and I had a new book that was about a little boy that loves to draw monsters. NORMALLY.. we dont even talk about monsters but the book wasnt scary so we read it. What was scary was afterwards when Mr Randy showed the white of his eyes. REALLY ? Grr.... He is in trouble. Two of the little girls cried. SHAME ON YOUR MR RANDY! He recovered well and made them laugh .

Cat , our youngest but most expressive...told a story after Mr Randy about a monster and her grandma. We all just LOVE listening to this little girl talk. So precious.

We didnt get to go on the hunt today.. maybe tomorrow.

This is why I do it !

Caught Kayla revisiting a book we read earlier in the week. This video is why I do what I do. This is how I know it is working.

Kindergarten readiness indicators ( Off the Arkansas DHS Website)

In this one activity Kayla is showing proficiency in numbers :

1, 3, 4, 11 and 18. And besides that - she is just stinking cute " reading " a book !

Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist

1. Speaks in complete sentences.
2. Follows directions with at least two steps.
3. Understands words such as "top" and "bottom" and "big" and "little".
4. Makes simple predictions and comments about a story being read.
5. Matches two pictures that are alike.
6. Looks at groups of objects and says which are the same shape, color or size.
7. Tells things that together, for example a spoon and fork are for eating and a fish and a boat go in the water.
8. Repeats a pattern you start; for example, step, step, jump-step, step, jump.
9. Puts 3 pictures in order; for example 1. Planting flower seeds 2. Flowers growing. 3. Picking flowers.
10. Says or sings familiar songs and nursery rhymes.
11. Retells a simple story such as The Three Little Pigs after listening to it while looking at the pictures in the book.
12. Works puzzles.
13. Recognizes and names at least 5 colors.
14. Recognizes his or her own first name in print.
15. Recognizes letters in his or her own first name.
16. Begins to write some of the letters in his or her own first name.
17. Recognizes words or signs he or she sees often; for example, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, the name of the local grocery store where the family shops, or stop signs and exit signs.
18. Holds and looks at books correctly; for example holds the book right side up and turns the pages one at a time from front to back.
19. Recognizes rhyming words such as cat and hat.
20. Recognizes and names at least 10 letters of the alphabet.
21. Matches a letter with the beginning sound of a word; for example matches the letter "b" with a picture of a banana.
22. Expresses ideas through pictures he or she draws; for example a child draws a picture of 3 family members and says who each one is.
23. Counts at least 5 objects such as 3 bananas and 5 forks.
24. Sees the written numeral "3" and understands this means 3 objects such as 3 bears.
25. Adds and subtracts familiar objects such as cookies.
26. Puts written numerals in order from 1 to 5; 1,2,3,4,5.
27. Recognizes and names 3 shapes: circle, square and triangle.
28. Counts from 1 to 10 in correct order.
29. Uses the words "more" and "less" correctly.
30. Tells if he or she is a boy or girl.
31. Tells first and last name.
32. Tells first and last name of parent(s).
33. Tells how old he or she is.
34. Takes care of own needs such as toileting, washing hands and dressing.
35. Adjust to new situations without parents being there.
36. Uses pencils, crayons and markers for drawing and writing and cuts with scissors.
37. Draws a line, circle, X and +.
38. Runs, jumps, hops, throws, catches, and bounces a ball.

P is for Pig

Randy and I were out in a worksampling training all day. Worksampling is an online assessment tool. But.. I do know what your kiddos did today!

Today the kids were read " If you give a pig a pancake" while they ate pancakes marked with a P on the top in red. The also got to chose a topping - pineapple, peanut butter, pecans , pears, peaches or powdered sugar. Do you see a trend here ? PPPPPPPPP!!!!!!! They also got cook whip but ... well, that was just for looks and taste.

During small group the kids made pigs from playdoh and graphed which topping they liked the best for their pancakes.

Circle time was a reading of " The Three Pigs " and acting out the story. This activity is good. It demands story recall and sequencing.

Another one of our friends became a big sister yesterday. Again, since the hospital was so close Devin and Jodie walked the kids over to help Malia celebrate. I think one of the moms came along to help ! Devin said " the walk went well. Malia was so sweet and proud to show off her new baby. It was so cute. "

Life in a small town is good. Really good.

After nap I think they might have watched a little of Charlotte's Web.

I am thankful for workers that make me feel totally confident that everything will be ok when I need to be away.

Its the KIDDOS!

Most of you know that Randy and I travel doing children's music. We don't do many during the school year so we havent done a concert since September. We are doing a concert tomorrow in Van Buren for a new library down there. The kids let us do a run through for them !

The sound is awful on the camera that I used. I still havent found my battery charger so I am using my moms old camera. So , please.. forgive. :)

We also read another book today by Julia Cook. This one was called " A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue." The book talks about a tattle telling and when it is appropriate. Actually , if it is appropriate it isnt called tattling it is called "Warning." The 4 rules for tattling are :

1. Be a Danger Ranger- is someone hurt ?

2. Now or Later ? Is this something that could be taken care of later ?

3. Is there another solution? ( work it out yourself )

4. MYOB Mind your own business.

I love this book too. It talks about a little boy that tattles a lot. His tongue turns yellow and grows long . It also gets purple spots on it. Another repercussion in the book is that no one will play with the little boy and he is sad. Prince Tattle comes to tell him the rules and his " Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" goes away.

The pictures below are of our tongue check. So far.... so good. :)

Outside time today was wonderful ... Was it really 15 degrees below 0 last week ?

Respect your boogers !

Today we read another story by Julia Cook. This book was called " I am a Booger Treat me with Respect " I first heard about this book on a girls day out around Christmas. A dear, and funny friend brought it along for entertainment. I know you are thinking " you must have some pretty lame girls day's out." But really , it was great fun . We have never laughed so hard. Four grown women riding down the road laughing like crazy . I was the "reader." I knew two pages into the book that I HAD to order this authors books. Again today , like yesterday, I have recorded me reading the book so you can appreciate it the way I do. Enjoy !

Orrin LOVED this book !

At the end of course we had to practice making booger ghost !

On to other things !

Remember the experiment we started with the white carnations ? They DRANK the colored water and look what happened ! BEAUTIFUL colorful flowers ! ( I can't tell you how many time these have been knocked over. Even once by ME! But.. what fun is an experiment like this if you can't see it up close ? )

Rosannna and Andrea pretending. Pretend play is such an important part of our day. It is where we learn to deal with things going on in our lives. It is where we act out things that are important to us. It is where we can be anything we want to be.

Noah and Dillion made up a game with our " sound boxes ."

The purple sand is always a popular area.

I love walking around the room and seeing evidence of happy kids.

William made this . He said " look at my red and blue spider. Don't touch the red." I of course was curious and asked " Why not?" His reply was " Red is hot! " Now.... that is thinking. ( Not to mention the pattern that he made on his spider. )

Days like today remind me why I do what I do. LOVE my job.