Happy Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving festivities were quite enjoyable, both in and out of the classroom, despite the fact that little green sick bugs have penetrated the confines of our school. It seems constant hand washing, Purell, covering our sneezes and Lysol are no match for these tenacious creatures.

In the classroom, Kindergarten Cafe continues to be a big hit on Friday afternoons. So much so that the second grade teachers felt inspired to integrate their study of 'how-to' procedural books into K cafe.

Their second graders learned how to make Oreo Turkeys (pictured above) and once they were experts they came in to teach the kindergarten children how to make them.

Moms and Dads were kind enough to supply most of the ingredients:

2 Oreos

6 Candy Corn

1 Mini Peanut Butter Cup

1 Chocolate Covered Peanut

1 Toothpick

Frosting

The children worked in small groups. The 2nd grade students used the 'how-to' books they created (see here) to make these yummy treats with the younger children.

Everyone worked well together and it was especially interesting to watch the teaching styles of the older children. Some were naturals while others were less patient and could use a bit of finessing.

Out of the classroom, my oldest nephew Jamie and his wife Randi met Joy and I to view the Macy*s Balloon Inflation spectacle. We braved the rain and the crowds for an opportunity to see our favorite characters lying face down in the streets on the upper west side of Manhattan.

Learning Centers: Writing

I was reading the teachers guide to our math curriculum (Everyday Math) and came across an idea for a math center to make writing numbers more fun for children.

The idea was simple. Simply scoop some finger paint into a Ziploc bag, zip it closed and bam!

Instant fun!

We gave it a go and it really is that simple. In addition to number writing we encouraged the little ones to write letters as well.

We took it one step further by putting the bags on the light table so it really pops.

Please note: pounding on the bags with your fist is perhaps not the best idea.

Happy, Happy, Happy

There is a song from the Broadway show Romance/Romance with a lyric that goes "I'm so happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy and at ease.

It is sung in wild abandonment for the joy of being alive and in love even though things may not be perfect in every aspect "the main point is true, I have not felt this way for an incredibly long time".

Of course, I tend to think that my natural and right state is one of happiness but it is always nice to show appreciation for the joys in life (and for a certain Joy in mine).

Teaching kindergarten is a delight.

Halloween surrounded by the anticipatory excitement of little children cannot be matched.

Feeling a little tug on my shirt by a small girl with a shy smile who wants to give me a birthday card and gift is something I will always cherish.

Blessings are abundant! I am so grateful.

Wild Things and Pooh Bears

On Wednesday we stepped into that magical world where anything is possible and adventure awaited us - the children's room at the main branch of the New York Public Library.

After a short subway ride we were greeted by John who ushered us into the children's room with promises of fun stories, grand sights and lots & lots of books.

Our wide-eyed, excited kindergarten students quietly followed John past the displays promoting the new movie Where the Wild Things Are, past the original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne's writing of the adventures of Winnie-the Pooh and past (as promised) lots & lots of books.

After some settling in John began reading us several stories. The first was Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me by Eric Carle. Eric Carle is an amazingly successful children's book author/illustrator but I was not familiar with this book. Shame on me because it is really, really engaging with its creative use of paper folds and space.

John also read us the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Our students knew this one and gleefully joined in during the reading.

A real treat was that he gave all of us a crown so we could be like the title character, Max, in that story. Now we had lots of little 'kings' creating their own rumpus in the library as they ran from place to place exploring books and playing with the stuffed animals.

They were very happy.

We also took a tour of the rest of the library. It is rather grand, majestic, exquisite, impressive and all those words that make you imagine a bunch of kids with their mouths hanging open in disbelief - well, me anyway.

Our visit ended with a look at the original stuffed animals that once belonged to A.A. Milne's son, Christoper Robin. Here were Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga and Tigger showing signs of being loved but still together after all these years. After 80 years a new Pooh adventure has been written. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood has been written by David Benedictus in the style of the original.

The Winnie-the-Pooh stories have the best twists on language. Very simple statements that are also rather deep. This line cracked me up because it is my mind completely "Owl had flown to Rabbit's house, and Rabbit had spoken to his Friends and Relations, who had spoken to Smallest-of-All, who thought he had seen Christopher Robin but couldn't be absolutely certain because sometimes he remembered things which turned out not to have happened yet, or ever, or at all".

Thanks to our school librarian, Sara, for setting up our visit.

Kindergarten Cafe!

A new feature we introduced into our curriculum this year is called 'Kindergarten Cafe'. It is also affectionately known as 'fun with food'. And who doesn't love food?

The idea behind this is to incorporate elements of core knowledge and standards (measurement, following multi-step directions, how-to procedures, mathematical concepts, yadda, yadda, yadda) with the built in motivation that comes from getting to eat the product of our labors.

We have had K-Cafe four times. The first Friday we made instant pudding (vanilla, chocolate and cookies & cream). We have one student who is allergic to dairy so we tried to make hers with water instead of milk.

Note to self: Yuck! That does not work.

Our second Friday brought a mishmash of various ingredients together (graham crackers, honey, peanut butter, raisins and mini-marshmallows) for a surprisingly delicious, tasty treat. Who knew?

For our third K-Cafe we made Ants on a Log (thank you Nappi for the suggestion). The ants are raisins, the log is a celery stalk filled with peanut butter.

Note to self: Celery is not a popular food item with four-and-five-year-old children but they are mad for the peanut butter.

Yesterday we made Winnie-the-Pooh sundaes with soy ice cream (to avoid dairy), M&M's, Oreo cookies and shaved almonds.

Note to self: Delicious!

This tied in nicely with our shared reading of the Winnie-the-Pooh Song and our upcoming visit to the children's room of the New York City Public Library at Bryant Park (the one with the big lions outside). Did you know that there is a new Winnie-the-Pooh mural there and that an official sequel to the original books is coming out?

We have invited parents to participate in K-Cafe by contributing ideas or supplies as this is costing Lauren and I money. One inquiring parent was confused about the cafe idea because we cannot make anything that requires an oven or a refrigerator. She aptly identified the essence of this experience when she said "Oh, so it is putting things together". I loved that!

We would appreciate it if any of you out there in the blogosphere with simple recipes for 'putting things together' would share them.

Remember to avoid celery :).