Scuba.

We are smack in the middle of our Ocean Unit. We’re learning about the water cycle and many ocean animals. I’ve shared some of my own ocean adventures (scuba diving, whale watching tours, etc.) and brought in some ocean relics to share. We’re taking a field trip to the beach next week and we’ve really just all got ocean on the brain… some of us a little more than others.

Yesterday during Sharing, Rebecca, who has a tendency to embellish, announced, “Last Wednesday I went scuba diving with my dad… we saw a… dolphin, but the waves were so big the dolphin got washed up on the shore… then my dad and me saved it.”

She ended with a big smile intended to convince me her story was true. I wondered, 'Who goes scuba diving on Wednesday?'

Mrs. D. was out and her substitute, the lovable Mrs. Hashbrown, looked at me and just started giggling.

“OHHHHHH… K then, thanks for sharing,” I said.

I’m thinking of asking Rebecca’s dad along on our field trip next week, with him, some scuba gear and Rebecca’s imagination, maybe we’ll spot a mermaid… or at least save a beached dolphin.

New Math.

Well it's been raining all week long here... we haven't been able to go outside at all and I swear I can see the skin literally crawling on some sprouts... as I drove home today, thankful for a respite for a few days, a math formula popped into my head.

Now I teach kindergarten.  We don't do much algebra, so I have no clue how accurate this is, but here it is:

A few clarifications:

1. I realize the + in front of rain kind of looks like a 't' making it look like 'train' which would totally change the formula... it's not.  It is a + not a 't'.
2. X = the grade level exponentially increases the value... maybe it should be -X because the lower the grade the higher the value
3. Y = Teacher Frustration

There you have it... the new math!  I'm praying for sunshine and rainbows next week!

Shark!

As part of our Ocean Unit, we’re learning about sharks… kids love sharks. They’re scary, but since they live in the ocean and we don’t, not super scary. We read Don’t Eat the Babysitter and many, many non-fiction books about sharks today. I wanted a simple shark craft, but didn’t have a clue what to do…

After searching online, I found this wonderful idea. It was actually thought up by a child, which made me love it even more. I got the supplies and prepped it for the class.

I just loved this activity… many kids struggled with making the triangles in the paper plate for the teeth, but it was good fine motor practice and an excellent way for me to see who needed help.

After we wrote some facts about sharks in our ocean journals, I wrote a few of them down and placed the facts and sharks out in the hallway. When we walked back from Music (that’s when I put them up), I heard David say, “It feels like we’re being attacked by a group of sharks!” I knew then it was all worth it.

Lovely.

Today Audra came in and I noticed right away something was different... as she came over for my morning hug, I swore I saw eye makeup on her... it didn't look right to me and not being a makeup expert (add it to the list of things I'm not an expert at), I asked Mrs. D. for her opinion. After scoping out the situation, she decided it was indeed mascara and because of the clumpy sticky look, most likely put on by Audra herself.

About midway through the morning, during Snack Time, when Audra came approached me for another hug (she really loves to hug), I thought I smelled a rather strong perfume.

"Are you wearing perfume," I asked.

She blushed.

"Yeah, it's my mom's... but she doesn't know I'm wearing it," she admitted.

"What about your makeup?" I prodded.

"No, I snuck it, but my dad saw before I left," she confessed.

"Well you look and smell lovely," I said.

"Lovely... I like that," she answered.

Another hug.

I'd love to see her mother's reaction when she gets off the bus and sees and smells her handy work.

Motivation.

I love Writing Workshop… I love to write and I love to share my passion for writing with my sprouts. Most of them take to their pens (yes, we use pens in kindergarten… authors need special tools!), but there are always a few that are more… hesitant. They hum and haw, stare off into space, get up for a tissue, get up to use the bathroom, crumple papers, and do just about anything but actually write.

Well today, we introduced our Ocean Unit. After reading and talking about some general ocean overview topics, we announced we’d be heading to the beach next week for some science exploration. We then introduced our Ocean Journals and our first prompt: What do you think you might (or hope) to see at the beach?

Some of my most reluctant writers took to the assignment like, well, a fish to water. Here’s some of their work.

(I might see a shark.  I would like to see a lot of fish.  I like jellyfish.)

This friend has the skills... he just doesn't care to use them often... not today.  He also did the most careful coloring I've ever seen from him.

(I hope I see all kinds of fish.)

Wow.  This sprout never writes.  When I sit with him one on one, he'll get through a word, maybe.  He's smart, but writing is like pulling teeth.  Not today - he did this all on his own and I was blown away.

(I might see a killer whale.  I might see a jellyfish.  I might see a starfish.)

This little girl has struggled with her letter sounds all year.  Writing has not been easy for her and she almost always waits for adult support to produce anything.  Not today... she did this all on her own and was super proud to share it with me.

(I might see a electric eel and a starfish and I might see a blowhole and a fiddler crab.)

This little boy loves to write... never any reluctance from him.  I was just so impressed with how much he wrote and the amount of sounds represented.  Amazing stuff.

We're studying the ocean for next few weeks and I'm hopeful our writing will continue to shine.  The motivation from the sea was inspiring and has me energized to see what other work I might see.

Lessons.

Today we took a field trip to a local wildlife rescue park. They take in wild animals and take care of them. Most are hurt or injured and wouldn’t survive on their own. They have some amazing animals and was a wonderful way to celebrate our animal unit.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided a cold, wet, drizzly day was in store and so, with apprehension, we set off for the park. Here are some lessons I learned today:

• When it’s cold, wet, and raw, you get the entire park to yourself! No crowds!

• When you have the park to yourself, there’s no waiting for bathrooms – bonus!

• While teachers and parents may complain about the awful weather, the children could care less… they’re on a FIELD TRIP!

• When it’s cold and wet, ALL of the animals come out and are much easier to see – today we saw everything.

• In said weather, the moose, usually elusive, comes right up to the fence and almost looks like she wants to be petted.

• When all your chaperones show up on time and make your day easier, be grateful and make sure to thank each of them profusely.

• No amount of dreary weather can take away from the majesty of seeing a bald eagle from six feet away.

Rain, rain, don’t go away, you made our field trip extra special today.

Evelyn and Jason.

We all know the drill. The sprouts with the highest academic and behavior needs get the higher percentage of our attention… day in and day out. Is it fair? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles and there’s not much you can do about it.

Lucky for me, with a team teaching situation this year, I’m finding I can give more attention to all children, regardless of academic or behavior concerns. No doubt, those ‘squeaky wheels’ always get a little more regard, but those ‘rocks’ as I like to call them (rocks as in, ‘like a rock’ sturdy and steady, I don’t have to worry about them too much) get more than usual.

Two of my sprouts who fit into that category this year are Evelyn and Jason. Both are quiet, respectful, and academically strong. It’s easy to see how each could get lost in the shuffle, but having two teachers has allowed them more one on one and ‘small moment’ time.

As long as I teach, I’ll never forget hearing Evelyn’s mother tell me at last summer’s open house, “She doesn’t really like men.” Yikes. Good thing my teaching partner is a woman. Funny thing is, turns out Evelyn just hadn’t met the right guy yet… me. Surely she was slower to warm up to my charms, but eventually, in her own time, she allowed me to show her the kindness she deserved.

Last week, Evelyn presented me with the following:

“Thank you,” I said.

“I think you’re sweet too,” I finished as she smiled at me. She offered a rare and cherished hug.

Jason too is a quiet boy who, unlike most boys in kindergarten, rarely acts silly or needs to be reigned in. If I never said, ‘Jason, thank you for sitting politely and being ready to learn,’ the poor boy would barely ever hear his name. While other boys seek me out for hugs and handholding (yes, the boys crave them), Jason would always stay back, preferring to offer a smile instead.

About two weeks ago, Jason came up to me during Quiet Time and asked if he could have a hug. Naturally, I obliged, but I was surprised by his request. After our hug, as he pulled back, I said, “Thank you for such a nice hug.”

Since then, he’s begun asking for hugs every day. I’m not sure what exactly prompted that first hug request, but as with most things hug related, I don’t question it, I just take my hugs as they come… and they are plentiful.

This year, Evelyn and Jason have taught me an important lesson. While the squeaky wheel usually gets the grease, silence is golden and deserves to be noticed, rewarded, and hugged.

Order.

I love Fridays. Not just because the weekend looms, but during Centers on Friday afternoon, I take a break from pulling kids to assess and read and just play with them. Lately the Kitchen Center has been where I spend much of my time. I’m the customer in their ‘restaurant’ and we chat about this and that and I get to order whatever food my heart desires.

Yesterday Connie was my waitress. With paper and pencil in hand, Connie asked, “What can I get you?”

“Hmmmm… how about a nice vegetable pizza?” I said.

She leaned over and wrote, ‘PEZU’ – then crossed is out and said, “Wait, I know this word has an ‘A’ at the end.”

With that she wrote ‘PEZA’ and I smiled as she walked back to the kitchen to give the cooks my order.

I sat and waited for a few minutes. A few friends from Dress Up came over to show me their outfits. Finally, David came sauntering out of the kitchen with no food, but my order in his hand.

He had a mischievous smile on as he said, “We have a slight problem…”

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Well we’re all out of pizza, so I had to change your order…” he grinned.

With that he put the paper Connie had written my order on down in front of me. He had crossed out ‘PEZA’ and written, well, see for yourself.

“Worms!” I shouted.

“Yeah, I’ll go dig some up for ya,” he laughed.

With that we giggled together and walked off to rustle me up some worms.

Sprinkler.

Today we walked up to the high school to see the district Art Show… as we perused the show, the looks on each sprout’s face as they saw their piece of art was priceless. For a moment, they were famous. It was a sight to see.

On our way back, as we walked on the sidewalk, I quickly saw the soccer field sprinklers had come on while we were in the building. A dilemma presented itself. We could avoid the sprinklers by walking in the road for a bit, but obviously this seemed unsafe… or we could walk through the water. The sun was out. It was the warmest day in some time… I put my hands up and walked through the sprinkler with glee.

Did I get a little wet? Sure. Did the kids get a little wet? Absolutely. We were almost completely dry by the time we returned to our school… it was just a little water… and it was a ton of fun.

Ball.

Today, when I escaped my room for a moment to use the bathroom, something strange was in the hallway… a little boy holding a soccer ball. He wasn’t in my class and there was no adult with him… he was clearly waiting for someone – a tech, a service provider, I’m not sure… what was clear was he had a ball and needed a partner.

Without saying a word, I opened my arms and nodded. He gently tossed the ball to me. I threw it back… we played toss a few times and then I said, “Nice job.”

I walked off to use the restroom and when I returned he was gone. It wasn’t my job to stop and play catch with him, but he looked like he needed a partner and who am I to deny a kid with a soccer ball?