Winter Fun

Today our class made a gingerbread house. The students placed the delicious candies all over our house and then were able to taste their favorites. After the gingerbread fun, students were given a cup that had some magic powder in it. Once this powder was mixed with water, and a magic "Brrrr" was said snow appeared! The snow felt cold and we used it to decorate around the gingerbread house.

Veteran's Day

Our class read the book My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting this week. It is the story of a boy who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his father's ship. His father has been serving in the military and all of the families gather at the pier to welcome the sailors home. The boy ties a red balloon on his wrist so his father will be able to find him, however the balloon slips off and the boy is worried his father won't find him. The story ends with a happy family reunion.

We wanted to honor our military families with a special banner for Veteran's Day. We made one banner for each of our military families. They were filled with red balloons and special messages from the students. Here are two of our families with the banners:

New Friends

Throughout the year our community of learners will change. Some students will move away and new learners will enter our community. It is amazing to see how easily new learners adapt to our rituals and routines with the help of their new classmates. This sure was evident as we welcomed three new friends to our class!





We are so glad you have joined us!

Bat and Pumpkin Centers

Bat and Pumpkin Centers arrived in our classroom on Friday. The students rotated through four centers and then participated in a pumpkin hunt. Students made "bat hats" in the first center, a Stellaluna bat puppet in the second center, fruit kabobs - "bat food" in the third center, and played pumpkin fishing in the last center. College students from the local university and our room mother were on hand to help out with the centers.

Main Library

A goal for the first graders at our school was for each child to get a library card. All of the first grade classes got together and read the book "The Wednesday Surprise" by Eve Bunting. The story tells of a little girl and her grandmother and the wonderful surprise that they create for the little girl's father for his birthday. After the story, each teacher revealed her library card and told the students about all of the resources that were available at the library and announced the goal for each student to get a library card. The campaign began and I am pleased to announce that all of the first graders now have a library card.

Last week we took the students to the Main Library in our city. The students were treated to a special storytime with an appearance by Mrs. Owl. After the storytime, the classes toured the library. Next it was on to lunch at the park for a picnic and playtime. What a great way to celebrate reading!

Fire Station 23

Last Friday our class walked to visit Fire Station 23. The firefighters gave the students a wonderful tour of the fire station. They showed them all of the equipment that they use to fight fires. One firefighter dressed in full bunker gear. The students got a chance to sit in the fire engine. Then they got to walk through the rescue vehicle. It is great to have such resources so close to our school.

Pumpkin Carving with Mrs. R

We are always looking for ways to expand the vocabulary of our students. One of the ways that encourages the development of language is through shared cooking experiences. Last week Mrs. R brought a pumpkin into our classroom. Then she let the students design a face for the jack-o-lantern. Mrs. R carved the pumpkin and many new words were introduced. The students learned what pumpkin pulp was as they scooped out the inside of the pumpkin and separated the seeds. Next each students counted the number of seeds in their piece of pulp and the numbers were added together to get the total. After that, Mrs. R showed students how to roast the seeds. Last, they were able to eat the tasty seeds.