Bad News...

Due to the flu scare, the carnival and our Crowes Nest field trip have been canceled. As soon as I find out about possible rescheduling, I will let you know about money and refunds.

We Are Germ Busters!

If you've been watching the news at all, you're probably a little worried about the current flu scare. Although we haven't seen any evidence of this flu at Patsy Sommer or RRISD, we are being extra careful. We are washing our hands several times a day--especially before we eat. We are also using a lot of hand sanitizer (don't worry--we have plenty!)

I also took this opportunity to review germs and hand-washing habits with the kids. Here's what we're learning:

We reviewed the correct way to wash our hands.

• We get our paper towel ready before we begin, so we don't have to touch the paper towel dispenser once our hands are clean.
• We get one squirt of soap and a little water (but we turn the water off while we're scrubbing so we don't waste it!)
• We scrub...scrub...and scrub some more. We remember to scrub all parts of our hands--front, back, and in between fingers. We have a fun little song we can sing, so we know exactly how long to scrub for (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat--Sing it twice).
  

Wash, wash, wash your hands,

Wash the dirt away.

Scrub 'em...Rinse 'em...Shake them dry,

Germs go down the drain.

• We rinse and shake.
• We turn the water off with our elbow (so our clean hand doesn't touch the dirty faucet).
• We dry off!
• We wash our hands after using the bathroom, after sneezing or coughing into them, after blowing our nose, and before we eat.
  

We also reviewed what do do when we sneeze or cough...we cover our mouths with our elbows! That way we do not spread our germs with our hands!

We can also use a tissue. We always wash our hands after using a tissue.

Even bears...

A Fun Hand Washing Video to watch

Your children ate plants today...

And they loved them! (Well, most of them did).

We ate roots (carrots), stems (celery), flowers (broccoli), and seeds (pumpkin and sunflower)--with a little ranch dressing for dipping.

The biggest hit was probably the edamame--so if you're looking for a healthy snack, you should pick up a bag (I got the frozen kind from Central Market).

Who knew they would love veggies and dip so much!

E-I-E-I-O

Our Field Trip to Crowe's Nest Farm is this Monday, May 4! So much to see and do--cows, horses, ostriches, snakes, turtles, prairie dogs, chickens, hens, lizards, and so much more...

Please remember:

1. Have your child wear comfortable shoes--we'll be doing a lot of walking.


2. Dress for the weather. It will probably be hot, but this is Texas, so who really knows. (Just checked the forecast--30% chance of rain! Let's hope for a nice sunny day!)


3. Don't forget to pack a lunch (if you didn't order one from the cafeteria). Please do not pack glass, and leave the lunchboxes at home (we want all disposable).


4. Please let me know if you plan on attending! Anyone can come, whether your an "approved" volunteer or not!

It's Carnival Time!

The First Annual Pasty Sommer Spring Carnival is this Saturday, May 4 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. It sounds like it's going to be so much fun! There will be inflatables, human hampster balls, laser tag, a rock-climbing wall, a dunking tank, lots of games and food, and much, much more! Please visit the school website for more information and ticket information. I hope to see everyone there!




We need volunteers to work in our booth! The kindergarten team is in charge of the Bean bag Toss. If you plan on attending the carnival, please help us by signing up to work a shift at our booth. It will be a lot of fun! You can even do a 30 minute shift! If you can volunteer, please contact Kristi Isaacs: kristidisaacs@austin.rr.com . Thanks!

Learning to Read...

We are reading... a lot!
The kids are really enjoying reading. I think we're creating lifelong readers!




Here's a few things we do in Reading Workshop when our work is done.

We write books...
We play games...

and we do puzzles!

Growing Beans

We have quite the little science experiment going on in class right now...

We are sprouting beans in ziplock bags so we can see everything that happens. We can watch the roots grow, and then the stem, and eventually even the leaves.

It's the first thing we run to see when we get to school in the morning.

We are keeping track of the beans' growth in our science journals!

What Time Is It?

It's time to learn about time!

Kindergarteners are required to:

• Describe events according to the amount of time they take compared to other events.


• Order everyday events.


• Sequence daily events (using association words including before, after, beginning, end, first, last, middle, between) .
  
  

We want kids to have a good sense of time and how it relates to their everyday lives. They should understand that an hour is longer than a minute, that it takes longer to play a game than to brush their teeth, and be able to sequence events in their day (for example--getting out of bed, going to school, eating lunch, going to T-ball practice, etc.)

Kindergartners should also start to associate actual times with important events in their day (i.e. what time they go to bed, what time their favorite show is on TV, etc).

Kindergarteners are NOT required to tell time on a analog clock, however, the kinder team has decided to teach the kids how to tell time to the hour. Look for this little mouse clock to come home, and have your child practice setting the clock to the hour (ex. Show me 7:00).

If you want your child to learn more about time:

1. Make sure you have a variety of clocks in your house--analog as well as digital.


2. Talk about time. Have your child predict how long it will take to do something and then time it to see how close they were (for example--how quick can they clean their room? How many toys can they pick up in 5 minutes? How long will it take to drive to San Antonio?).


3. Make schedules with actual times. Tell your child what time they will be doing things (ex. Your dance class is at 6:00.)


4. Don't stress about teaching them to tell time on analog clocks. If you think they are ready and they show an interest, go for it. But take it slowly and don't worry if they don't get it right away.

Welcome to our new class blog!

I'm very excited about this--it's a very quick and easy way to post pictures and keep you updated about what's happening in our class. Be sure to check back often!

We've been learning all about plants!

• We know that a plant has many parts, and each part has a job. If a plant was missing one of its parts, it would die.
• The roots of a plant hold it in the ground and absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
• The stem of a plant holds the leaves and flowers up off the ground and carries water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant.
• The leaves of a plant use sunlight, water and air to make food.
• Flowers make seeds...Seeds make new plants!

We've had a lot of fun learning about plants--we've really gotten our hands dirty! Here are a few pictures of us exploring the different parts of plants and looking for roots outside.

(Kindergarten is so much fun, 2nd graders always sneak in...)