Decomposing Numbers in Kindergarten

My district uses the math series My Math.  We started using this series a few years ago and there are a lot of great things that I like.  Mainly our team of six Kindergarten teachers like it because it allows us to follow the same structure (previously we didn't have a specific math series, but used a variety of resources to teach our math curriculum and standards).  So, using My Math allows us all to follow the same plan and then add and supplement as we need for our individual classes.

My Math has some great online features as well.  We are still adding and modifying it as we need in our classrooms.  Right now, we are working on composing and decomposing numbers.  My class makes these anchor charts to give the students a visual to refer to. We make one a day until we have them all completed.  Then, they hang in our classroom and the students refer to them often.  It is great when I see them using these anchor charts as an independent learning tool during work time.

March

March came in like a lion in Southern Illinois with storms and hail in our area!  Our class is ready for warmer weather and the chance to get outside more often for recess!

March is one of my favorite months of teaching themes!  We start the month off learning about Dr. Seuss and all of his fun rhyming stories.  The students love to compare and contrast the numerous stories.  We also learn about the season of Spring!  It is always so much fun to brighten up our lessons with Spring topics and crafts!  This is one of the fun ones we will complete this week!  We add glitter paint to the cloud and the students always love to see them hanging in the classroom!

Planning Ahead for Spring

As teacher, we are always planning ahead for the next holiday or event coming up!  I am always on the look out for fun items for my classroom at a great deal.  I just found this cute matching activity today!  For only $9.99, it's a great addition to a Pre-K or Kindergarten room for Spring!

Easter Matching Set for $9.99

*Disclosure: TLC Kindergarten is a participant in the affiliate program for Jane.com, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Jane.com. 

Valentine's Day in Kindergarten

My sweet Kinders had so much fun celebrating Valentine's Day yesterday!  Here a few of our highlights!

These are the stations from our Valentine's Day Party. We rotate through three 15 minute stations.  At the end of the party, the class comes back together and they all enjoy a snack together.  This year, parents brought in cookies to decorate, they made a love bug craft, and played Bingo! At the end of the party, they had yummy cupcakes, at their cookies and enjoyed popcorn and juice!  Their bellies were full! :)

 My Kinders love to read the sweet messages on these little hearts!  We also use them for counting and math activities!

This torn paper craft keeps the students busy while they take turns delivering Valentine's Day cards to each other's boxes.  Tearing the paper also build their fine motor muscles! 

I found these fun bouncy ball Valentine's Day Cards at Walgreens this year!  30 of them for $8 ~ can't beat it!  Walgreens and Target never disappoint with fun holiday treats perfect for the classroom!

100th Day of Kindergarten

Our five Kindergarten classes celebrate 100th Day with a rotating party! Students rotate to each Kindergarten classroom where they complete a different 100th day activity! It is always a lot of fun! In my room we make 100th Day necklaces.

Our home school extension for this fun day is creating a project out of 100 items at home! Check out these cool projects that were shared!

Letter of the Week - Letter Nn

I love our letter of the week program that we use inKindergarten!  We start the year off with letter of the day and then follow it with letter of the week.  Completing letter of the week allows students to be familiar with alphabet order and creates an organized plan for lessons.  This week, our letter of the week is letter Nn.  One word to have fun with during Nn week is the word nest.  My favorite book for this week is The Best Nest, written by P.D.Eastman

After reading this story, the students use their fine motor skill to build a nest and paint some eggs in it.  This story lends itself to sequencing events.  We make a list of the places Mr. and Mrs. Bird went to try and find a new nest.  We mix them up and try to put them back in the correct order. We also follow up the next day by using the word nest in our word family activities.  My Kinders always come up with a great list of words that rhyme with nest!

A second story we read during Nn week is The Napping House!  Another all time favorite with beautiful illustrations.  This story is the absolute best for sequencing.

I discovered The Napping House Wakes Up a few years ago and this one is a lot of fun too! (It is a pop up book) Definitely worth checking out! :)

Throw Kindness Like Confetti -

Last week, we completed our February Bulletin Board!  The students always love creating bulletin boards to decorate our hallway.  For the month of February, my Kindergarteners thought of kind words and sentences.  We made a list of these ideas.  The students then selected a few of their favorites to write on the hearts.

One of my favorite stories to read with our kindness lesson is "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud and David Messing.

February Bulletin Board