I have an AMAZING group of kids!  All twenty-four of them!  We have so many exciting things to learn this year.
First, I want to say to the parents - be patient.  We will learn to settle down and listen.  Listening is the biggest problem when we first start school every year.  I have some GREAT kids, they will learn that when there are soooo many kids, they have to wait and take turns.
The first few weeks aren't easy, but we will still be learning, having fun, tackling new projects and LEARNING TO LISTEN!  :)

Wow!  What a week!! A lot of work getting my room ready for students, and I am still not finished.  Parents and students come for a "Meet the Teacher" night on Monday and I'll have to be PRESENTABLE by then.  We somehow always make it.  

I have a super class list and am excited to start the new year.  Parents, kindergarten is what first grade used to be.  We have an entirely new curriculum (48 states have adopted this new common curriculum) and it isn't easy.  Students will need to be read with at home, too and you will be amazed at what your child is required to do.  Surprising thing is - they can do it!!! 5 year olds are like little sponges.

If you happen to not be satisfied with your child's teacher, please NEVER let your child know that. NEVER talk in front of your child about his teacher, you will kill the influence she has and make your child very unhappy.  Always support your teacher, the great majority of us truly love children and want nothing but the very, very best for your child.

Off my soapbox,  have a fun couple of days and we will see you soon!!

Good Friday morning!  Fridays are going to be really important again NEXT WEEK!!!  Not sure if I am ready, but I don't have a choice......come Monday - basically, I am back to school.  Workshop on Monday, then Tuesday, I will work on my ROOM!! Wednesday, teachers will start back with workshops  through Friday!! 
August 8th is the first day back for kids.  Kindergartners, if you don't know ABC's and counting, you still have time to practice.   AND make sure you practice cutting until then.....
Back to you right after school starts!!!!

Happy Tuesday!!!!  I am really a very happy person, my Amy is coming home from L.A. this week, Brooks and her family (ADELYN!!!) are coming, and Jay and Antonia will be here, too.  LOVE being surrounded by my kiddos.  You know, no matter how old they get, they still are my kids!  Whenever I am really missing them, I try to call my mom.  I know now how she must feel - just getting a phone call totally makes your day!!

I probably won't post alot until after school starts, I think there will be more interest after that. I will also be able to post things that will help my current kinders.  BUT today make sure you take time to read and talk with your child.   Also, practice the positional words.  Over, under, on, off and in front of and behind.  Some children have a hard time with these.  Get a box (a shoe box would be great) and an object - spoon, rock, ball.  Have your child place these objects in various places, ON the box, Under the box, OFF the box, even and especially IN the box.  This could be a fun time for you depending on what you choose and if you communicate with your child.

And as always.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb9Zn8dzL1k      SHAPES today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75p-N9YKqNo&feature=endscreen&NR=1   ABC's

Good Morning!!
Saturdays are probably "cartoon days."  They always were when I was young and when my children were young,  just be sure to read with your child tonight before bed.
READING is the single most important thing you can do to help your child become a good reader!!!!
 

ALSO, found this on Pinterest.com:

Here are 20 Pillow Talk Questions from iMOM to help you jump start your relationship with your child. For daily Pillow Talk Questions delivered to your email inbox, sign up for the Espresso Minute Daily Email. What do you like to dream about? What is your best memory this school year? Who is your hero? Why? How would you describe your family? If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? What are you most proud of yourself for? Who is the kindest person you know? Why? What do you like most about your best friend? What is one thing you would like to learn to do well? If you were an animal what one would you be and why? When is the last time someome hurt your feelings? How did you react? Do you know someone who is going though a hard time? How can you help them? What is the scariest thing that happened this year? If you could keep only one thing, out of everything you have, what would it be? Who do you think is really successful? Why? What’s the best thing about your teacher this year? When do you feel misunderstood by grown-ups? What three words best describe you? What’s something that makes you angry? What’s the best compliment you ever received

Your child NEEDS to talk to you and know you are listening.  Pick a few each night and discuss!

Have a great weekend! 

Back to Friday!  Woo Hoo!  I really hope you have shown your children the videos and have sung with them.  Use your flash cards to show them the letters and numbers. This weekend, hopefully, I will get a couple of videos showing you exactly how I do this in school .  You can also make a cut-out of their names:
http://www.teachpreschool.org/2010/02/create-a-name-puzzle-for-your-preschooler/
Be sure to let your child practice writing his name. Only capitalize the first letter!!! Write in orange or light blue and have them trace.  They are not too young if they can hold a crayon, marker, pencil. Remember practice, practice, practice.

ABC's today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18ZT8IrN9qo

Numbers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V4q60isaAg

What zoo animal have you liked best?
I love them ALL but PANDAS  are special,  which one did YOU like?
How is the panda different from the tigers?  What color is different on them.  What do they eat that is different?  LIKENESSES AND DIFFERENCES ARE SUPER IMPORTANT!!!!!
Always ask your child questions that make them THINK!

For today, how about the ZEBRA ?  Do you think a zebra is like a horse?


    



Zebra are part of the equidae family along with horse and donkeys.

Every zebra has a unique pattern of black and white stripes.

Wild zebras live in Africa.

Common plain zebras have tails around half a metre in length (18 inches).

Zebras run from side to side when being chased by a predator.

Zebras have excellent eyesight and hearing.

Zebras stand up while sleeping.

Zebras eat mostly grass.

The ears of a zebra show its mood.

A zebra named Marty starred in the 2005 animated film Madagascar.

Make a zebra!!

Materials:

Thursday or "little Friday!!"  I don't seem to have alot of people viewing and using these posts and links.  If you have any suggestions, please message me or leave a comment.  I would really like to give something to parents who want to help their child. Any suggestions would be helpful.
ABC's - ALWAYS!!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75p-N9YKqNo

It is not too early to start writing the ABC's if your child is holding a pencil or crayon (even markers are great.)  I will always print the letters in light, light blue or orange and have the children trace over them with a darker marker.  Try it - just a few letters a day and remember to do capital and lowercase letters together:
Print Aa  5 - 6 times and have her trace those.  If she is ready, do several letters.  The letters of her name are good to start with.  (The little a is just a circle with a short line - not the way shown here in type.)


We have talked about several zoo animals and they are so fun to watch on the live video cam - remember San Diego zoo is 3 hrs. behind most of us.  Atlanta zoo has several other animal cams. Check those out.


Let's talk TIGERS!
  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9GoVEGGb8U    Counting tiger!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL5SAm90HK8   Tiger teaching colors!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxYNseMvCoc

TIGER CAM:
http://www.palmbeachzoo.org/tiger-cam.html



You can hear a tiger roar over a mile away!
A tiger can eat 100 pounds of meat a night! Compare that to 400 hamburgers! They need a lot of food because they go days between meals.
Tigers have been called man eaters, yet they eat frogs, monkeys, porcupines  fowl, and tortoises, especially  when a good deer is hard to find.
Tigers have eyes that are the brightest of any other animal in the world. At dusk, or in the beam of a torch, they blaze back the ambient light with awe-inspiring intensity.
Tigers are the biggest cats in the world. They live in steamy hot jungles as well as icy cold forests.
Depending on the subspecies, the head-body length of a tiger is about 41/2 to 9 feet (1.4-2.8 m). The length of the tail is 3 to 4 feet (90-120 cm). The foot pads vary in size with age, resulting in inaccurate estimates when used in censuring wild populations.

Siberian tigers are the heaviest subspecies at 500 or more pounds (225 kg), with males heavier than females. 
Although tigers usually live alone, tiger territories can overlap. A male tiger's territory usually overlaps those of several female tigers.Tigers mark their territories by spraying bushes and trees with a special mixture of urine and scent gland secretions. They also leave scratch marks on trees.
Tigers can see in the dark six times better than humans can. They can also see in color.
The heaviest tiger recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records is a 1,025-pound male Siberian tiger.
Young tigers live with their mother until they are two to three years old, then they find their own territories.
Unlike some big cats like lions, adult tigers like to live alone (except for mother tigers with cubs). This is partly because in the forest, a single tiger can sneak up and surprise its prey better than a group of tigers can.
Most tigers have an orange coat with dark brown or black stripes accented with white. Tigers that live in cold climates (Siberian tigers) have thicker fur than tigers that live in warm climates.
A tiger's tail is 3 to 4 feet long, about half as long as its body. Tigers use their tails for balance when they run through fast turns. They also use their tails to communicate with other tigers.
 Tiger stripes are like human fingerprints; no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes.
A tiger's paw prints are called pug marks.

Like domestic cats, tiger claws are retractable. Tiger scratches on trees serve as territorial markers.

The life span of tigers in the wild is thought to be about 10 years. Tigers in zoos live twice as long.
Tiger cubs are born blind and weigh only about 2 to 3 pounds (1 kg), depending on the subspecies. They live on milk for 6-8 weeks before the female begins taking them to kills to feed. Tigers have fully developed canines by 16 months of age, but they do not begin making their own kills until about 18 months of age.


Tiger craft:
Color or paint a paper plate orange.  Color and cut out objects below, then cut and glue.  EASY - FUN!!!