Monday, April 30, 2012

Eric Carle Creations: Part One

Carle's Caterpillars


To end our year, we fill the last five weeks with fun Eric Carle characters.  Our first week was spent with The Very Hungry Caterpillar...
And, oh, what fun!

Although this was a story that most of the munchkins knew already, they loved using all the retelling pieces and rug toys that went with it. 




















We had so much fun with all sorts of literacy activities...
Like...
ordering the caterpillar's munchies by for each day of the week...

writing our own sentences about what the caterpillar ate...
and making word caterpillars.

Some long.
Some longer.
And some longest!
Some even the same size!

We made some other interesting little caterpillars, too.

One was an addition caterpillar.

Another was a cute little pom caterpillar.

And then there were these guys!



Too cute!
  And what a great place to store all the story pieces so the munchkins could retell it at home.

The high point of this week, however, was learning all about real caterpillars.  We created a great lap book (one that we will add to each week with a different insect).  Our lap book included a diagram of a caterpillar body, a mini-book about what caterpillars really eat, a petal book of vocabulary word and a journal. The munchkins also created a beautifully written paragarph about all the new things they learned about caterpillars.  This was a perfect addition to the center of the lap book. 




The journal was used to record the growth of our REAL caterpillar larva. 
The munchkins loved observing and drawing what they saw in the larva cup and they can't wait to see what happens over the next few weeks.


Our week ended, as always, with a terrific snack. 
The munchkins love to try to guess what we will be making.
Well...
No surprise this week!



The munchkins had fun putting this one together.  The recipe included all the parts of the caterpillar body that the munchkins have learned about this week, including spiracles, setea, and tentacles.


And, I must say, they all had interesting personalities when completed!

Plus, they tasted great!


It was a great ending to a fun-filled week.  Now we prepare for the next stage of metamorphosis...

Until next time...
Giggles,
Mrs. D.









Sunday, April 22, 2012

Young Authors

Meet Our Authors


Springtime is always the perfect time for our annual Young Authors Showcase.  This was our 6th year of celebrating the fabulous writing that our kindergarten curriculum produces.

The munchkins worked very hard for several weeks to create an original story.  They used a graphic organizer to prepare their ideas, setting up their characters, settings, as well as sequencing a beginning, middle and end.  They also use the graphic to determine what type of problem / solution their plots will have.

After the story is organized, the munchkins work on putting together the sentences necessary to make it all come together.  Many of them choose a pattern to follow, giving their stories predictability and cohesion.

The munchkins love the next step...the computer lab!  Everyone discovers the fun of publishing the story using the computer.  Each munchkin chooses his or her own font, type size and font color. 

Cool!

After the stories and published and printed, they are illustrated. 

Parents and special VIPs are invited to the school for our Showcase in which the munchkins read their stories aloud to the audience.  This year was a huge success!































What a fantastic group of Young Authors!

Congratulations, Munchkins!


Until next time...
Giggles,
Mrs. D.