Five for Friday! A Whole Lot a Science and a Little Bit of Classroom Shenanigans!

It's that time again!  I now look forward to Fridays with a new found energy and excitement because I know I get to link up with other bloggers, share what we've been learning and get inspired by other awesome teachers! It is so much fun!!

So thankfully I'm posting this in time to join the link up (sometimes it turns into Five for Fraturday or just a Sunday post)

How funny and cute is this sign? I recently found it while browsing TPT and my students think its awesome! 

It's also a great classroom management tool, whenever kids shout out, I simply point to this sign and call on someone who has a quite hand raised.

We have been totally engrossed by our science projects over the past couple of weeks. 

It took awhile for the experiments to produce results, but after a long waiting period, we finally saw some pretty amazing stuff!

         

We started this experiment with white bread and nothing was happening, so we decided to try a different approach. 
We added brown organic bread and did the experiment again. 
What do ya know, the second time it worked and Wallah! MOLD!
I used this experiment to talk about health and nutrition. 
Can you believe the white bread still doesn't have any mold on it? After a month???? EWW- That totally freaks me out!

We discussed how white bread has flour that's been bleached and that it also has more sugar than brown bread.

Didn't they do such a great job journaling?

Biographies Galore!

Please excuse the very blurry picture :)

This is our biography bulletin board. Over the course of the year we will be studying the following themes: 

The American Revolution, The Civil War, The American Presidents, Inventors, Famous Women, and Famous African Americans.

I am loving this biography unit! 
Check it out Right Here

These signs are helpful reminders for my students. 

I created this timeline as an example for my students to give them context and help them understand how to create their own.

My hope is that after they create their own timeline, they will have a deeper understanding of the timelines of famous Americans that we study.

If you like my timeline and would like your own template, feel free to pick yourself up a copy over at my TPT store.

Check it out HERE!!!!

Here's what the unit looks like:

Check out our new reading buddies!!! The kiddos and I were SO excited when these little fellas arrived in the mail :)

And lastly, this little guy. I found these really funny goggly eyes in the target dollar section and I just couldn't resist! 
I had to buy them and give our little recycling bin a personality. 
We voted as a class and decided to name him "Peter."
Now whenever the student go to throw something away, I remind them "only paper goes in Peter."
It has already reduced the amount of accidental food spillage (which used to get thrown in the recycling bin instead of the trash can) by about 99%.

Pretty stink in cute and effective!

Well, I think that pretty much wraps things up.

Have a fabulous 3 day weekend!!!

Five for Friday TGIF!!

Five For Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching

I hope you all had an amazing week. We were very busy, but we got so much accomplished and I can't believe how much I've seen my kindergarteners grow in just TWO WEEKS!!
They are already learning how to be kind, considerate, patient and loving. I am thoroughly loving all the learning and growth that is taking place.

So to kick things off this Friday here's my first highlight of the week!

 

I don't know if any of you are as OBSESSED with pumpkins as I am, but let me tell ya- I might have a problem! I start thinking about fall and pumpkins in March and April and it gets me excited and gives me the little UMPH I need to push through to the end of the school year- a little crazy but it works for me :)

I got a flyer in the mail for NOAH's pumpkin bagels and I almost had a conniption fit! I NEED TO GET SOME!

I also celebrated our first chilly morning (its starting to feel like fall) we've had by picking up a pumpkin spice latte- Can I say Bliss???

 I saw this super cute idea on Pinterest, and thought it would be an awesome way to get my kiddos excited about learning. We are filling it in halfway- each day we are reading and adding on an extra minute. They have been doing SO well! I'm very pleased!

  

Since my group of kinders is pretty young this year, I thought it might be better to ease them into partner reading. This week we got to wear reading "glasses" and pick a "partner" (stuffed animal) who we can read the pictures with.

        We are quite the typing experts! 5 years ago I discovered the joy that is bbc typing and ever since I have taught my kindergarteners to use it. By the end of the school year they are able to type independently and feel so proud of themselves!

Check it out here:

Dance Mat Typing for kids!

 This week in science we talked all about germs. How they spread and how we can prevent them from spreading. We started our conversation by testing out what will happen when bread is touched by dirty hands. The bag labeled "dirty hands" has bread that was touched by every student. The "clean hands" bag has bread only touched by a few students with clean hands. The "control" bag has bread that was not touched. We are still waiting to see what will happen.

I found some amazing videos which helped make our learning more meaningful. The students especially enjoyed this treasure:

Don't Infect! Protect!

 

By the way, I am LOVING these Interactive Social Studies Journals (K-2) by Primary Graffiti

Interactive Journals K-2

I have enough material to cover all the units we will be studying this year! HALLELUJAH!!!

We kicked off our solar system unit yesterday. Take a look at this AMAZING mobile a student asked if they could bring in and share! I think it will make our study so engaging and exciting!

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!!!!

Thank God Its Friday!!