There was a spider on our windowsill again this morning. A small, hairy brown spider, not even that big. I say "again" because it's not unusual to find spiders on our windowsills, especially now that it's spring. We've even spent two weeks on good "bugs", what defines an insect, and why spiders are actually good. Of course, you wouldn't know any of that judging from the kids' reactions to the spider this morning. All six of them were literally screaming and one even got up on a table (closer to the window) to try to get away from it. Once it was dead, of course they were all rushing to see it. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but it's only a spider!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Robots and Machines
We had the usual daily tantrums from the usual kids, but there were plenty of bright spots this week as we explored machines and created robots. The children were able to see inside an old computer and even practice putting parts of it back together with a real screwdriver. Then we built "robots" out of junk that could fly, vaccuum, and just sit there looking pretty. Just thinking about their wonder and amazement this week erases anything negative.
*By the way, you can get an activity packet about robots and machines from my TeachersPayTeachers store*
*By the way, you can get an activity packet about robots and machines from my TeachersPayTeachers store*
Storytelling
I promised you all some of the kids' stories, so here are some summaries. The site I used was Storybird and we had a blast!
A marshmallow got stepped on and was about to be eaten, so Super [Name] stepped in and took the bad guy to jail with his lightning powers.
Dinosuars like blue boats. People were flying in a plane so they could drive. (This one was done mainly with a language device)
A cat family likes cuddling and playing with spooky bones (She made sure to add "spooky" without any prompting from me!)
"They're happy. They're saying, 'Dude.'"
My personal favorite: Spongey's Friends. One of the kids picked about 7 different pictures and told me little stories about them, such as "This one isn't waterproof; he got water on him and had to go in the trash" and "This one got soaked up with a sponge." It read like the Gashlycrumb Tinies! Then he made me do a back cover.
The only thing that keeps me from completely breaking down and crying like a nut is wondering what the next group of kids will think of.
A marshmallow got stepped on and was about to be eaten, so Super [Name] stepped in and took the bad guy to jail with his lightning powers.
Dinosuars like blue boats. People were flying in a plane so they could drive. (This one was done mainly with a language device)
A cat family likes cuddling and playing with spooky bones (She made sure to add "spooky" without any prompting from me!)
"They're happy. They're saying, 'Dude.'"
My personal favorite: Spongey's Friends. One of the kids picked about 7 different pictures and told me little stories about them, such as "This one isn't waterproof; he got water on him and had to go in the trash" and "This one got soaked up with a sponge." It read like the Gashlycrumb Tinies! Then he made me do a back cover.
The only thing that keeps me from completely breaking down and crying like a nut is wondering what the next group of kids will think of.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Grizzly Hugs
There's a boy who's been out for the last few days. He's usually affectionate anyway and has all kinds of funny little quirks (like wearing pink tutus). I should let you know that today was a hot, muggy, rainy day and I didn't get enough sleep last night. I almost overslept and had to drag myself out of bed. That's why it made my day when he gave me a great big hug and said, "AMY! I MISSED YOU!" He's going to kindergarten soon but at least I have a few more months with him. :)
Friday, May 17, 2013
Spiders
We did one of my favorite units last week, about insects and spiders. I connected it to storytelling this week with a story about Anansi the spider (a nice multicultural bonus for my evaluator). One of the kids was really into the story and asked to see "the one with the melon on it" during naptime. He started retelling it on his own and stumbled over the name "Anansi." I helped him, telling him how to pronounce it. He said, "I can't say that! I'll just call him Antsy."
Monday, May 13, 2013
Sorry, Sorry
I feel terrible! Almost a month since my last post! I've been to the SmartStart conference and going through a personnel change in the classroom. I'm looking forward to having someone fresh with different views. I'll make sure I post at least twice a week for regularity and my own sanity.
Speaking of "Sorry," the children learned the word as part of a social skills lesson from the DINA program. Now they're saying it to each other at every opportunity, some of which is good and some bad. The ones that really get it are great at comforting, but it's a complex skill. One of the children hit another one through the course of playing and child #2 started crying. We sat the first one down and talked to him about hitting. Then we said, "What should you say to him now?" The boy burst out crying and said, "I'm s-sorry!" He was fine a minute later. I wonder if he really felt that bad or if we should call Hollywood?
*We're doing storytelling this week, so look for a post about some of their stories. Should be cute!*
Speaking of "Sorry," the children learned the word as part of a social skills lesson from the DINA program. Now they're saying it to each other at every opportunity, some of which is good and some bad. The ones that really get it are great at comforting, but it's a complex skill. One of the children hit another one through the course of playing and child #2 started crying. We sat the first one down and talked to him about hitting. Then we said, "What should you say to him now?" The boy burst out crying and said, "I'm s-sorry!" He was fine a minute later. I wonder if he really felt that bad or if we should call Hollywood?
*We're doing storytelling this week, so look for a post about some of their stories. Should be cute!*
