What if dinosaurs were still alive?

We spent some time exploring dinosaurs this week. We checked some sites, apps, and videos for information. We learned many different things, such as what was alive when the dinosaurs were here (butterflies, crocodiles, birds) and that birds are the closest living relative. We talked about meat eaters as well as plant eaters and what it would be like to have a dinosaur pet.

After some thought, the children filmed their own opinions about a dinosaur world. What would it be like if dinosaurs were still alive?

Opening a Store

After some great discussions on what money is used for and why it is important, we decided to open up our own stores in the classroom. Not only would it be fun, we would get to put our math skills (money), reading and writing skills (making posters, reading about stores and money, creating the product), speaking skills (filming a commercial), and social skills (selling and buying from others) to good use.

Here is a quick look at the children buying and selling products. They were each given a budget using fake money and needed to be careful about what they would buy. They also needed to be polite so others would want to be in their store. Any disputes about the correct price or change was handled by the bank (Mrs. Lembke). They could also save their earnings and spend them later.

One of the last aspects of the creation of our stores was to film a commercial. The children decided how and where they would film. They also chose what they would say in front of the camera. Keep in mind that the videos were completely filmed and created by the children. Some chose to set-up the camera on their own, while others chose to have someone hold it for them. This can cause for some interesting camera angles and glare. This is learning at its' best! Some chose to flash their great prices, while others just wanted to use a catchy phrase or two. They did a great job. Enjoy!

Our Superhero Book

Our Superhero book is complete! We have placed an order to receive some hardcopy books and I will paper copy for others. The kids did a great job of planning, illustrating, and writing the story. Our manuscript was more than 50 pages of hard work. Unfortunately, the company would only give us 30 pages, so we had to trim things down. The kindergarteners worked harder than I have ever seen.

If you would like to preview an eBook version, just follow the link below. The Kindergarten Superheroes has a great message about kindness towards others.

Weight and Balance

The kids saw some posts about weight on Twitter and asked to learn more. So, we pulled out the balance and discussed words such as heavy, lite, and equal. We found that marbles and erasers were much heavier than pencils and glue sticks. The kids decided that glass and rubber were heavier than wood and plastic. Good observations!

We used the application Doodlecast to film what we learned about using a balance. The three recordings below had clear audio, as we are still learning how to speak loud enough for our iPads. I hope to gather more recordings as we explore math concepts in upcoming weeks. The kids have chosen to explore money next week.

AP's Recording

EG's Recording

HJ's Recording

I Like, I Love, I Care

With Valentine's Day approaching, we began to discuss what it means to like, love, and care for someone or something. The children discussed how they sometimes care, love, and like someone all at the same time. They came up with many ideas, and then chose a few to write about and then share with the world. Enjoy:)

Tally and Graph

When the children thought of their recent graphing project, I don't know if they realized how much work it would be and how much persistance they would need to show! They worked hard and completed a project that used tallying and graphing skills, which are a part of our standards. This project also included cooperation, perseverance, patience, and self-control.

We began by thinking of our own survey questions and sending them home to our grownups. The kids then used tally marks to gather their totals and created a graph. The end result looks great and gave us a real look at how tallying and graphing is a part of our lives.

Word Family eBooks

Phew! The children learned that writing an eBook in a few days is hard work, but we did it! We explored word patterns and families this week and practiced further by picking one family to focus on in our books. There was a lot of rhyming going on in class this week!

eBook Links:

Dillon

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvNTZGQzk3NDgtNTMyRS00QTQwLTlCOTgtMzczRjU1MTZFM0E4LmVwdWI=

Logan

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvRjdGMjM0RUMtMEVEQS00QTAwLUExODAtOUZENTE2RDhCRUQ4LmVwdWI=

Leslie

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvODIwNzExRTYtMzNGQy00RkFDLUExMTEtNTY5MEQ5NDIwQjIxLmVwdWI=

Kaden

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvMzk0RTdDODctODlDRi00RjIzLTgyMzYtQzkyMDU0QTZCQzgyLmVwdWI=

Eli

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvRDFFNjQ4MUYtNjQ4RS00N0Y0LUE5RDctNTZGMzdBNjE2MzUzLmVwdWI=

Lily

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvNjY4ODM5OUEtQTE4MC00RjQwLTlDQTEtRjBCREIxMTU2QTQyLmVwdWI=

Alexis

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvRkM2OEEwMzYtM0IyRS00MTkyLUJERjMtNkYwNkREMjkyOTQwLmVwdWI=

Bryce

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvNEVGRDNDNzItMzcwQy00NzkwLUE5QTMtNjJDRTYyOEYwQ0MzLmVwdWI=

Landen

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvRTcxN0E0MjItQTQ4Mi00QkVGLThCM0YtRTQ4NUZEMDY1QURFLmVwdWI=

William

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvNzk0RUI1RTktQkMwOC00QkMyLTlCQkYtN0RGQjY1Rjk1MUQ1LmVwdWI=

Hope

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvNjRBMTBCN0UtQTg4Qi00MjFCLUE4N0QtMkJBMDZGRjNENkEyLmVwdWI=

Noah

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvOTg4NTM5RUMtQzk0NC00Qzg1LUJCOUMtMzYwODg4RENDNUE4LmVwdWI=

Neela

http://read.mystoryapp.org/read/aHR0cDovL2Jvb2tzLm15c3RvcnlhcHAub3JnL2VwdWIvOTQwNDFERUMtNjU0Mi00NjNFLTg0NTctRDJCREI0OEEwREE5LmVwdWI=