Summer Vacation, Here I Come!

Summer vacation is coming! It's just around the corner, and the anticipation that it is bringing with it has had our classroom on edge for the past month, if not more. This is all fine with me, because I'm feeling the same excitement!
Graduation is on Friday, and I am very ready for it. But I also can't believe it crept up on us this quickly. This year has been very different from any of the other years I have taught. There have been more challenges, but also more triumphs and joys. I am truly going to miss this crew of kinders!
Before we begin our break from school, I wanted to share a few things I learned in kindergarten this year:
Sharks are really nice. They just can't help that they are mean.
If another student says she has eyes in the back of her head, there is no arguing that fact, especially if she knew it was you walking up behind her.
I have learned anything and everything I ever did or did not want to know about Star Wars, mini-golf, Cars, Toy Story, Spiderman, Super Mario Brothers, and so many other things.
5-year-olds take things very literally. Hines Ward winning Dancing With the Stars can only mean that he flew up to outer space and danced with stars.
Fish can and will jump out of their tank. And 6-year-old boys will be ready to scoop them up if necessary.
Christmas songs, especially Jingle Bells, can and will be sung in any month of the year.
Blocks are more fun to clean up when you push your entire structure over, making a bigger mess.
Being first in line is a necessity. Even though we're all going to the same place.
Kindergarteners are very honest, very eager to learn, and have so much love for each other. I have received more hugs, been given more notes and pictures, and have been told "I love you" more times than any other year. The past 2 weeks I have seen my picture drawn countless times, alongside the friend who was drawing it.

This year has been a trying one, a year full of changes that were not wanted. Our classroom has had many ups and downs, but we have all learned and grown through it. One thing that has helped tremendously this year has been the care and support that has come from you, the parents of these incredible students. Thank you so much for all your support, encouragement, understanding, and willingness to work with us.
I love teaching kindergarten, and I have loved teaching at Calvary for the past 4 years. With Friday fast approaching, I'm feeling not only anxious for summer to begin, but also to begin the next great journey of my life-teaching 1st grade in Pittsburgh. Thanks for making my last year at Calvary incredible!

March Madness!

No, I'm not talking about basketball. March madness for the kindergarten classroom is when the snow is gone, the ground is wet and yucky, the air is chilly, and we are stuck inside. It's hard not being able to play on the playground when the sun is shining!

Even though we haven't been able to get outside, we've been very busy inside our classroom! Here are just a few activities that we have done throughout the month of March.

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How to Tie Your Shoes...and things that make you smile :)

Today we started talking about weather. We were discussing thunder and how it is just the noise that lightning makes, and even though it's loud, thunder itself will not hurt you. Several friends commented that they are afraid of thunder, so I wanted to emphasize that the sound that thunder makes is just that--a sound. It cannot hurt you. We did talk about the danger of lightning and how we can be safe during storms, but not before one of my friends raised his hand and informed me of this:
"But Miss Beck, my grown-up says that lightning can electrocute you!"
I responded with, "Your grown-up? Who is your grown-up?"
"My mom and my dad are my grown-ups!"
Oh, of course! I should have known ;)

Below is a little slide show that will (hopefully) help you practice tying shoes. This is how I teach, and I hope it's not too confusing!!

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February

It has been a very busy few weeks! Not only have we been very busy in the classroom, but I have been very busy myself. I'm hoping to use President's Day tomorrow to relax :)

Here are a few activities from the last few weeks. Included are some Steeler crafts we did before the Superbowl, some 100th day activities, and Valentine's Day activities. I did not get as many pictures as I had hoped too, but hopefully I will be able to snap a few photos of the finished projects this week.

Enjoy!

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When the Unexpected Happens

This week has certainly been a rough one, and that's very much an understatement. Not only has my personal life been shaken beyond belief this week by the death of someone I love so dearly, our preschool and classroom have certainly felt the repercussions of this tragedy as well.

I wish that all of you could have known Pastor Todd as well as I did. He was an amazing man of God, an incredible pastor, and this community is lucky that he was a part of it, even if the time was too short. I know that I am incredibly blessed that he was a part of my life.

This week is going to be incredibly difficult, so I am asking for your prayers for our Calvary family, but most of all Sharon and her girls. Especially on Tuesday, as we say our goodbyes to a man that meant so much to us.

One of Pastor Todd's favorite things to say was "but God". So I leave you with this scripture from Psalm 73:23-26

"Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."

We can rejoice that Pastor Todd has been taken into glory and we will meet him there again someday, and we have the reassurance that God is our strength, even in this difficult time.

Snowmen, Steelers, and Incredible Thinkers

This week we finished up talking about America, and we began talking about countries around the world. When concluding our discussion of America, we were discussing the different freedoms we have in this country. We talked about how we can choose a place to worship, and how we can read the Bible, and our privelege to vote for our leaders. One friend asked if we had to vote since we lived in America. I explained that you don't have to vote, but it is your responsibility as a citizen in this country. At hearing that, she exclaimed, "But Miss Beck, I don't know how to vote!" I told her she couldn't vote until she was an adult and that she would learn how, and she was very relieved to hear it.

When we were discussing having the freedom to choose a place of worship and the freedom to read the Bible, I mentioned that people in some other countries are not allowed to do those things. My KinderFriends couldn't believe it! The answer was simple to them: "Why don't they just move so they can do those things?" That gave us a wonderful opportunity to discuss why people come to this country, both in the past and now. I have to say I'm proud of the way my KinderFriends think :)

Our classroom is all hyped up about the Steelers going to the Super Bowl (although I must admit, I'm probably one of the most excited!!). Because of our snow day last Friday, we didn't get to make something to show our support before the AFC Title game, so we are making up for it now! Expect lots of football talk from us for the next few weeks, and lots of learning through it!

Check out the snowman activities we did last week. Enjoy!!

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MLK Jr. from a Kindergarten Perspective

Today we talked all day about Martin Luther King, Jr. We talked about what he did for our country. We discussed how we can help each other and get along. We had a few very good discussions too. One friend mentioned that the person who shot Dr. King didn't even know him, so what reason did he have to shoot him. After discussing that not everyone agreed with what Dr. King believed, another friend matter-of-factly stated that "they just need to think like his brain." But my favorite moment came at the end of the day. A friend grabbed a book from the shelf about Dr. King and asked another friend who it was. He replied, "That's Bill Martin, Jr.!" We discussed this author earlier in the year, so I guess I should be grateful he remembered!

Winter Animals

Check out some of the winter animal activities we did last week!

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Christmas Break is over...I need another!

I was hoping to post the activities that we did in class during the last few weeks of December sometime earlier during the break, but one thing teaching Kindergarten has taught me is: things don't always go as planned.

My nephew had to be admitted to the hospital on Christmas evening, which meant that his 4 older sisters (ages 9, 6, 3, and 2) were spending the week with me and my parents! While I absolutely enjoyed spending time with them, I didn't get a whole lot done, which is why this post is delayed. My nephew is home now, and you can check out my sister-in-law's chronicling of this past week on her blog here.

I must say I am really looking forward to going back to school tomorrow. For the routine of a normal day, for one, but mostly because I'm really excited to see my KinderFriends and to hear all about their week off. I've missed my little friends!

So, at last, enjoy the activities from our weeks before Christmas!

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