Q & A

I was recently contacted with a question:

Do you do most of your lettering on your cricut? I saw where you said you did some on there.

I do about 50% of my lettering with the Cricut; the other 50% is done on the computer. I have 100s of fonts from DJ Inkers, so when I print on the back of scrapbooking paper, I print the letters "mirrored" so you you can't see the lines from the front. Then I send the paper home with a Mommy Helper, so she can cut them out, which saves me tons of time! I always try to use scrapbooking paper for my lettering/bulletin boards, since it is acid-free and will not fade over the years.

Spelling Tests

After I have graded the spelling tests, I announce who spelled correctly and they get to sign our "Awesome Spellers" board. They really love to write on the whiteboard, so it's quite the incentive. I made the sign with my Cricut and Xyron 900, which turned it into a magnet. I just slap it up there on Fridays.

(I scribbled out their names.)

Happy Earth Week!

On the classroom doors in our school, each teacher decorated their door for Earth Week. Our door shows how we keep our room "green."

1. I donate all my leftover scrapbook paper to art center. All drawing paper is "recycled."

2. We turn off the computers when we aren't using them.

3. We pick up our trash on the playground.

4. We have a recycling program at our school for papers.

5. We don't waste water when we wash our hands.

6. We use both sides of our school papers.
7. We planted a garden.

8. We use water-based paints (which the parents appreciate :).

9. We reuse household products, like egg cartons for art projects and oatmeal containers for storage.

Day 7

Our water table is now full of sprouts. They are getting so tall, some are falling over. The kids spray them during recess with a mister.

Quite the lush garden for Earth Week!

Day 4

We have about 7 sprouts or seedlings!

That was quick!

What's Sproutin' in KinderGARDEN?

Day 1

We planted radish seeds today. They don't grow into radishes, but they sprout a stem and leaves, and they are pretty sturdy (even when stuck in a water table). We have been discussing the parts of a plant and they are perfect for showing children the roots, stems, and leaves!

"Best in Show"

Here is how I record my students' behavior.

Each child has their own star chart. At the end of the day, if they had a good day, they get a star; if they had a bad day, they get an unhappy face.

Just For Fun

I have found a lot of "interesting" things in my kindergartners' cubbies, but this is by far the craziest!

April Fools' Day

I tend to be one of those people who are annoyed by April Fools' Day, so we did one tiny prank. I filled out the dreaded, "orange notes" for every student and told them to put on their saddest, little puppy dog faces as they handed it to their parents. The kids raved about it; the parents were great sports. :)