As the snow falls....

What do Canadian kids do when the snow is falling outside their classroom window? Big flakes that look irresistible to a five year old. We grab a shovel, we grab a tray and head outside to get some of that fresh, fluffy stuff. First we pat it down and use a Popsicle stick to practice the letters we know, then it is time to create whatever we want. And there you have the beauty of Kindergarten.

Little Scientists....

Wow, science experiments in Kindergarten turn out to be so exciting. Five year olds are just so impressed with the simplest things. Here is what you need, clear cups, hot water, cold water, salt and cooking oil, and candy canes. First, we made a hypothesis about what will happen to each candy cane when they are dropped into each liquid. You will get responses like, "it will explode," and "we will probably see fire." Record all these answers. Next, with your students help drop a piece of candy cane in each liquid.

Now wait, within a few minutes, big things will begin to happen and you would not believe the excitement.

I gave each student their own glass with hot water and a piece of candy cane, they loved it. After we figured out what happened in each liquid, we went back and compared the results with our initial hypothesis. Great excitement for authentic learning. It just can't get much better than that.

Why didn't I think of this before!

What do you get when you take a small plastic pool, throw in some small boxes, scissors, tape and squares of wrapping paper. You get an amazing Kindergarten Center!  I cannot believe that I have not thought of this before.  The kids were so excited to get their hands in that pool and  they wrapped and wrapped and wrapped.   They were measuring, estimating, cutting, writing, and taping.  The fine motor skill development alone was fantastic.  I would encourage all my Kindergarten colleagues to throw together a center like this one, I guarantee it will be a hit.