Today we had a lesson on Kwanzaa and learned all about this special holiday. We also sampled a Kwanzaa treat, colored in a picture of the Kinara, and watched a bookflix "Seven Candles for Kwanzaa". Thank you Mr. S. for a great lesson!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Looking for a Good Book for Your Kindergartener?
Mrs. Hardesty, our school librarian, has created a booklist of her favorite books for kindergarteners. A fun and captivating book for a kindergartener is always an excellent holiday gift. You can also share this list with other parents by using the email link at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
BabyMouse Dragon Slayer
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
The Babymouse series is written in graphic novel format. It’s fun to read about this glamorous mouse’s adventures.
Mercy Watson : Something Wonky This Way Comes
by Kate DiCamillo
This is an easy chapter book. It’s a series written by one of my favorite authors, Kate DiCamillo. Mercy Watson is a great pig hero!
Skippyjon Jones... Lost in Spice
This is the newest SkippyJon Jones book. These books are so much fun to read aloud, but you have to do the Latin accent.
Too Many Toys
by David Shannon
I love all of the books by David Shannon, but this has to be my favorite! Kids and parents definitely relate to this problem! Terrific pictures too!
Great Websites for Awesome Books
Our wonderful retired librarian, Jean Koch, has offered a few great reading websites that may give you some gift ideas for this holiday season.
1. http://readkiddoread.com/
This site is by Judy Freeman and James Patterson. They are really into kids and reading.
2. http://www.peggysharp.com/
Peggy Sharp – Presenter and kids book expert
This website gives a variety of titles for good reading, great transitional books, and great illustrated books.
3. http://www.booksintheclassroom.com/gradeindex.php?grade=K
This site offer excellent reviews of books for kindergarten students.
4. http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm
100 Best Books
1. http://readkiddoread.com/
This site is by Judy Freeman and James Patterson. They are really into kids and reading.
2. http://www.peggysharp.com/
Peggy Sharp – Presenter and kids book expert
This website gives a variety of titles for good reading, great transitional books, and great illustrated books.
3. http://www.booksintheclassroom.com/gradeindex.php?grade=K
This site offer excellent reviews of books for kindergarten students.
4. http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm
100 Best Books
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Spelling City: Fun Games Using our Sight Words
Looking for some new ways to help your child learn sight words? Why not play some online games with our list of kindergarten word wall words? Check out the link below!
http://www.spellingcity.com/Community.html
http://www.spellingcity.com/Community.html
Five Years Already?!
Both Mrs. Gabriel and I received service awards for five years of service and dedication to Virginia Beach Public Schools. I was completely surprised- time flies when you are having fun!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Positive Parenting Tips
Ms. Booth, our school guidance counselor, has shared this article with our blog on positive parenting. Ms. Booth has been a guidance counselor in Virginia Beach Public Schools for nine years, three years at John B. Dey.
Hello Parents!
To help your child achieve success as a well balanced child, these tips might help
Responsibility: Encourage your kids to admit their mistakes, and take the time to treat it as a learning experience. Remain calm, discuss the decision that was made, and explain that poor choices have consequences. Mistakes are everyday teaching moments. More than likely, the consequences from poor decisions will have an impact on the child making more successful choices in the future.
Stress: Our kids have busy lives!! What helps when things get chaotic? Lower the volume in your home. Studies reveal that kids growing up in chaotic, hectic, loud homes often have more anxiety issues and difficulty problem solving in their environment. To help de-stress, turn the TV off when it is not being viewed. Often, background noises are distracting and time could be better spent talking or sharing family time. Have a quiet time period after school or before dinner to let the kids unwind, read their favorite book, or even have a short nap. Talk to your kids in calm tones and show them what active listening is all about. Finally, have daily routines to help maintain order and consistency in the home.
Discipline: It is important to keep in mind what we really want to get out of discipline. We want kids to realize from any situation that they are able to learn the difference between right and wrong. Self-discipline is a goal from positive parenting techniques- praise, discussion of choices, discussion of expectations, and building trust. Studies show that a nurturing parent- not too harsh and not too lenient- has the most positive impact on kids. Parents who are kind, understanding, and send nurturing messages to their kids usually have better behaved children. Some nurturing messages: I love you, you are important in our family, let’s learn from this together, I have faith in your abilities, I care about you. Anger is a natural emotion of parents when their children disobey, however be sure to take the time to calm down before speaking to your child. Children learn from modeling, so when they see you take time to calm down, they are more likely to assess their choices to get the best response from you!
Source: Firm, Fair and Consistent, The Parent Institute, 2006.
Hello Parents!
To help your child achieve success as a well balanced child, these tips might help
Responsibility: Encourage your kids to admit their mistakes, and take the time to treat it as a learning experience. Remain calm, discuss the decision that was made, and explain that poor choices have consequences. Mistakes are everyday teaching moments. More than likely, the consequences from poor decisions will have an impact on the child making more successful choices in the future.
Stress: Our kids have busy lives!! What helps when things get chaotic? Lower the volume in your home. Studies reveal that kids growing up in chaotic, hectic, loud homes often have more anxiety issues and difficulty problem solving in their environment. To help de-stress, turn the TV off when it is not being viewed. Often, background noises are distracting and time could be better spent talking or sharing family time. Have a quiet time period after school or before dinner to let the kids unwind, read their favorite book, or even have a short nap. Talk to your kids in calm tones and show them what active listening is all about. Finally, have daily routines to help maintain order and consistency in the home.
Discipline: It is important to keep in mind what we really want to get out of discipline. We want kids to realize from any situation that they are able to learn the difference between right and wrong. Self-discipline is a goal from positive parenting techniques- praise, discussion of choices, discussion of expectations, and building trust. Studies show that a nurturing parent- not too harsh and not too lenient- has the most positive impact on kids. Parents who are kind, understanding, and send nurturing messages to their kids usually have better behaved children. Some nurturing messages: I love you, you are important in our family, let’s learn from this together, I have faith in your abilities, I care about you. Anger is a natural emotion of parents when their children disobey, however be sure to take the time to calm down before speaking to your child. Children learn from modeling, so when they see you take time to calm down, they are more likely to assess their choices to get the best response from you!
Source: Firm, Fair and Consistent, The Parent Institute, 2006.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Kelso's Choices
Today, our wonderful guidance counselor, Ms. Booth taught a lesson on Kelso's choices. The kindergarteners learned the difference between big problems and small problems and how to choose one of Kelso's choices to solve a small problem. Some of the choices include- talk it out, go to another game, apologize, make a deal, ignore it, walk away, share and take turns. If you have a big problem, talk to an adult who you trust. Thank you Ms. Booth for a great lesson!
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