Visit to Stearn’s Farm: On Friday, we had our first kindergarten field trip. We began the trip by sight seeing two historical houses built over 150 years ago. The children made many comparisons about these houses and their own homes. The most exciting part of the trip was feeding and petting the animals. We saw turkeys, ponies, horses, geese, ducks, bunnies, pigs, a cow, goats, and sheep. Most of the children enjoyed a small goat named Mork. Mork followed us for most of the trip, and the children were even able to walk him on a leash! It was a wonderful hands-on experience for our students. This next week, we will decide as a class on a pet to adopt from the farm. We will then receive updates on our animal from the volunteers at Stearn’s Farm, a photo, and certificate.

Writer’s Workshop: We began writing stories called “Small Moments”. We spend time writing every single day. I have been teaching children to write stories about their lives. Now, as we progress in our writing, I hope that the children will write more detail about a small moment in their life. Instead of writing about “going to the zoo,” they will write about all the details when they watched a male lion walk around his pen and lay down in the sun. Instead of writing about “going to school,” they will write about waking up before the sun came out, and searching for their clothes, while looking for their missing shoe. Thus far, this writing unit has started off very well. The children have really grasped the concept that their story can extend onto several pages. They have been able to select one topic and write several details about that topic. We will keep working on this writing unit for the next month. Be sure to ask your child about their writing topic! They are beginning to see that small moment stories happen to us all day long, and any one of these moments can be made into a story!

Open House: This Wednesday evening , September 29th at 5pm, is Kindergarten Open House!!! Please mark your calendars to come into the classroom an see what your child has been learning . This is your chance to see our new handwriting curriculum, take a look at your child’s portfolio, and look at writing samples. Please use this opportunity to ask any questions you have about your child and the curriculum. (Our first conferences are scheduled for November 1st.) I look forward to seeing you this Wednesday!