Caterpillar Update!

I'm sure your child has been coming home telling you (maybe more informing you) on the stages of our caterpillars. 

As of last week, our baby larva (caterpillars) were eating their mallow (food) and had molted 2 or 3 times.

Over the weekend, our caterpillars really were busy eating and resting.  They grew much longer and began to outgrow their little habitats.  This is the sign they are close to making a chrysalis!

Well, Tuesday (April 23) we came to school and most of our larva had made their silk buttons at the top of their cups to attach themselves and hang upside down in a J-shape.  This is one of the last steps before they make their chrysalis and go into the pupa stage.  YAY!!!!

Now today, we have about 6-10 chrysalis and the remainder are hanging in their J-shape about to make their chrysalis! 

Room 408 is more than excited! 

Please check back next week...we may have adult butterflies! 

 We cannot wait, but for right now, we're in our chrysalis and going through a BIG CHANGE (metamorphosis)!

 

Our Caterpillars Are HERE!

We're so excited to have our little caterpillars here! 

From now until Mid-May, Room 408 has the joyous opportunity to observe the caterpillars in 3 of the 4 stages of the butterfly life-cycle. 

 

Right now, they are in the larva stage (caterpillars)...they will eat their mallow and molt (shed their skin) 5 times before moving into the pupa stage (chrysalis).

 

  

As you can imagine, the KinderKids are LOVING this!  Their eyes are eager to observe with their hand lenses every day!  It is the 1st  thing they ask to do in the morning. 

Please stop by to see this fast-growing caterpillars! 
They are busy moving on their          
true legs...see!

 

 Also, talk to your child about some of the body parts of a caterpillar~~we're currently learning some new vocabulary words:

*bristles

*spiracles

*true legs

*prolegs

*jaw

*metamorphosis

*molting

 

You'll be amazed how smart these Kinders are!  Kiss Your Brains!

Do you know when my conference is?

Mrs. Brennan has a parent meeting (a conference, I think) 

set up for you.  Do you know when it is because !

Remember, conferences are next week and I look forward to meeting with you at your confirmed time! 

Please plan on arriving 10 minutes early to go through the project table. 

If you need to reschedule your conference, please let me know in advance. 

I cannot wait to share all the wonderful things your child is learning/doing in class!

 

Shape Monsters!

This week, we've been madly creating our

SHAPE MONSTERS

which applies our knowledge of geometry! 

 

It was the KinderKids jobs to:

1.  Plan what shape their monster should have.
2.  Use a variety of curved edge/straight edge shapes.
3.  Ensure their monster had a head/addomen/arms/legs.
4.  Tally up the geometric shapes.
5.  Graph how may shapes used.
6.  Share with families/friends.

I'm one proud teacher~~ 

the KinderKids took such pride in the making of them! 

Bravo!

Kiss your brain, Room 408!

Squares, Triangles, and Rectangles...Oh My!

Make a shape, build a block! 

That is the name of our new math unit!  We've been studying 2-d and 3-d shapes, too! 

The focus this month is on:

*shapes

*angles

*edges (straight edge or curved edge)

*prism

*cube

*cylinder

*cone

*dimension

As you can tell, Kindergarten has changed!  We have higher expectations in math and the kids are absorbing it!  They are little sponges! 

 Your child has been exploring shapes/angles/edges to create pattern block puzzle pictures, as well as making straight/curved edges to manipulate  

rubber-bands on  geo-boards.

We've, also, taken shapes to turn them into a picture which helped us notice that

SHAPES ARE EVERYWHERE!

Here's our motto this month:  

 Can we build it?  Yes, we can! 

We're loving shapes!

 

 

Happy Classified Week!

Mrs. Monter and Mrs. Solorio were celebrated this week for

 "Classified Week." 

We sang a song to thank them and

we gave them special gifts!

They are our lovely    

para-professionals who help us:

learn

eat our lunch

stay safe outside

make smart choices

with reading tests

DIBELS

get to the busses safely

and they always help Mrs. Brennan!

If you see one of these lovely ladies, please stop them and thank them!  

Oh my goodness!

What if...

You opened a book about dinosaurs

And one stumbled out

And another and another

And more and more pour out

Until the whole place

Is bumbling and rumbling

And groaning and moaning

And snoring and roaring

And dinosauring?

WHAT IF...

You tried to push them back inside

But they kept tromping off the pages instead?

Would you close the covers and hide your head?
Poem by: Isabel Joshlin Glaser