Making Spaceman Sticks

Every year I like to make a set of these spaceman sticks for my students.  It is a great help when teaching your class how to make spaces between words!  It is an essential writing tool in my classroom!

Simply print the spacemen onto labels (or you can use paper).  Then cut the labels to the desired size - I like to cut off some of the white area.  Put the stickers onto jumbo craft sticks and secure with a piece of clear packing tape.  I also like to add each students name on the bottom of the stick with a permanent marker.

Click below to get the labels.

Constitution Day!

We had fun learning about the Constitution today!  I found these ideas on Pinterest!

We began by making tricorn hats with "powdered" hair.  I prepped the materials by cutting blue construction paper into the hat shape, and by cutting white construction paper into strips.

 I stapled 2 sides of the hat together.

 The students curled the white paper strips and then glued them onto the hat.

Finally I put the hat around the student's head and stapled it in front to fit.

Then I got the "marker quills" ready!  I simply taped a large feather to a few markers.  I purchased the feathers at Michaels.  I saw this idea from A Place Called Kindergarten.

I wrote our classroom constitution on some chart paper after ripping the edges.  After reading our constitution and talking a bit about the US Constitution, we all put on our hats and began signing, just like James Madison and George Washington!

And here is our finished classroom constitution!  I modeled my version after one that I found at Howywood Kindergarten.

This was so exciting for the kids!  Who knew that learning about the Constitution could be such fun?!?!

Tops and Bottoms

We are reading one of my favorite books this week - Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens.  We just love how Hare tricked the lazy Bear!

After reading the book, we charted out the different vegetables that Hare got - the bottoms (beets, carrots, and radishes), the tops (broccoli, lettuce, and celery), and the middles (corn).

We recalled the events of the story and my students helped to glue the pictures on the chart.

Then everyone got to complete their own cut and glue worksheet.

Give this book a read.  I'm sure that everyone will love it!

You can find this in my TpT store.

The Science of Coconuts in Your Kindergarten Classroom

Explore coconut seeds with your Kindergarteners!  

Kids are innately interested in nature and the world around them.  Investigate coconuts and learn what they are all about!

We have been busy learning about all kinds of seeds.  Large seeds, small seeds, fruit seeds, vegetable seeds, and flower seeds. 

Today we spent the last part of the day exploring coconut seeds.  I brought in a coconut, some bottled coconut water, and lots of tools to crack the coconut open and to cut up the coconut meat.

We began by passing around the coconut.  We touched it and shook it. Then we drew a picture of what the outside of the coconut looked like.

Then we predicted what the coconut would do when it was put in a container of water.  Would it sink or float?  Next, we headed outside to see what would happen.

Yes, it floated!!!  We recorded the results.

Then I poked a hole in the coconut and drained out the coconut water. Since the water that I drained out of the coconut was full of bits of the coconut shell, we tasted the bottled coconut water instead.

Then I hit and hit and hit the coconut with a hammer.  Finally, it cracked open.  Then we drew a picture of what the inside of the coconut looked like.

Last we tasted a small piece of coconut meat!  Everyone really enjoyed exploring coconuts!

I just added the Coconut Science sheet to my freebies.