Week of March 21st-25th

This week was all about wind and weather.  Did your child come home and tell you that you need a plan in case there’s a fire or tornado?  We talked about how important it is to know what to do even if there’s a babysitter but that doesn’t mean we need to worry about it.  We practice so we’re prepared.  We learned different ways to use wind and wrote opinion pieces about our favorite weather.  We also talked about different kinds of clouds and made our clouds into a fun shape.  We read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and made a class book about what kind of food we would love to have rain on us if we lived in the land of Chewandswallow.

We also discussed day/night and started learning about the moon.  This class threw me for a loop this year as they had some amazing questions that I didn’t know the answers too!  I love it when they’re so interested in a topic.  I had to keep going back to the computer to look things up because they had great questions!  Today we wrote facts about the moon and glued craters on our moons.  We’ll finish them up next week and they’ll be in the hall.  We also learned about positions of the moon, Earth, and sun and did a labeling project.  The moon bag has started going home and they’re having fun checking it out.  They each have their own moon log too that they can chart the different phases.

In math, we are talking about different ways to sort using shape, color, and size.  Today we had two sets of objects that were the same and had to sort each set in a different way.  We will continue working on and explaining how we sort through next week.

Next week, we will start our next PLTW Science lessons on Push and Pull.  We will explore and learn about the terms: push, pull, force, motion, and collision.

Here are the upcoming reminders:

• please send in the bag of coins on Monday if you haven’t already so that we can use them for math.  They need 2 quarters, 4 dimes, 3 nickels, and 5 pennies.
• Spring pictures/or the money for them is due back on April 1st.  They are not free pictures, so if you don’t want them, please return them.
• Book orders will come home early next week and are due April 15.  If you need suggestions to match your child’s reading level, let me know and I’ll help pick some out.  Having a new book is an awesome reward to earn, especially in the summer!
• Art to Remember is due next Tuesday, March 29th.  You can order online and return the form with the code, or send in a check with your order form.
• 3/30 is Freddy’s night to earn 15% back for the school, you must mention Bentwood when you order
• 4/21 Save the date for the Bentwood 20th Birthday Celebration and Color Run!  Information about signing up is in the News From the Nest that the office sends out and came out today.

I hope you all have a great weekend!  We’re having Easter dinner at our house, so headed home to clean it up.  Of course, I also have plans Sat. night!!!  GO JAYHAWKS!!!  My poor dog is ready for the tournament to be over as we do just a little yelling at the tv and it stresses her out!  But they can’t win without me yelling!!!  Rock Chalk and Happy Easter! 🙂

Week of March 7-11th

This week we learned all about light and how straight light is white and bent light makes the colors appear and makes a rainbow.  We learned that something must bend the light in order for the colors to appear, like glass, water, or a prism.  We did several fun experiments with rainbows and light.

Today we had leprechaun day, read some fun stories, sang some fun songs, and wrote about what we would like to find a pot of at the end of the rainbow. (although we did learn that rainbows are actually a full circle, so we know there’s no end!)  We also wrote how to directions and then made leprechaun punch, complete with gold and a rainbow.  Be sure to ask your child to tell you the steps and ingredients!

In math, we finished up different ways to weigh and measure items and are now talking about sorting items by different attributes such as shape, color, and size.  We continue to practice addition, subtraction, and problem solving skills as well.

We are also working on being resourceful and solving problems in an appropriate way in the classroom.  I probably have 4 times a day that someone will tell me something and I ask them to problem solve and figure it out.  Yes, it would be easier if I took care of it, but teaching this skill will help them throughout their lives.  Try this at home.  Kids always shrug their shoulders at first and say I don’t know when I ask how they’re going to solve the problem.  However if I wait long enough, (sometimes a long while… 🙂 they can figure out a solution.

Another skill we’re working on is being a first time listener.  Kids know if you’re going to repeat something over and over that they usually don’t have to listen the first time.  It’s hard on our end, not to repeat, but we’re practicing so that they can listen and follow through the first time.

Tomorrow is QU wedding day!  We will learn all kinds of qu words, have a wedding and reception, practice sorting the “kw” and “k” sounds, practice syllables, do some wedding writing, and math.  All of our normal skills to practice packed into a fun day!  Don’t forget the girls come as queens and the boys as quarterbacks! 🙂

I have these people down for the end of the year as Royal Readers: 3/25-Stephanie Fisher, 4/1-Jillian Curtis, 4/8-Caleb’s grandparents (?), 4/22-Vicki Ojeda, 4/29-open slot, and 5/6-Joanie Spencer.  If you would like to come, I can fit it in another day as well.  Email me if you’d like to and some dates and we’ll see what we can work out.

Last Call for Watch DOGs!  If you would like to be a Watch DOG this year, there is still time to sign up for a day in March or April.  Go to the Bentwood website, click on Parent Information, and then Watch DOGs.  Open the Sign-up Genius and pick a day that works best for you. Remember to print off a registration form and send it to school with your child as soon as possible.  We love our Watch DOGs at Bentwood!

Spring Break homework:  I’m sending home some lucky charms and some fun math activities to do with them.  I also sent a Spring Break report sheet home as well.  They can return those for gotchas if they’d like after break.  (they did ask if they had to bring back the Lucky Charms, but I said no, they can eat them, but only after they ask you! 🙂  Keep reading during break too!

At the moment, I still plan to be gone tomorrow afternoon, but subs got changed and I don’t know who I’ll have.  Mrs. Brock and Ms. Marie will be here though.  As of now, insurance won’t approve part of his surgery, so we’ll see.  I am praying they just go ahead and approve it so we can give him time to recover over break.  It’s been a rough week, I’ve had this cold for two weeks and haven’t slept and now this mess.  We all need a break!  I hope you enjoy your time off and spend some fun time together!

Week of Feb. 29-March 4th

Your child is now an expert on bears!  We read lots of informational books, took notes, and wrote reports. (They’re hanging in the hall).  We also learned about labeling and drew a bear and labeled it to go with the reports.  They learned a lot of interesting vocabulary words as well.  We also celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday this week and enjoyed lots of his stories.  We did some inferencing about Horton’s egg, and a directed drawing of the Cat in the Hat.  We practiced our listening skills for 2-3 step directions and talked about shapes, and length and height.  We finished the week with our Teddy Bear picnic.  The bears went to hibernate in their dens and then when we came in Friday morning, all the bears were at centers doing puzzles, blocks, engineering etc.!  We did lots of writing, measuring, adding, subtracting, estimating, and comparing our bears to others in the class.  We ended the day with a picnic with our bears.  Thanks again to all who sent items in for the picnic!  I hope they shared their book with you from the day.

In math, we are working on different ways to measure, length, height, capacity, and different ways to sort items.

We added the sight words, “no” and “it”.  I’m working on getting the kids retested on sight words.  At this point, they should know 35-50/55 to be satisfactory on their grade cards.  We have learned 45 so far.

This coming week, we will learn about healthy foods/bodies, light, rainbows, and do some fun science experiments with light and rainbows.  We will also have leprechaun day/activities on Thursday and Friday will be QU wedding.

A note will be coming home on Monday about our wedding Friday.  The girls are invited to come dressed as queens (princess dresses or a dress), and the boys can come as quarterback (jerseys or sports shirts, no cleats please.)  We will learn all about how q and u must be together to make words.  On Tuesday, I will also send home a paper that will be their wedding gift to Q and U.  Please help them come up with a “qu” word that they will write on the paper and then draw a picture of that item.  For example, “quack” and they could draw a picture of a duck quacking.  Please make sure it’s a word they know although you’ll probably have to give some suggestions.  They can bring those back when done, but need to be here by Friday if not earlier.  They’ll present those to the couple on Friday.  After the wedding, we will have a reception and enjoy qu cookies.  One of my favorite days in K! 🙂

I think that’s it for now.  Have a great day!