Welcome to the Sandwich Shop!

While reading Joy Cowley's A Monster Sandwich, we made some sandwiches of our own. Felt sandwiches. These novelty/themed centers get old for the students after two or three weeks, so I try to change this area pretty frequently. 

All the ingredients lined up. I took a few things from the play kitchen and then just cut shapes out of felt, nothing fancy.

The serving counter. 

Which sandwich would you like to buy? 

Sandwich pictures with names and prices in dollar store frames

A place to sit and dine... or re-read A Monster Sandwich

Living in Khaki World

As I was dealing with the incredible mess that is sure to come with 23 children doing squirt painting on wooden blocks, the thought popped into my head, "Don't get it all over your khakis!" Then as I walked down the hall of my school, I noticed teachers dressed far nicer than I, in their high heels and pressed slacks. I peeked in classrooms and noticed teachers standing by their shiny Smart Boards. 

I love my school, and these are strong committed wonderful teachers, but I wondered what I'm doing here in this khaki place. Why am I not wearing a flannel shirt covered in old art projects? Why are my oldest jeans not my school uniform? Why (and I'm SO ashamed to say this) is this the third time we've used paint this year? Why did I have to fit this project in between guided reading lessons instead of outside amidst hours of play?

 And why in the WORLD am I concerned about my stupid khaki pants? 

The next day, as our creations sat in the hallway drying into an ugly black color, several teachers stopped by to ask me what they were. I guess I didn't understand the nature of their question, because I answered instead what their PURPOSE had been. "We were squirting paint out of ketchup bottles and watching it run down the blocks," I told them cheerfully. 

It was several failed attempts of explaining this that I finally understood the question was literally, "What ARE they?" 

They're art, is all I really know. Ask one of my children, and they'll probably tell you it's a rainbow smoothie butterfly volcano. And it is, if they say it is, but I, as the teacher, didn't intend for them to be anything at all. I am not the artist. 

Drip Painting.

 Holton Rower did an awesome art project that has inspired some preschool teachers to try out "tall painting." I got the idea from Teacher Tom's blog. What happens in Rower's artwork is that different colors of paint are poured repeatedly in layers over a tall wooden piece. His artwork is quite large. After finding a pile of throw away wood at a construction site, I thought we should make a go of it.

 I decided to use ketchup bottles instead of pouring it. 

The finished wet product was pretty awesome looking. 

The finished dry product was, well, just a black block. Using only tempera paint is obviously NOT the key to this project. 

Did we consider it a failure because they dried looking awful? 

Of course not. 

Because we learned about cause and effect, gravity, color mixing, texture, and more. We used our creativity and imagined blueberry castles and rainbow rockets, ice cream volcanoes and strawberry mountains. 

Upcycled Big Blocks

Upcycling is my favorite. Using something old for something better. We've found that something as worthless as Capri Sun blocks make the best big blocks. Not only that, but they have words and letters on them, and it gets you extra points for environmental print. 

EVERY child should have a set of blocks. And there is no excuse when the blocks are so free!

The wooden blocks are more popular, but the Capri Sun blocks make frequent appearances. 

They make great tunnels. 

This looks suspiciously like a coffin... but I think it's just fun to enclose someone. 

Castle making with both kinds of blocks. 

A Classroom from the Past

I have a record of changing physical classrooms often. In three years of teaching I have had four classrooms. Here is my 2011-2012 room: 

The room. 

The entryway. 

Calendar/Schedule & Reading Chair

Carpet Area (Dramatic Play is in the back right). 

The Writing Center

Paint chips from Lowe's used for "The Wall of Art & Color." 

Christmas Craft

Christmas is a time when we all pull out a few more craft projects than usual. After all, you can't grow up without at least one kindergarten ornament hanging from the tree. 

Here are the two projects we did this year in kindergarten: 

Invitation to decorate your own construction paper tree

-using glue with buttons, sequins, stars, etc. 

Invitation to Make a Wreath

-using green tissue paper and red circles

I put the glue in cups and let them use Q-tips to smear it on. Of course, a picture of each kid with a Santa hat on went inside the wreath circle. Then we added a ribbon for hanging it. The children get to wrap their own gift and make a tag. I always let them choose who they give it to. Usually it's mom or dad, but occasionally Cousin Bob or Sister Susie are the lucky recipients instead. 

Gingerbread

Run, run, as fast as you can.

You can't catch me, 

I'm the gingerbread man!

Gingerbread is a big unit in our classroom around Christmas time. No, it's not just a cutesy theme. We study summarizing the beginning, middle, and end of these stories.

It starts by reading aloud each different text. We make a chart writing the Beginning/Middle/End and then someone illustrates it for us. We do probably four or five different charts.

The students get to choose their favorite story. They write their own three BME sentences and then illustrate them.

We do some comparing, too, of course. What did you notice was the same about these stories? Wow, you all seem to have a lot of ideas. Maybe we should write them down to help us remember. Did you notice anything that was different? How was the story changed?

We have some pure play fun with the gingerbread theme, as well. Our favorite new song right now is Jack Hartman's "Gingerbread Man." Boy, is it a catchy tune.

We play with gingerbread playdough. I smells good enough to eat. 

And... when there are very few days left in December, we decorate our own REAL gingerbread cookies.