Oh, we're having a Thanksgiving Dinner Feast!

Friday was such a wonderful day!  We loved getting to share the day with all of our kindergarten families.  We hope that you enjoyed the feast as much as we did.  Please feel free to share your pictures and/or videos with us.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Preparing for the Feast

We spent most of November preparing for our Thanksgiving Feast.  We worked hard on learning the songs for our show, creating beautiful artwork to decorate, and cooking tons of food!  Check out our pictures below:

Publix Field Trip

Today, we went shopping at Publix to buy groceries for our upcoming Thanksgiving Feast.  The three groups (lions, tigers, and bears) visited the three Publix stores on Archer Road.  Before shopping, we went on a tour and got to check out lots of the departments and what goes on "behind the scenes."  All three Publix stores were great!  The employees were welcoming and kind to all of the kindergartners.  They gave us lots of free treats, and we couldn't be more appreciative!  After shopping, we all went to Kanapaha Park for a picnic lunch and some playtime.  It was a great day, despite a few scattered raindrops!  Please enjoy the slideshow below.  If you were a chaperone and would like to share pictures with the rest of the Kindergarten Village, please email them to Ms. Krank at mkrank@pky.ufl.edu or send in a CD of pictures.  We especially need pictures of the bears!  Thanks so much!

Fall Fun!

This week, we did lots of fun pumpkin and scarecrow activities.  This afternoon, we ended the week with pumpkin carving.  It was a blast!  Enjoy the photos:

Lions and Tigers and Bears . . . Oh, My!

The kindergartners made lion, tiger, and bears masks this week to use in the PKY Homecoming Parade.  The teachers got into the spirit of things as well and dressed up as characters from "The Wizard of Oz," our inspiration for naming the kindergarten groups the lions, tigers, and bears!  It was a fun day for all of us!  We hope you enjoy the pictures below:

Also, please check out these links to videos of the parade posted online at TeacherTube:

• Homecoming Parade Video 1
• Homecoming Parade Video 2

Greathouse Butterfly Farm

Here are some pictures from our first trip together.  If you were a chaperone on the field trip and have photos you would like to share, please email them to Ms. Krank at mkrank@pky.ufl.edu, and she will add them to the slideshow.

When we arrived at the farm, the employees had a brief lesson for us about butterfly body parts and the butterfly life cycle.  Here is a brief video of the children reviewing the life cycle:

Beginning of the Year Photos

Here are some of the highlights from the beginning of the year:

First Day Photos

Supply List

In kindergarten, our school supplies will be “community” supplies, meaning that everyone will contribute and share.  The supplies will be placed in bins in the middle of the classroom tables.  Children will have a chance to practice social skills while working together.  Each child will need to bring the following:

·      One 10-pack of Crayola “fine line” markers

·      One 10-pack of Crayola “broad line” markers

·      One black and white Composition notebook

·       GIRLS ONLY:

·       One box of tissues – preferably the “cube” boxes, as they fit better on small shelves

·      4-6 Elmer’s washable school glue sticks

·      One box of gallon-size freezer baggies

·      BOYS ONLY:

·      One container of Clorox wipes

·      One 12-pack of Crayola colored pencils

·      Two 4 oz. bottles of Elmer’s Washable School Liquid Glue

In addition to these community supplies, all children will need the following personal items:

·      Backpack

Make sure that your child’s book bag is large enough to hold books, folders, and other papers.  Please do not send a rolling backpack.

·      Rest Mat

Please purchase a thin, plastic foldable rest mat (about 1” thick when folded).  Larger mats or mats that do not fold into thirds will not fit inside our cubbies.  The thin red and blue rest mats work best.  You may also send either a small pillow or a small blanket (that your child can fold independently).  Please don’t send both, as they won’t be able to fit in your child’s cubby.

·      Change of Clothes

Accidents (bathroom, spilling, etc.) will happen in kindergarten, so please send a complete set of clothing (including socks and underwear) that can stay in the classroom all year long.  Please label each item with your child’s name or initials and place them inside a large zip-lock baggie. 

To support our beginning of the year curriculum, each child should also bring:

·           A baby photo – preferably one we can keep; please write your child’s name on the back

·           An outfit worn when your child was small

·           A framed family photo – to be kept in the classroom all year

Please clearly mark the rest items, backpack, baby picture, and clothing with your child’s name. The rest of the items don’t need to be labeled, as they will be shared.