Five for Friday, on Saturday {May 17}

Well, hi!  My life has been c-r-a-z-y this week.  My to-do list at home is as long as my to-do list at school....'tis the season of living off little sleep as we prepare for the end of the school year!  BUT.... we're down to 14 more wake-ups.  Can't believe how close we're getting!

I'm linking up with Doodlebugs for Five for Friday, even though I'm a day late...  

1. Wednesday was field trip day!  We spent the beginning of the week completing this Farm Animal Facts book as a class during our writing block.  

 We used non-fiction books to research each animal and worked together to decide which facts to add to our books.

2. The Critter Barn is such a great field trip.  It lasts all day and the kids have the best time getting up-close with the animals on the farm.  Goats, chicks, sheep, ducks, cows, chickens, bunnies, and more!  

 My teaching partner and I were EXHAUSTED at the end of the day.....but we made it!  And we love doing these fun things together!

3. We've had a sweet girl come from the high school all year to help in our classroom and Thursday was her last day.  We had a small good-bye party for her and we gave her a class book full of advice the students thought of for being a good teacher.  

First, we brainstormed some ideas.  I used different colors to make it easier for the students to transfer the idea they chose to their own paper.

 This little guy wrote that good teachers don't break the rules.  And, in his illustration box, he wrote The rule is don't touch spiders.  Ha!

4.   I spent all day on Friday with this guy.  I had a day for individual year-end assessments, and I was able to complete running records on each student.  This is my district's first year using Fountas and Pinnell and I really liked it.  I'm so proud of how far my kiddos have come this year!  Such a fun day to get to listen to each of them read to me!!

5. AND......My boys could not contain their excitement on Thursday afternoon when I was passing these out at the end of the day.  They have been asking and asking....it's FINALLY their turn!  Next Tuesday is Boys Only Lunch day!!  All 18 of them....and I invited parents!  We'll have a great time. :)

SIX for Friday {May 9}

It's Friday!  Hip, hip hooray!  And time for Doodlebugs' "Five for Friday"!

Remember last week when I only had THREE for Friday, and I posted it on Saturday?

Well, this week I am back to posting on Friday, but I have SIX!  Hope you don't mind!  Ha!  Lots and lots going on in Kindergarten these days!

1. We're headed on a field trip next week to a local farm and we're busy getting ready!  Research and crafting!  So far....pigs and sheep!

I found these farm animal templates and the writing pages for free HERE.

2. I enjoyed spoiling my own kids' teachers this week for teacher appreciation week!  I love sending a small gift for them every day.  I had a student so that for me one year and I thought it was SO thoughtful!  

One of my sweet kiddos brought me this gift on Wednesday --  all of my favorites!  A GREEN cup filled with GUMMI BEARS, and a bowl full of delicious RASPBERRIES.  I loved this special gift!

 3. I had a new student join my class a few weeks ago.  I was checking his paper the other day and he asked me to add a word to the top.  When I asked him which word he wanted, he said "Happy!"....I thought that was sweet!

4. We have moved into our final science unit -- living and non-living.  This week we took a science nature walk outside and looked for living and non-living things.  We made this list when we came back in.

 And then we completed this science journal page.  These come with our science curriculum.

5. I was so excited to come home from school the other day and see a box from Lakeshore Learning on my doorstep.  These cuties were inside!  Lakeshore's math manipulatives are awesome!  So colorful and durable!  

 It's the perfect time of year to introduce a new manipulative and re-energize the kidlets as we wrap up our final weeks of Kindergarten.  I know that they will flip over these!  I can't wait to introduce them next week!

6. We whipped up fun and easy handprint gardens for our moms for Mother's Day.  The kids did a great job -- they turned out really cute!  What mom doesn't LOVE anything with a precious little handprint???  

Happy weekend, friends!!!