Here's a little slide show, showing a few pictures of kindergarten at Hilltop.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Welcome to Kindergarten!
Welcome to our Hilltop Kindergarten blog. I suspect we'll have lots of new visitors today. I sent out an email to incoming kindergarten families this morning. There are many families who have just found out the name of the kindergarten teacher their child will have this year! It's such an exciting time!
If you are new here, let me tell you a little about this blog.
I started my first blog a few years ago. It was a great way to communicate with friends, neighbors, family, and my new friends in the blogging world. I love photography, writing, home life, family fun, and early childhood literacy. Blogging has been a great way to share the things I value and encourage other families.
About two years ago, when the economy started going downhill rather quickly, our copy budget was slashed at school. We weren't going to be able to send weekly parent letters home with kids. I tried emailing the letters, but it just didn't feel right. I decided a blog, sharing pictures and activities, was just what we needed in kindergarten.
As you browse around the blog, you'll be able to find out about our curriculum, classroom life, specialist schedule (when we have it), and see pictures of what has happened in previous years. You'll also find my kindergarten readiness ebook. It's a free download, and it's more like a booklet than a book. It basically includes the things I wish I had known before sending my own kids off to kindergarten. You can download a copy by clicking on the picture of the book on the right side of this blog. (The picture below is just a photo, not a link.)
If you are new here, let me tell you a little about this blog.
I started my first blog a few years ago. It was a great way to communicate with friends, neighbors, family, and my new friends in the blogging world. I love photography, writing, home life, family fun, and early childhood literacy. Blogging has been a great way to share the things I value and encourage other families.
About two years ago, when the economy started going downhill rather quickly, our copy budget was slashed at school. We weren't going to be able to send weekly parent letters home with kids. I tried emailing the letters, but it just didn't feel right. I decided a blog, sharing pictures and activities, was just what we needed in kindergarten.
As you browse around the blog, you'll be able to find out about our curriculum, classroom life, specialist schedule (when we have it), and see pictures of what has happened in previous years. You'll also find my kindergarten readiness ebook. It's a free download, and it's more like a booklet than a book. It basically includes the things I wish I had known before sending my own kids off to kindergarten. You can download a copy by clicking on the picture of the book on the right side of this blog. (The picture below is just a photo, not a link.)
Feel free to "follow" this blog, by clicking on the follow button. (Personally, I read blogs through Google Reader, so following helps read blog posts quickly.) I read every comment posted on my blogs. If you have a tip or comment to share, please do so!
I get to be the author of this blog, so most of the pictures will be from my own classroom, but this blog holds information about four of our kindergarten classrooms. All of the kindergarten teachers plan curriculum and units together, so although I will be describing Room 18, most of the activities are being done in our other kindergarten rooms as well. If you'd like to know who I am and learn a little more about my family, you can click on this link to go to my main website. I don't know about you, but I like to get to know the person whose blog I'm reading.
My blogging adventures have grown over the past year. In an effort to provide a homebase for resources, I've created a website to house some of my favorite printables, books, websites, blogs, and other resources. You can go to http://www.homeiswheremystorybegins.com/ to browse around. The website is a work in progress and I'm always adding to it.
Once you've found my website, you can click on my literacy blog.
I'm passionate about early childhood literacy. I believe that literacy is so much more than just reading a book. Literacy is the sum of our experiences. On my literacy blog, I share the activities I do with my own kids (ages 11 and 7) and how they relate to literacy. I give suggestions for specific learning activities, conversations to have as you read together, and fantastic books to check out at the library.
I'm so excited to have new friends and readers joining us on our kindergarten adventure! Browse around, check out my other blogs and website, and please leave a comment or two! I'd love to get to know you!!!
Welcome to kindergarten, Friends!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Playful Learning E-Course
It's a sale and it's only discounted through tomorrow!
I've taken 2 of Mariah's e-courses and LOVE them. LOVE. THEM. I recommend them to all of the parents in my class (as well as Mariah's Playful Learning book). Playful Learning Spaces was my favorite course. I can't even begin to tell you how inspired I was!
You can click on the link above to register. To receive 30% off, use the coupon code SUMMERSALE.
I've taken 2 of Mariah's e-courses and LOVE them. LOVE. THEM. I recommend them to all of the parents in my class (as well as Mariah's Playful Learning book). Playful Learning Spaces was my favorite course. I can't even begin to tell you how inspired I was!
You can click on the link above to register. To receive 30% off, use the coupon code SUMMERSALE.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
It's Almost Time
Well, it's almost that time of year again! Parents are busily shopping for back to school supplies, discovering that their kids' feet have grown a full size over the summer, and preparing their kids for the next chapter in their education... KINDERGARTEN!
If you are a parent of an incoming kindergartner, in my class this year, then this letter is for you!
welcome_letter 2012 kindergarten
If you are a parent of an incoming kindergartner, in my class this year, then this letter is for you!
welcome_letter 2012 kindergarten
Friday, June 22, 2012
Turn Out The Lights
It's quiet in the classroom today. Too quiet. The kids are off enjoying their first day of Summer Break and I'm here wrapping up the last few ends in the classroom. When the year began, we started with Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten. So, it seemed fitting to end the year with Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten.
The end of kindergarten is always bitter-sweet. We're all excited (teachers and kids) to have a well deserved break, but we can't help but think that we've had a really good thing here. We've all grown in so many ways.
The end of kindergarten is always bitter-sweet. We're all excited (teachers and kids) to have a well deserved break, but we can't help but think that we've had a really good thing here. We've all grown in so many ways.
It's time to turn out the lights on another great year. See you in the fall, friends!
Happy Summer!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Dear Heidi
Dear Heidi,
You have changed the way I teach sight words in kindergarten. I think you're brilliant.
My daughter's kindergarten teacher used your DVD's with her class and introduced you to me. Now, I don't think I could live without you! We just finished our sight word assessment and my half time kindergartners did AWESOME this year!
The other day, during Writer's Workshop, one of my kids asked how to spell the word ARE. I never got the chance to answer. The kids at the table started singing, "Oh, the seals at the zoo said to me. ARE ARE. First and A. Then an R. Then and E." I just about cried! This wasn't an isolated instance. It happens ALL THE TIME in my classroom. They are transferring their knowledge of sight words to their writing. It's every teacher's dream come true!
Now that I know all of your songs, I have found your music helpful in my homelife too. My daughter was doing a math project the other day and asked, "Which coin has the man with the pony tail?" Of course, I broke into song, "Oh, the man with the pony tail is on the nickel and it's worth five cents." She started singing along with me and didn't even need to ask how much a nickel is worth.
Again, your products are brilliant. The parents in my class always ask what they should do with their kids over the summer to help them prepare for first grade. Your CD's and DVD's would be great for long car trips! I hope my parents will stop by your store for a look.
Adoringly yours,
Becca
********
By the way, friends, I do not receive any compensation or special treatment for saying nice things about Heidi's products. I've just seen amazing growth in my kindergarten students after using her songs in the classroom.
Happy singing!
Heidi's Blog
You have changed the way I teach sight words in kindergarten. I think you're brilliant.
My daughter's kindergarten teacher used your DVD's with her class and introduced you to me. Now, I don't think I could live without you! We just finished our sight word assessment and my half time kindergartners did AWESOME this year!
The other day, during Writer's Workshop, one of my kids asked how to spell the word ARE. I never got the chance to answer. The kids at the table started singing, "Oh, the seals at the zoo said to me. ARE ARE. First and A. Then an R. Then and E." I just about cried! This wasn't an isolated instance. It happens ALL THE TIME in my classroom. They are transferring their knowledge of sight words to their writing. It's every teacher's dream come true!
Now that I know all of your songs, I have found your music helpful in my homelife too. My daughter was doing a math project the other day and asked, "Which coin has the man with the pony tail?" Of course, I broke into song, "Oh, the man with the pony tail is on the nickel and it's worth five cents." She started singing along with me and didn't even need to ask how much a nickel is worth.
Again, your products are brilliant. The parents in my class always ask what they should do with their kids over the summer to help them prepare for first grade. Your CD's and DVD's would be great for long car trips! I hope my parents will stop by your store for a look.
Adoringly yours,
Becca
********
By the way, friends, I do not receive any compensation or special treatment for saying nice things about Heidi's products. I've just seen amazing growth in my kindergarten students after using her songs in the classroom.
Happy singing!
Heidi's Blog
Monday, June 4, 2012
Inspiring Shells
We let seashells inspire our writing today! Next week we'll be heading to the beach for our last field trip of the year. I broke out my shell collection for the kids to look at today. I've been collecting shells since I was in kindergarten. My mom always thought my ever-growing shell collection was a bit excessive. She always wondered what I'd do with my shell collection when I grew up. Well, when you become a teacher, all of those collections come in handy.
I passed around a lot of my really big shells for my kids to see.
I passed around a lot of my really big shells for my kids to see.
The kids loved exploring with them too.
Some of the shells have been purchased at different aquariums I have visited or at garage sales, others have been collected over the years.
Some of the kids had stories to tell about the beach, during Writer's Workshop. Other kids chose a shell and wrote about it.
Having seashells inspire our writing was so much fun! The kids had wonderful beach stories to tell. Hopefully, they'll have more fabulous stories after our field trip next week.
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