Ms. Brown says goodbye to Kindergarten :(

As many of you know, next year I will not be teaching Kindergarten. Starting in September, I am moving upstairs to teach Grade 1/2. I taught Grade 2 when I first came to EB, and those Grade 2s will be in Grade 8 in the fall!

I have had a wonderful 5 years in Kindergarten. Parents -- you all have such wonderful children! Thank you for trusting me with them :) I'm hoping to come back to Kindergarten in the future...

So, starting in September -- this won't be a Kindergarten blog. It will be a Grade 1/2 blog! On to new adventures.......

I'll see you in the schoolyard!

Have a safe and happy summer!

Remember -- that there is no such thing as a good tan.
Please watch this video and send it to all of the teenagers you know. (it's about skin cancer)

Wear a hat!

Creativity

I believe that creativity is one of the most, if not THE most important part of schooling. We need to educate the whole child.....


Watch these videos by Sir Ken Robinson -- they are amusing -- yet thought provoking.

1. Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (2006)

2. Bring on the Learning Revolution! (2010)

All children are born artists -- the problem is how to remain one once they grow up (Pablo Picasso).

Pony apartment

The students made an "apartment" for the ponies!


This straw connector building set is great! The children have started making huge structures from it. They have started using paper and cardboard to make "floors", and are experimenting with ways to make the structures less "tippy". This is when having only one class (i.e. a morning class or an afternoon class -- or a full day class) would come in handy because the morning class will work on something and then the afternoon will take it apart (or vice versa). Sometimes we try to "save" things to work on, but sometimes this isn't feasible! As you likely know, full day Kindergarten comes to Earl Beatty in September 2012. This will definitely help when the children ask "Can we save it?"

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey -- Back to the Pond.

On Thursday, June 16, Bill and Ted left their cozy home in our classroom and after a brief stay in Ms. Brown's kitchen, they traveled down the highway to London.


On Saturday, June 18, Bill and Ted went back home to their pond (isn't it beautiful?)


Bill went first:


Then Ted:

Bye bye boys! Have a safe and happy life! We'll miss you!

Perfection

One of our favourite games this year has been Perfection. You have to match 25 shapes into their negative spaces in 60 seconds -- or the shapes all pop out! We started the year without using the timer. Now the timer is broken -- but that doesn't matter -- when the shapes pop out they scare us anyway. It's way more fun when all of your friends help!

In the summer I like to jump in the pool!