Today we had the chance to be community helpers and bring some holiday cheer to the retirement community of Valle Verde. In preparation of this trip, we made Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer hats to wear and Rudolph ornaments to give to our new friends. We practiced singing a collection of familiar holiday songs.

We were met with excited residents, who were eager to hear the children sing, starting with “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

 “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was next.

Then we sang the classic holiday song, “Jingle Bells.”

We ended the event with “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

After the singing, the children gave an ornament to each of the residents and enjoyed a snack of juice and cookies.

We even met a man who is turning 100 in January! Of course we had to sing “Happy Birthday” to him!

What a wonderful morning! I am so proud of the kiddos and excited that I got to introduce them to my grandma.

The students were a big hit and the residents are hoping we will come back and visit.

 

So why did that Gingerbread Man always trust the fox? Why didn’t he just jump into the river and swim to safety? Today, we did a science experiment to answer those very questions.

Here is what the recording sheet looked like:

We started by brainstorming the answer to the essential question. Students thought the Gingerbread Man might sink, or float, or break apart. We put the gingerbread cookies into a bowl of water to see what would indeed happen.

After twenty minutes, the cookie was starting to get swollen with water.

After 60 minutes, the cookie started breaking apart!

We concluded that the poor Gingerbread Man did not swim across the lake because he would have broken apart and disintegrated!

The students did such a great job keeping their fingers off the mushy experiment that they each got to enjoy a cookie. Yum!

Back in September, I read the book How Full is Your Bucket aloud to the students. In the book, a boy learns that each of us has an invisible bucket above our heads. When someone says something kind or is a good friend, a drop of water lands in the bucket. But, when someone is mean or says something negative, the drops of water spill from the bucket. The boy learns that filling up someone’s bucket feels much better than spilling the bucket.

During the month of December, the kindergartener’s will work to fill up their friends’ stockings. Students will write compliments that describe gratitudes and appreciations. I am very proud of their work and their excitement with this activity. The stockings are sure filling up! Students will read their compliments during our Gingerbread Party on December 19.  In the meantime, here are a few examples:

 

 

 

The field trip to Lazy Acres was a success. Students enjoyed meeting all of the men and women it takes to run such a large grocery store.

 

First, in the bulk section the children tasted an all-natural fig newton. They were impressed with the fact that they could fill up a container with as much of an item as they wished.

After the bulk section, we went to the produce department with a quick stop at the ice cream case. Once in produce, the children were surprised at the many options of produce offered.

Next stop was the meat department and then on to the seafood counter. While at the seafood counter, we met a lobster. Students had a chance to pet the live lobster, and they were curious why the lobster had  rubber bands around its claws. Leon, the seafood department helper, explained that the rubber bands keep the lobster from pinching him!

After the seafood counter, we headed to the dairy section and then to the bakery. Imagine the delight when the students were told they would each get a cookie. We decided to save them for snack time back at school.

 

The deli counter was next, and we were greeted with a tray of fruit salad. After gobbling up the fruit, students moved into the cheese section, my personal favorite, where they each got a sample of cheese. Next up, the sushi counter, where the students each got to try a piece of sushi! The tour ended with a smoothie and a demonstration of the machine that makes fresh squeezed orange juice.

 As a parting gift, Lazy Acres gave the students a lunch bag filled with a tangerine, a fruit leather, and a juice pouch, so don’t be surprised if your child brings home more of his/her snack or lunch than usual!

The trip truly showed the children just how important each of the workers in the store is in making grocery shopping an enjoyable and easier experience.  The students wrote about the experience in their journals today:

The classroom has transformed into a gingerbread house, as our literature study of the Gingerbread Man has begun! Students created a gingerbread glyph to share information about themselves. Here is the key:

Can you guess who is who? I made this display interactive, so when you visit the classroom or read this blog, you can scan the QR code that is located on each gingerbread. The QR code will take you to Flicker, where I have uploaded the photo of the student to whom the gingerbread cookie belongs! Have fun being a super gingerbread sleuth!