We are off and running with our new monthly thematic unit…Gingerbread! When students arrived at school on Monday morning, I had a new center set up and ready for them to explore. This center utilized gingerbread scented playdough, differentiated skill mats, and letter stampers.

This mat has students identifying beginning sounds in words and stamping their playdough cookie to match.

Students spell CVC words on this mat.

Students match letters on this mat.

 

The children LOVED making these “cookies!” After recess, we came back into the classroom and discovered that our gingerbread scented playdough had been taken, and I had received a suspicious email with this video attached:

Wow. Were we surprised …..and disappointed that our new playdough was gone. Minutes later, one of the students saw another surprise:

The Kindness Cookie was sitting on our SMART Board with a special message. We decided that this Kindness Cookie must have come to our classroom because we needed some extra kindness after our playdough was taken. So far we have completed two kindness missions.

Students were confused with this first mission. Why would cleaning up after yourself be kind? A student explained that if you clean up after yourself, then someone else doesn’t have to do it for you…and THAT is kind!

Our second mission has been very successful so far. Is it happening at home too?

I have a feeling this Kindness Cookie will be showing up with a new mission daily. As for the playdough? We made a new batch!