Making Applesauce

 We made applesauce today and it was very yummy!  The kids helped which make it taste even better.  Some of them said they wanted to try it at home so here are the instructions. 

You need apples, cinnamon (Not cumin which is in the above picture.  It was very early this morning when I grabbed the ingredients.  Thank goodness, I read the label before using it.), brown sugar and lemon juice.

 You will probably not have this much help at home but I think you can do it.

 Cut up the apples and put them in a crock pot.

 Add 5 tablespoons of brown sugar.

 About 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  (Not pictured because I didn't have any.)

Cook in the crock pot until the apples are soft.  Mash the apples or use a blender until you get the consistency you like.

 Dish it up and eat it!

The kids ate almost every bite.

Fun Fridays

 Fridays are so much fun.  Our schedule is different and filled with activities that we only do on Friday.  In the afternoon the kids get to rotate to each teacher for a different class. Mrs. Brown teaches Spanish.  Mrs. Price takes them to the computer lab and Mrs. Bonstead lets them do free centers.  In my class, we have an art lesson.

 We have learned that we can all be artists and we can turn anything into a piece of art, even something that started out as a mistake.

 We are working on fall leaves right now.  They started with tissue paper and watercolor.

 Then they cut out the leaves and are making a border with a pattern.

 They are beautiful! 

Reading Folder

The students will bring home a blue reading folder for the first time today.  This will come home every Tuesday and Thursday. The books we use in school are in color but the one the kids bring home is black and white. 

The first few books have no words.  They are just pictures that tell a story.  In class today, we practiced looking for details in the picture and making up a story to go with it.  There is no right or wrong way to do this, just encourage your child to talk about the picture. 

You may keep the book but I need the blue folder back the next day.  Sign the paper in the front of the folder by the name of the book. 

You will also find a list of sight words in the folder.  You may keep this at home also.  We have not started working on sight words in class yet but if you would like to start at home, then it will be much easier for your child when we do get to it.  Flash cards are a good way to practice and when you see one of the words in a book you are reading to your child, ask them if they can read it to you. 

The class is excited about reading and it won't be long before they can read all by themselves!  I love this part of teaching Kindergarten.  It is so exciting to see the transition from non reader to reader. 

Have fun with it.  I hope you get excited about it too.

Homework and Library Books

 Today the kids will bring home their first homework paper.  I will send it home on Monday but it is not due until Friday.  If your child finishes before Friday, go ahead and send it back to school in the red folder.  On Friday, I give a sticker to everyone who has turned in their homework. 

I've made an example of the finished homework.  I want them to write their first and last name.  Each capital and lowercase letter should be written 5 times each.  Make sure your child can tell you the name of the letter and the sound it makes.  Practice writing the numbers and on the back, they will write the color words 3 times each.  We've been working on recognizing the color words in class.  The color words are not included in our sight words but it is very good for the kids to know them.

If you have your child do a little each night, it should be very manageable.  I don't want anyone to stress out over homework.  If you feel your child is overwhelmed, please let me know. 

Library books will come home on Friday.  The book that your child brings home is for you (the parent) to read to your child.  It is crucial that your child hears good stories with rich language at this stage in their development.  Please make this an enjoyable part of your day that your child will look forward to.  You are building a love for reading even before they can read. 

In January, I will let kids who are ready start bringing home books that they can read themselves.  That is when we will start AR testing.  I will explain that process then. 

Thank you so much for your help.