100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School is a big deal in Kindergarten because we learn to count to 100!  The whole day was filled with 100-themed activities.  In the morning, we made 100 Day headbands and paraded around the classrooms to see all the 100 activities.  The day before, we made gumball machines and posters.  We made a gumball machine with 100 gumballs and they turned out so cute!

I set out 10 paint colors and students used 10 Q-Tips, 1 for each color.  They painted 10 "gum balls" of each color so they had 100 gumballs!

We also made posters of 100 items and students glued down beans, foam shapes, gummy bears, stickers, etc.  I forgot to take pictures before I sent them home, oops!  The items were glued in groups of 10 so we could practice counting by tens too.  In the afternoon, students did the 100 Cup Challenge.  They worked in small groups and had 5 minutes to stack and build a structure using 100 cups.  They LOVED this!  They had so much working together and it was great to see them all talking and problem solving.  After the time was out, they compared the other structures to see which were taller.  Loved hearing all the academic language!

The winning team!  They had the tallest cup tower!

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school!  I woke up feeling happy, excited, and so very nervous!  This is my first year of teaching and I am so ready to begin my teaching career!

My sister teaches kindergarten too!  She's an incredible teacher and has been a huge inspiration to me!  So fun because we both start school today!  #RossGirlsTakeOnKinder

IPSF Summer Enrichment Academy

This summer I'm teaching "Jumpstart Kindergarten" at the IPSF Summer Enrichment Academy.  It's been a lot of fun!  Each day we learn a new alphabet letter and do a little letter-related craft.  We also practice the numbers and shapes.  The program is pretty awesome, it gives students some exposure to the social and academic aspects of a classroom environment.

I taped paint bags onto the small back table so students could practice writing letters.  We made pattern snakes on our letter S day.

I used sheet protectors so students could practice writing with expo markers.  The days are short but we really get so much done each day!  I'm loving this enrichment program!