Bucket Filling, Learning Labs, and Butteflies...Oh MY!

Hello Kindergarten Families!

I want to apologize for not posting last week.  There has been a lot going on in Room 5B and I want to share all those exciting things with you!

We are quickly getting into the routines of school. I had to be gone last week due to illness and I was amazed at how well the kids did in my absence.  This is a great group of kids and I am proud of how far we've already come as a class.  I know you are noticing the behavior sheet in your child's Ware Bear folder (thanks for signing it each night!) and are aware of our Bucket Filling program for classroom behavior. Our program is based on the idea that each of us carry an invisible bucket.  That bucket is filled with good feelings when people do kind things or say kind words to us.  We fill others buckets and our own by doing kind things for others or saying kind words to others.  Our buckets empty when others are unkind to us or when we are unkind to others.  We talk about ways we can fill the buckets of others and how that will in turn make us feel good. 

To go along with this idea, each kindergartner gets a notebook ring with 10 numbered buckets on it.  Each week the kids begin on bucket #1.  As students follow directions, use active listening, show kindness towards others, and exhibit good citizenship I will ask them to flip a bucket over on their notebook ring.  Our goal is to earn two buckets a day with the idea that in doing so, they will have earned all 10 by the end of the week.  We also understand that we are only five and still learning the ins and outs of school so mistakes can and do happen. In these instances, kids do not lose a bucket but merely have a short time out to think about how they can avoid the mistake in the future.  We call this time out spot "Tibet" which may seem kind of silly.  I will explain it in my next blog post. :)

The intent of my classroom management system is to not only management good behavior but to establish a sense of community and good citizenship.  The bucket system is an extremely positive system and the kids have responded really well to it.  Thank you so much for responding to your child's behavior sheet in their Ware Bear folder.  Feel free to comment with a "Good Job!" or "I'm so proud of you!" when your child comes home with more buckets than they had the day before (no matter how many) because they've earned them!  If your child doesn't move any buckets during a day please use it as an opportunity to teach your child about your expectations and my expectations while they are at school and that no matter what, you are rooting for them to earn more buckets tomorrow.

At the end of each week, those kids with 10 buckets get to attend a bucket party.  Bucket parties are fun activities that I reserve for Friday afternoons.  Our first week of school we had a shaving cream party.  Last week we had a puppet party (the kids had free rein of all our class puppets for 15 minutes-they LOVED it).  This past Friday we had balloon party and tried keeping balloons off the ground for as long as we could...it was GREAT!  Bucket parties are a fun time for us all to celebrate a great week together as a class.  If your child is not able to attend, it is because they did not earn all 10 of their buckets for the week.  This does not happen often, but if it does and you're concerned about it, please let me know.  Chances are, if you're reading the behavior sheet, you'll be well aware of any problems before missing out on the bucket party becomes an option.  Please remember, I'm always an email, a phone call, or a short visit after school away if you ever have a question or concern about the goings on in our classroom.

Now, on to all the exciting stuff we did the last two weeks:

We were extremely lucky to have Mrs. Rosewicz come teach us art this week!  Mrs. Rosewicz is our school's art teacher that we share with several other schools on Fort Riley and this is the first time in MANY years that she has been able to include kindergarten as part of her schedule.   Our shape robots are on display outside or classroom if you would like to see our masterpieces.   Here are some pictures of the kids making shape robots with Mrs. Rosewicz:

We have begun learning labs!  Learning labs are one of the most exciting parts of our day.  We have 10 labs where, for about 30 minutes, each student gets to select their method of learning.  This includes art, math, blocks, dramatic play, writing, science, and others.  Ask your child about what they do each day in learning labs.  Chances are, they'll have lots to say!  Here are some pictures of our kindergartners exploring Learning Labs:

Creating masterpieces in the art lab.

Getting messy in the sand lab!

Using the SMART board in technology/media lab.

Peekaboo!  Hello from the dramatic play lab!

Building tall towers in the math lab.

Thanks to one of our para-educators, Mrs. Brech, we've had four caterpillars on display in our science center.  The kindergartners have been curiously watching the caterpillars turn into chrysalises and eagerly awaiting the arrival of butterflies.  Well, this week, after lots of patient waiting, the butterflies have began emerging!  The kids are overjoyed with the new creatures and we have enjoyed observing them and setting them free on the playground.  Here are some pictures of  us studying our butterflies:

One of our black swallowtail butterflies.  Learn more about these interesting creatures here.

This has been one of our most popular learning labs.  The kids are excited to observe the daily changes in these fascinating little creatures.

Observing our butterfly one last time before we release it.

Waving goodbye and wishing good luck to our new friend

I hope you are enjoying this blog and getting to see an inside look of your child's day at school.  Next week I will provide more information about Tibet and our R&Rs and math homework.  Please remember, we have our Freedom Walk this Friday, September 11 and you are welcome to join the parade with us.  A note with details on this even went home in your child's Ware Bear folder on Friday.  Have a wonderful week!


Yours in Education,

Mr. Scruggs