Fireboat

Where were you on September 11, 2001? I bet you remember. I remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday. My practicum buddies and I were just getting out of the car at South River Elementary School in Grottoes, Virginia when we heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. No one thought much of it and I went into a Kindergarten classroom and played and painted and interacted with children for the next two hours. Upon leaving the classroom and walking down to the office to check out, my other practicum buddies were upset and talking about where their families were. It was then that I found out about the terrible tragedy of that day. We listened in horror and complete silence as we headed back to campus in my giant 1986 Caprice Classic. Then headed to class where it was "Art Day." We dyed pasta, made playdough, created salt drawings and other art projects all the while trying to wrap our heads around what had happened. Then it was off to my apartment to watch hours and hours of news coverage.

Today we remembered that terrible day 13 years ago by wearing red, white and blue and by listening to a special proclamation over the announcements. In my kindergarten classroom, I paid tribute to this day by reading Fireboat by Maira Kalman. Fireboat tells of the Heroic Adventures of a little fireboat named the John J. Harvey, who was used to fight fires in the 1930s. He was restored to his former glory in 1995 and was called into action on September 11, 2001 to put out fires after the twin towers fell. I've read this book to my students for years and every time I read it aloud I feel myself well up with emotion. With pride for my country and the John J. Harvey for being so brave. But also with loss for the terrible tragedy that happened that day.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Guy

When I was a child, I grew up living next door to my Granny, who we visited daily. A few of the things I remember most about spending time at her house was her love of Jeopardy, belief in a daily cup of coffee and after lunch rest time, and her zest for learning. She was a high school English teacher and after school we spent a lot of time playing learning games. One rhyme that she used to tell that sticks in my memory the most is "The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." If I close my eyes I can still see her face and hear her reciting, "I don't know why, she swallowed a fly? Perhaps she'll die." I used to love this rhyme, because of it's repetition (I'm a sucker for repetition and rhyme) and also because of the absurdity of a little old lady eating a fly and other animals. I mean seriously, who eats a horse? Having a bug theme in my classroom, I love to start out the year with a puppet set of the poem for the kids to act out. They love playing the parts and feeding the animals to the old lady. We also make our own paper puppets and feed them to a little old lady with a sandwich bag belly. So fun!

So you can image my delight, when the first library book my son checked out in kindergarten was There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold. This is a book in the Fly Guy series about a boy named Buzz and his pet Fly Guy. In this story, Buzz and Fly Guy are visiting Buzz's grandma, who accidentally swallows Fly Guy! Of course she swallows, all of the typical animals in sequence (spider, bird, cat, dog, goat, cow) but just as she's about to swallow the horse, Fly Guy shouts, "Buzz!" When Buzz replies, Fly Guy flies right out of grandma's belly followed by his animal friends. Grandma doesn't die and it's a happy ending for all. A fun twist on a familiar rhyme that young listeners and easy chapter book readers will all enjoy!

The Kissing Hand

Each year I meet a new group of cute, sweet, 4-6 year old kindergarteners. Some kiddos enter kindergarten after two or more years of preschool, comfortable with separating from Mommy or Daddy or Grandma. Some enter kindergarten without ever leaving Mommy, which makes heading to school a little scary and worrisome. Regardless of background situations, I always start my year with The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

The Kissing Hand tells the story of Chester Raccoon, who is a little nervous about starting school. It might be too hard, he won't get to play and of course, he'll miss his mother. Mother Raccoon knows just what to do. She gives Chester a kissing hand. A simple, warm kiss from Mother Raccoon into the center of Chester's palm. When Chester is missing his Mother, he holds his hand up to his face and remembers how her warm kiss feels and how much his Mommy loves him. This is a perfect story for children of any age who are facing a separations from their parent. Whether or not that separation is due to travel or school, a kissing hand is sure to help your little one remember how much you care.

The Kissing Hand lends itself well to many cute classroom crafts. For the past several years, I  have had my students use Q-tips and red paint to draw hearts on construction paper. This year however, I branched out with a craft from my kindergarten teammate.

I traced a heart on red construction paper and had my son cut it out. (Yes, it's a heart). Then my son glued a pre-cut hand onto the heart. He glued the middle two fingers down to form the "I Love You" sign in sign-language. A heart sticker completes the kissing hand. The perfect way practice cutting, gluing and of course, to say, "I love you."

The Night Before Kindergarten

Last Monday marked my 12th first day of school as a teacher, my 5th as a Kindergarten teacher. I'd like to say I'm completely comfortable in the classroom after all these years, but the first day still ties me in knots and prevents me from sleeping. I'm always ultra prepared and usually don't finish everything I have planned. The day flies by and soon we are well on our way into a brand new year.

This year, however, I had a little extra bundle of nerves to contend with as my son started Kindergarten one classroom over. He's been on summer vacation since May, so he was fully settled into a leisure lifestyle of playing Lego's, riding bikes,  and hanging out in his pajamas until at least 10 a.m. It also didn't cross his mind until about a week before school started that although he was riding to school with Mommy, he wouldn't be joining Mommy all day in her Kindergarten classroom.

So, being the book lover and Kindergarten expert that I am, we read The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing and Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis. The Night Before Kindergarten tells about a group of kindergarteners as they prepare for the first day of school. The book begins as the parents and children are preparing for the first day of kindergarten. Upon entering the classroom the students discover that Kindergarten is a little bit different than preschool, but the changes are good. In the end it's the parents who are really sad about leaving their children at school, which my students and son find very silly.

Even with attending preschool, kindergarten can be a little daunting at times. I love The Night Before Kindergarten because it addresses the worries of heading to school, but has a happy ending. It's okay to sometimes be nervous or anxious about new adventures, that's what makes life exciting! I also gave my son a small stone to keep in his pocket on the first day of school. I kissed the stone and told him that if at any point during the day he was nervous or missing me he could reach in his pocket and rub the stone (sort of like the kissing hand). Of course, my son wound up having a fantastic day and he didn't even need his stone today (the 2nd day of school).