Weekly Round-Up: April 13

Hi friends! I’m popping in to share some of our activities from this week!

1. SIGHT WORD GARDEN

My friend and co-worker Amanda (@creativekindergartenblogontpt) shared this activity on her Instagram last week and I knew I had to try it too! My kids love craft activities, so I knew this was going to be a hit! Students were invited to pick a 2 or 3 letter sight word card from the box and write each letter on the tulips. Then they were asked to glue them in order and draw the stems and leaves. They could add other details to their garden too if they wanted to!

The sight word cards you see above are in my TPT store. Click here if you are interested in grabbing them!

2. PATTERN STORY

For the last 2 weeks we have been learning about and working on making pattern stories at centre time. This is the first one we did! I used Lesson #28 from my “Step by Step 2: Kindergarten Writing Plans” to teach the lesson.

After I explained to the kids what a pattern story was, I read them the book “I Love Fall” as the mentor text for this lesson. Any pattern story with a simple pattern (level A guided reading books usual work well!) will work!

Then I told them that they could make a pattern story for any season. Next I showed them my sample (I made a “I Love Spring!” story) to show them how they can make their own pattern story based on the “I Love Fall!” book.

Then, we brainstormed ideas for each season so the students had different phrases they can use after the “I love” if they needed them.

Then they were invited to visit this centre during centre time to make their own pattern stories! My SK’s did such a great job creating their pattern stories!

Here is a sample of some of the pages from one of the books that were made by one of my students:

We did the same lesson with a new mentor text this week, and starting next week I’m just going to switch out the mentor text and see what stories they can create!

The lesson plan for this activity and the printable for the pattern story can be found here.

3. DAFFODIL STILL LIFE

I bought these daffodils last weekend at the grocery store. I set them out with some watercolour paint pucks and a Sharpie and invited them to look closely and draw and paint the daffodils! Not pictured, but I put magnifying glasses here too to encourage them to look closely and add lots of detail! Simple, but the kids love looking at real flowers and other natural objects!

4. PLANTING PLAY DOUGH

I made up a batch of brown play dough on the weekend and set it out with some fake flowers, fake leaves, rocks and some pots and had the students pretend to plant their own flowers! After they planted their flowers, they were encouraged to draw and write about it! They loved this provocation and loved making different flower arrangements in the pot! I used cocoa powder to make the play dough brown and it smelled delicious!

5. PLANTING FLOWERS & VEGETABLES

We have been learning about Earth Day and ways we can care for the Earth. During our lesson on how we can protect nature, we learned that planting flowers can help protect nature because it will help the bees find the pollen and nectar they need to make honey and stay alive! So we decided to grow our own flowers too!

They got to choose their own flower (or vegetable) out of a few choices and we planted them in small groups. I wrote their name and their flower/vegetable name on the popsicle stick (on on each side) so they can see which one is their’s and so they remember what they planted.

After we planted, we created this planting centre that the students can visit to check on their plant and water it daily. I also put the seeds in the muffin tins and the packages for the seeds in a small container for the kids to look at. I also added a magnifying glass, some Sharpies and a clipboard with paper for the kids to record their observations on!

6. SPRING COUNTING PUZZLES

I wanted a simple puzzle to practice numeral identification and 1:1 correspondence so I made these up and the kids ate it up! I put both this mat and the 11-20 one out so the kids can choose the one that works best for them. The kids were prompted to count the items on the puzzle piece and match it to the number on the mat.

If you are interested in the puzzle you can find it in my “Kindergarten Spring Activities” pack here.

7. SPRING PATTERN BRACELET #2

I shared spring pattern bracelets in my last post too, but my kids really do love making these so I put this slightly different version out! Instead of just colouring the pictures, students can choose the picture, colour it and then glue them on to the make their pattern. Then they are asked to name the pattern underneath.

Here is what it looks like when it’s put together!

The printables for these pattern bracelets are also in my “Kindergarten Spring Activities” pack!

8. SPRING SYMMETRY CUT & REVEAL

My kids love anything that involves cutting and colouring so these symmetry cut and reveal sheets have been a hit! Students are asked to fold the paper in half, cut on the dots and open up their paper to reveal their symmetrical picture. Then they could colour and decorate their picture if they want. This activity helps them practice recognizing symmetrical pictures and their lines of symmetry!

This activity is also in my “Kindergarten Spring Activities” pack. You can click here or on the image below if you are interested in checking it out!