Writing letters to Santa

Some of us practiced our printing and wrote letters to Santa. We were sounding out words and printed complete sentences. We also learned about the different parts of a letter.

Art-O-Rama

Thank you to all of our amazing parent volunteers who made Art-O-Rama such a huge success! The kids had a fantastic time.

Jonathan's Butterfly Wall Fundraiser - December 11th and 12th

On December 11th and 12th, the grade 6 class will be raising funds for a boy named Jonathan Pitre who has a rare skin disease called EB. This disease makes his skin so delicate that it hurts when he’s touched, puts his clothes on, or even eats. When anything brushes his skin it blisters and gets rashes that take along time to go away. Because of this it takes him 2 hours to get ready for bed so he doesn’t get the blisters or rashes. Jonathan’s dream is to see the northern lights because he think it bring him closer to all the people with EB. He also wants to help raise money for EB awareness. The grade 6 students at  St. Anne school are raising money to help Jonathan with his dream by selling origami butterflies for one dollar each. On the 11th and 12th of December students will be going from class to class selling the origami butterflies, which will then be put up on the wall outside the Learning Commons to show support for Jonathan. For more information about Jonathan and his mission, please click here.

Arctic Animals

After learning about animals in winter and hibernation and migration, we talked about animals that live in cold climates all year round. We brainstormed a list of polar or arctic animals.

We began by describing the climate in the arctic. We then wondered, how do animals survive in these cold temperatures? We talked about their food, fur and body fat.

We created a sensory bin with snow and ice to simulate an arctic climate. We had a lot of fun exploring different arctic animals and their environment. 

We also made some cloud dough. We left it white, it reminded us of snow. It's difficult to see, but we added some toy animals in the bin to heighten our imaginative play. 

Cloud dough is easy to make: simply mix 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil together in a bin or bowl. You can also add food colouring or spices/ essential oils to add colour or scent to your cloud dough. 

The consistency of the dough is soft and moldable. It is great for fine motor control and hand-muscle development. 

Santa's Workshop

Last week we discussed changing our dramatic play area. Everyone agreed it would be fun to change it into Santa's workshop. We brainstormed a list of things we needed to create our new center.

It looks like our curious Jingles is peeking and observing our workshop! 

We created a wrapping station, a toy building station and a special kitchen filled with Christmas baking tools.

We've been learning how to work together, take turns and communicate with peers. We've also been practicing our cutting skills. We're imaginative and creative!

Jingles the Elf

Last week we received a surprise from the North Pole. When we got to school in the morning, there was a special gift and letter waiting for us. When we looked up, we saw Jingles the elf!

In the note, Jingles said he will be in our classroom until Christmas break. But, he's tricky! Each day we check where he's hiding and see what mischief he's been causing and trouble he's been up to.

 Jingles taking a marshmallow bath. 

 Some friends worked very hard and created a car using k'nex. The next day, we found Jingles driving the car! 

 Jingles must have sneaked into the photocopy room after school because he left us a mess! There were pictures of him all over our classroom. 

This morning Jingles was hiding on top of the Smart Board. He left us a surprise treat. 

Mr. Spindler's Gym Blog

Mr. Spindler is our class gym teacher. Students have gym for 40 minutes, three times a week.

Mr. Spindler's blog is up and running. Click here to learn more about the kindergarten physical education program. You can also access his blog under the quick links section on our homepage.

Animals in winter

We extended our learning about forest animals and asked: what do animals do in the winter? We sparked a discussion on what animals need to do to survive the cold temperatures.

We talked about what hibernation and migration mean. We knew that some animals, like geese, fly south in the winter while other animals, like bears and bats, sleep all winter. We even talked about how some animals adapt to survive the cold by growing thick fur or gaining weight to keep their bodies warm.

We read:

Animals in Winter

Written by Henrietta Bancroft and Richard Van Gelder

Illustrated by Helen K. Davie

Why do Animals Hibernate?

Written by David Martin

Next we created a list of questions we had and things we were interested in learning about.

Some of us played with the forest animals. Using play dough, we made and explored different animal tracks.

 Making a forest habitat for the animals using play dough, natural and recycled materials. 

 Look, we even built a den for the bears to hibernate! It's tricky to see, but there in an animal hiding in this cave. 

Animal print scavenger hunt

Since we've been talking about different forest animals and their tracks, we decided to have an animal print scavenger hunt. We hid pictures of animal tracks all around the classroom. Students had to travel around the room, find the prints, and record the different types of animals.

We did a great job working together, practicing our printing, matching animal tracks and sounding out words.