Once Upon a Time in Kindergarten

This week was magical! We learned all about fairy tales! We spent the week reading several classic fairy tales and worked on identifying the parts of a story.  Specifically, we worked on identifying the characters, setting, problem, and solution. We ended our unit by going to see “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” at Derby Dinner Playhouse! We had so much fun!






World Teacher Day!


Happy Fall Break! Today is World Teacher Day! This is my third year teaching and I can honestly say it is the hardest but most rewarding job I’ve ever had! I know you probably hear people say this all the time but teaching is hard work! I have 21 little babies and each one of them I carry in my heart. I spend countless nights/weekends spending time working on things for school. My job is never finished. I can’t go home at 3:30 every day and relax until the next day.

Now I know what you’re thinkingI chose this job! And you’re right! I love my job! This is not a pity party post! J I love seeing those 21 little faces every morning! I love seeing my kiddos get excited about a new theme! I love seeing them grow throughout the year into amazing little people! I LOVE each one of those little people so much that my heart could just burst!

So if you are reading this, please remember how much time, money, and LOVE teachers put into their job. We are on your team and want the absolute best for your sweet babies! And when you canthank a teacher!
 

Back to School Blues!

Back to school is a fun and exciting time for kids and parents (and teachers too)! Even though it is exciting, it can be overwhelming for everyone to deal with. Here are a few ideas to help this time go a little smoother!

1.     ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE! I know that it is hard to establish a routine in the summer. Baseball, swimming, parties, late mornings and nights, etc. usually keep families really busy! One way to help get back into the swing of things is to establish a “school-like” routine at least two weeks before school starts. This will help your child get back on their sleep schedule and will make going to bed/waking up for school a whole lot easier!

2.   Meet the teacher! If you have the opportunity to go meet the teacher at a meet & greet or school event, GO! This is especially important for younger kiddos. Sometimes just seeing the classroom or knowing who their teacher is will help calm their nerves before the first day of school. If the teacher sends a welcome letter make sure and read it with your child! A class meet and greet is also a great time to mingle with other families in your child’s class. It always helps to see a familiar friend

3.   Read! Hopefully you’ve spent some time throughout the summer reading! Go to your local library or to a local bookstore to get some new stories to read together! Some fun back to school books are listed below!

o    Mouse's First Day of School by Lauren Thompson (Author), Buket Erdogan (Illustrator), Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1ST edition

    • Emily's First 100 Days of School by Rosemary Wells, Hyperion; Reprint edition (September 1, 2005)
    • Clifford's First School Day by Norman Bridwell, Cartwheel (August 1, 1999)
    • First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg (Author), Judith Dufour Love (Illustrator), Charlesbridge Publishing (March 2000)

I hope some of these tips make your back to school time a fun time for your family! J Happy learning!

Reading Buddies

     A little Friday afternoon reading with our third grade buddies! Warning--your heart just might explode from the sweetness! :)







Classroom Reveal 2016-2017


     Well here it is ladies and gentlemen! My home, insert heart eye emoji! I am so EXCITED and HAPPY to share my classroom with you for the 2016-2017 school year! Summer is over and now I am in school mode. I am ready for a new adventure with my 21 sweet kinders! Welcome to Miss Combs' Kindergarten!

 
 

 


   


 
 







 
I hope you enjoyed my classroom! Come back and visit soon!

Under the sea!

Well friends, we are nearing the END! I swear this year has gone by SO fast! It's even crazier that this is the end of my second year teaching! I am still convinced that I have the best job ever! Sure it is hard work--I spend most school nights prepping, cutting, and searching for new ideas, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Who else gets to go to work and teach about ocean animals, read The Rainbow  Fish, and make crafts?! BEST. JOB. EVER. Now enough gloating so I can share some Ocean Activities with you! First off I have to brag a little bit! I LOVE doing directed drawings as a part of almost every unit that I teach. Most of the directed drawings I do I find on Pinterest. However, I am so PROUD to say Rainbow Fish was my first directed draw that I led myself! It took forever but I am in LOVE with how they turned out! I think next year we may even add some glitter--which would make them EVEN more perfect! Glitter makes everything better!

These nifty little ocean animals are from Crafty Bee Creations! I LOVE love love making crafts for each unit I teach and these were the PERFECT resource! You can find these cute sea creatures (octopus and whale pictured) on TPT HERE

Another super cute craftivity we did was with the book The Pout Pout Fish! Michelle includes FOUR different read aloud stories that go perfectly with any ocean unit! I choose to do The Pout Pout Fish and look how sweet they turned out! The kids absolutely loved making this one! If you want to purchase on TPT you can find Michelle's page HERE

Now for the bulk of my ocean unit I used a unit called Oceans by Jane Loretz on TPT. It has SO many different facts and information sheets, and a graphic organizer to go with each! It made it a breeze to plan and put together the majority of this unit! I highly recommend it! You can find this Oceans Unit HERE

If you have followed my blog before you probably know that I like to introduce at least one poem for each unit I teach. Most of the poems that I use are on Pinterest. I read the poem and have the kids echo read me. Then we choral read the poem. We brainstorm what we could draw to illustrate the poem and then I let the kids go from there! 

I think these shark projects were probably my FAVORITE part of our Ocean Unit. I mean look how cute/funny they are! The original idea came from a picture I saw on Pinterest.
End of the year sharksFoldables, Store:
Instead of making a template I just showed my babies how to cut out each piece and they created their own. I am in LOVE with how the turned out! 

I hope that this post gave you some ideas and resources to use for your own Ocean Unit! Happy Learning!