Mrs. Coyle's Class: Our First Week

What a fun and busy week we have had in kindergarten! We have learned many new classroom routines, met new friends, and listened to great stories. I have had so much fun getting to know each of the students and I know this is going to be a great year! Read on to see what we have been up to in K-1!

Throughout the week, we read many stories that starred Chester the raccoon. Our week began with the book, The Kissing Hand. In this book, Chester is nervous about starting school. His mother kisses the palm of his hand and tells him that whenever he feels lonely and needs a little loving from home, he just needs to press his hand to his cheek and think about his mom.

After reading the story, we found a clue that Chester had left for us. He left many clues (and tracks!) around the school that took us to different rooms around Dryden. When we returned to the classroom, we found special hearts that Chester had left for us. Each student put their heart into their supply box as a reminder of the special people waiting for them at home. The students also had a chance to make their own kissing hand, which they brought home earlier this week.

We read several other Chester books this week. Chester's adventures in these stories helped us learn about being a good friend, as well as the importance of being brave and trying new things.

The students also had a chance to work on a few Chester-themed centers. These centers allowed the children to practice matching upper and lowercase letters, counting and matching numbers, playing roll and cover to help with number recognition, and playing a fun game of memory.

A favorite activity from our week was definitely our time in the play centers. The children were so excited to explore some of the different areas of our classroom, while getting to know their classmates and practicing those important skills of sharing, working together, and taking turns.