Workshop Ideas

In my classroom we do workshops twice a day. We do literature workshops when I do Guided Reading groups and we do math workshops. I have some go to workshops that I are easy to set up and that my students enjoy. Here are a few of my go to workshops:

Reading Workshops

1. Word Wall Workshop-this a set workshop everyday. Students do a variety of activities with their word wall words of the week. Some examples are:stamping words, using letter cookie cutters and play-doh, putting words in ABC order.
2. Computer-I try to vary the activity on the computer for students but their favorite is www.starfall.com and Bailey's Bookhouse.
3. Letter-students will do some type of letter or letter sound activity. This will vary depending on what we are doing in our lessons. Some examples are: sorting words by beginning letter sounds, focusing on beginning, middle or end sounds, letter puzzles and word games.
4. Listening-students listen to books on tape and respond to the stories they hear. After hearing the stories students may do a Thinking Map on characters, draw or write about favorite part or do a book review on the story.

Math

1. Pattern blocks-students can use pattern blocks for so many things. They can explore them by creating different things, make patterns, sort and complete pattern block puzzles.
2. Seasonal Number games-I create different number activities based on season and the skills we are learning. Some examples include: small plastic pumpkin with numbers on them-students have to put the correct number of candy corns to match the number, plastic hearts with numbers written on them-students have to count out that many candy hearts and add them together. This can be done with other items throughout year-snowmen, butterflies, eggs.
3. Sorting Activities-Students practice sorting based on a set attribute. I use a variety of items such as-small seasonal erasers, plastic bugs, for Halloween we do skeletons, bugs and bats. Depending on the time of year the students will have to show their work on work mats or write out the rule they used to sort.
4. Computer-Students in enjoy Millie's Mathhouse and Starfall math activities. These are great because I can set them on specific games that match what we are doing in our classroom.

These are just some examples of the workshops used in my classroom. I am always looking for new ideas! Please share if you have any good ideas!

Websites for Teachers

I use a variety of sites for resources for my classroom. Below are my top 5 websites:

1. Hubbards Cupard http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/index.html - This site is a great resource for kindergarten and preschool teachers. It provides many theme ideas, workshop ideas and links to other resources. I use their ideas a lot. One helpful addition is they have lots of photos of products they make which makes it easier for you to reproduce.
2. Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Snapshots http://www.jmeacham.com/ -This site is a school teacher who post great information. She shares tons of activities and ideas.She also provides lots of photos of her projects so it is helpful to create on your own. Mrs. Meacham's ideas expand into all types of themes and subjects. I have just recently come across her site and I love her ideas!
3. Teachers Net http://teachers.net/- I have joined a chat board on this site. I get daily emails with the topics that are discussed. You can join chats based on subjects, grade levels or state. I get lots of ideas just from reading the chats that come across. The site also has lesson plans and projects that I have used. The only con of this site is that it has ads running around it that can sometimes be a pain to avoid but it has lots of good ideas.
4. The K-Crew http://www.thekcrew.net/index.html- This site is a great resource. They have tons of ideas for kindergarten teachers. They do have some items available for purchase but they still have plenty that is free on the site.
5. We Give Books http://www.wegivebooks.org/- This site is a way to not only get your hands on some great literature but to also help others get free books. The way the site works is your register for an account (it's Free!) and then pick an organization you would like a book donated to. You can pick from a variety of books on line and then share the books with your students. They can be shared with a smart board or projector so the students can all see the books. Once your class reads the book then a copy of that book is donated to the organization you picked. I have found they have some great books to choose from and my students love reading them off the big screen!

These are my top five sites. Please let me know if you have some more sources! I am always looking to add to my resources.

Websites for Kindergarten Students

I like to use different websites for my students to practice skills in the classroom. These are my top 5 sites that I like to use with my students and a little about them:

1. Starfall www.starfall.com -This is a great site for kids to work on early letter sounds and phonic skills. My students love this site and it is easy for them to navigate.
2. ICT Resources http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/ict/default.htm -This is a site I use at the beginning of the year to help students with mouse skills.The cons of this site are you have to click on the mouse practice activities and set it up for students. I also found students often can get lost on the site and have to be redirected. However, there are some great practice activities for those students who need help with learning how to use a mouse.
3. Clifford Interactive Storybook-  http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/index.htmThis is a site on  the Scholastic page that has one of my kids favorite characters, Clifford. They can work on letter sounds, making words, listen to stories and play games. One great thing about the site is you can choose English or Spanish for students. My kids love it and it is easy for them to navigate.
4. ABCya! http://www.abcya.com/ This site has some great activities on it for students. The con about this site is it is not easily navigate independently by my students. I have to set up the game for them.It also has lots of ads on the sidebar that can be difficult for students to avoid.
5. Storyline Online http://www.storylineonline.net/ This site is one of my favorites for students. They can choose books and listen to them beginning read by a variety of actors. There are a many books available on the site and students enjoy listening to them over and over!

The above sites are some of my go to sites for students. My students love computer time and the opportunity to learn something new from them in a fun way. I hope these sites are helpful to you and your students. I am always looking for more sites to expose them to! If you know of some more good sites then leave a comment so I can add to my collection!

The Purpose of This Blog

The purpose of this blog is provide kindergarten teachers and parents with ideas for activities and lessons. I will be posting my personal experiences within my classroom on things that worked and activities that my students enjoyed. A few of the subjects I will highlight are:

1. Websites for Kindergartners
2. Workshop Ideas
3. Math Activities
4. Word Wall Activities
5. Websites for Teachers
6. Favorite authors for Kindergartners

I am open for suggestions so feel free to leave a comment with your questions or subjects you would like answered about the wonderful world of kindergarten!