Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Kindergarten "Get to Know You" Questions

We have created 8 pages of AWESOME questions to use in your classroom to better get to know your students.  We use these questions in our daily community circles and just whenever you have a few minutes to fill.  These questions promote questioning and listening techniques as well as provide entertainment for you as the teacher!  It's just as easy as print, laminate, and cut!


Please check out our new, fun product on Teachers Pay Teachers!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Questions-to-Establish-Community-803153

My favorite Students



 All of these characters are the types of students that I really enjoy having in my class. I love it when students are funny. If a student follows all the rules then Kindergarten would be dull. I like it when there is enough of a challenge to think about it but not so much that I need to call the cops. All of these characters are natural leaders. They are great at talking people into doing stuff (either good or bad). These are the ones that need a task in your classroom and they need to feel like you count on them. If they don't feel needed in your classroom then they can quickly take over a lesson and turn your room upside down. These are the students that are very intelligent but you have to create a more creative way to teach them. They are normally everyone's favorite in the class. Unfortunately, instead of some teachers labeling them as "natural leaders" or "intelligent" they often get the title of bad. My goal this year is to help them figure out that school is great before they realize how powerful they are with their leadership, overtaking classroom skills. Who has some great suggestions on how to make the lively learners shine before other teachers label them as bad?

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Humpty Dumpty mini unit

Who doesn't love Humpty Dumpty? We love him and our first unit of study focuses on Nursery Rhymes.  We do such fun lessons based on Humpty that we thought we would share.  If you would like to check out our Humpty unit on Teachers Pay Teachers, please follow the link below!
 



http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Humpty-Dumpty-Unit-800970

Teacher confessions

All teachers do things that other people might look at us strangely for. I admit I love the way rubber cement smells. I think they need to make a rubber-cement scented candle. I also like the way scissors glide across the clear laminated sheets. What odd teacher habits do you enjoy?

Parent Log and Weekly To-Do

We have just added our first item on Teachers Pay Teachers store! The file contains a "his/her" version of a parent contact log and a weekly to-do list. 
 
 
 
To view this item or to purchase please visit our TPT store at:
 

Monday, July 29, 2013

...and this is me.


I'm the other half of the KinderMonster...Randi House.  I have a studly hubs named Travis, a 2 year old princess name Lottie and an 8 year old diva named Essie who makes me laugh and love life more than I could ever have imagined.    My 2nd grade teacher is my teaching idol and I base my teaching style off her.  I feel that establishing a safe, loving, accepting community is your classroom is the basis for everything you do.  Classrooms should be creative, versatile, and fun. 

I love vintage things...especially furniture.  I desperately wish I could sew...I cannot...I have tried and failed...many times.  I have recently found a love for exercise...especially Zumba and Pilates.  I could eat avocado, hummus, and grilled pineapple all day, every day.  I am completely, utterly terrified of frogs...irrationally so.  I agree with Nathan on the snow days...we typically sit glued to the window waiting for flakes to fall. 

The most common question Nathan and I get is "are you related"...yes we share the same last name...only spelled differently.  It's just a fun coincidence....we are fabulous friends who share similar teachings styles and enjoy our kindergarten life.  We balance each other well...Nathan is the "big ideas" guy and I am the "organized, rational" side.  We make a pretty good team and are excited about sharing our upcoming year with you!


This is me.



My name is Nathan Howse. I have a wonderful wife named Caroline. We have a 6 year old son and a 2 year old daughter that are more fun than television  and laser tag combined.  I hated school more than stepping in gum as a child. I use to pray that my school would burn down. As an adult I realized if I was a teacher I could make school fun for those kids that were suppose to also hate school. People like to have fun and feel important in every aspect of life but especially in a school classroom. I love to see a child make a discovery that makes them feel smart. I am very entertained by how children respond to life. I think the perfect teacher would be a lot like Bill Cosby and my mom combined. I think the classroom is a wonderful place to learn how to treat others.

In case you are still reading here are some more things about me... I love ranch dressing on everything. I love the smell of leather. I think chicken wings should be a major food group. I believe that school should always be cancelled if there is even a chance of snow. Watermelons taste better outside when you get to spit the seeds. I love fishing, camping, canoeing, and hiking. Homemade ice- cream is good for any occasion. Left over Chinese food is just as good cold.

Things I strongly believe...
*everyone is good at something
*everyone needs someone to cheer for them in their corner.
* everyone can learn more than they already know.





Playlist

We are all more productive while listening to music whether you are cleaning the house or on a road trip.  It's getting close to that time of year again when we are setting up our classrooms.  This is a dreaded time because summer is closing but exciting because we can start fresh again.  Today we are grooving to:
  • Why Can't We Be Friends by War
  • The Weight by The Band
  • Nothing but Trouble by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
  • The Midnight Special by CCR
  • Days Like This by Van Morrison
  • I Love It by Icona Pop
That should get us through the morning.  What are some songs on your playlist that would help us get through the afternoon and coming weeks?  Roll call...comment below to share your favorite songs!

You never get bored putting up a bulletin board while dancing!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Our First FREEBIE!

We just created our Teachers Pay Teacher's account!  We posted a great little Literacy Profile sheet that you can use to keep track of student progress.  You can use these to show growth for TESS and use these for parent teacher conferences.  I keep these in the front of each student's assessment folder. 
To get your own copy: Please visit our TPT store! 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Literacy-Profile-Sheet-792415

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Welcome to the Monster!

Welcome to the Kindergarten Monster!  We are Mr. Howse and Mrs. House....
 
 
We are 2 wild and crazy KINDERGARTEN teachers.  We are asked constantly "HOW can you teach Kindergarten?" or the standard "I could NEVER do what you do".  So here we are explaining HOW we do it...HOW we tame that Kindergarten Monster everyday!