Who is Mr. Nobody?

In our classroom we use the Mr. Nobody program to instill the students with a sense of community and to act both locally and globally.  At the beginning of the year I had my Grandmother make a blank doll- I told the students  that Mr. Nobody would be coming to our class but didnt reveal too much more information.  They were all curious who this person was.  When the package arrived I showed them the blank doll and explained how we as a class would make him into a Somebody...

The program really allows you to have open discussions about issues that matter to them.  The instructions were simple; each child would take Mr. Nobody home for 2 weeks, in that time they could take him anywhere.  They were responsible for helping a living thing; it could be the environment, their grandparent or a child who was half way across the world. After which, they were to attach a souvenir of sorts to show what they did to help.   The children were eager to get their turn and in the end he definetly became a somebody. 

A few exaples of what the children in my class (who are 5 and 6 years old) did are;  donated to the food bank, ran a 2km race and raised money for a boy in Chile, planted trees, sold some of their toys and used the money to donate to the blind, bought only fair trade items, gave up their allowance to help the humane society.  I was very proud of all their generosity and will definetly be continuing with this program in the Fall. 

Check it out for yourself http://www.whoisnobody.com/

Thanks Dad!!

For the past several years when Father's Day rolls around,  I always ask the children a series of questions about their dad.  This is not only a great keepsake for a father to treasure but also hilarious for me as I read the results. 

Here are some of the memorable responses I have encountered over the years....

What is your dad's job?
- "his job is to clean the dog poo"

- "to listen to my mom"

- " I don't know, but I hear him complain about it all the time"

What does he like to do?
- "anything hockey"
-  "play with me"
- "workout for big muscles"

What is his favourite food?
- "steak"
- "chicken nuggets and kraft dinner"
- " apples"

What animal does he remind you of?
- " an elephant"
- " a bear"
- " a butterfly"

What do you love most about your dad?
- " his hair"
- " he loves me ALOT"
- " he looks good in jeans"

How old is your dad?
- " 76 and a half"
- "I'm not sure... but old"
- " I think about twelve"

Does your dad clean?
-" hahahahh NO!"
- "yeah of course, my mom is too busy and besides all dads are suppose to"
- " no, he makes my mom do everything"
- " nope, my mom has another man for that"  (after further questionning I realized they had a male housecleaner)

School's Out for Summer!

Well, the countdown until Summer if offically on.  Our school has 6 days left.  I find June to be one of the longest months!  There are no new lessons being taught, its just finish up,  clean up and pack up. The kids are pretty much wild- mostly because the weather is nice and there is less structrue in the class.  I seem to have about a hundred things on the go and its my own damn fault!!
1. I decided it would be a great idea for each of the kids to sew their own bag to take all their workbooks home in.  Two weeks later we are still sewing
2.  I  decided it would be cute if they could each make a little something for their end of the year gift for 2011.  So 3 buckets of clay later, 100 wipes of the table and over 20 minutes per child- they each have of their very own labryinth.
3. Of course then there is  Father's Day- we had to do a craft and card.
4. I  displayed all the lost and found items- funny enough all those mitts, sweaters, coats and other items still don't belong to anyone?!!
5. I cleaned out the collection of pencils, puzzle pieces, toys, bandaids, paints, and other random and miscellaneous items from your cupboards.
6. On top of all that-  I am totally freaking out about the end of the year performance.  Will they remember their lines, will someone fall of the stage, will everyone show up, what if there is a costume malfunction?!

Ahhh well, just breathe.  6 more days.  Well that is until next year!

To Win or not to Win....

My husband always jokes that I only think I'm really good at stuff because I compare myself to kindergarteners.  For example;  I was bragging one evening that I was undefeated in chess, checkers and tic tac toe.  I however, forgot to mention that I had only played against 5 and 6 year olds.  This brought me to my next topic... winning. 

Should you let your child win every time?  I would have to stand up and shout and undoubtedly NO!  I can easily  point out the children in my class who have won every game of any sort at home.  They are the ones, who are poor losers, are crying or are refusing to continue to play if they see they will inevitably lose the game.  This is not a good character trait.  I can reassure you I also do not like to lose, I am a very competitive person but feel its essential to teach children that its okay to lose sometimes and to do it with grace.

No Toys Allowed

As crazy as that sounds for a Kindergarten teacher to post a No Toy Zone on her door- its happened.  And I have to admit I agree.  In our school we seem to have the never ending problem of students bringing items from home into the classroom. 
This causes many problems....
1. It causes distractions
2. It could get broken, stolen or go missing
3. Children sometimes trade toys.  15 minutes later, one believes the trade was unfair and wants their toy back, the other child refuses. There are tears, name calling and pushing.  Before you know it- you have wasted 30 minutes of your lunch break mediating over some Bey Blade.  (for an example)

If a child is caught with a toy in the classroom it is taken away until the end of the day.We do have show and tell once a week and encourage students to bring items of interest.  Any thoughts?!!

I gotta go!

As a teacher we cannot just leave our classroom when nature calls.  I am grateful this year to have an assistant in my class so we often just sneak out for a tea, washroom break or to breathe.  However, there were many years when going to the washroom needed to fit into a 25 minute prep period in which you also needed to photocopy, email parents, talk to colleagues or clean. I think washroom breaks when you actually have to go should be a constitutional right! 

Birthdays in the Classroom

I have witnessed first hand the mayhem that can arise during birthday parties in the classroom.  I'm talking balloons being let loose, wildy flying around, half full of spit, hitting innocent bystanders-   
 to parents bringing a cake with four inches of icing thats big enough for 50 into a class with 15 students.  Oh and not to mention the dreaded loot bags, which by the way should always have the exact same toys, candies and other goodies.  I have also dealt with the birthday inviation ordeal.  A couple kids arent invited,  tears, parents emails.

 I told myself from day one I would have definetly encourage birthday celebrations in my class- with certain limitations.  I believe that birthdays are a big deal- I certainly make my own birthday a month long feista!  Here are my birthday guidelines...
1. All invitations go through me.  If not every chid is invited, I will hand them out privately- directly to parents.

2.  The parent is permitted to bring in one peanut free treat for the children- be it; cake, cupcakes, popsicles, fruit.  This is eaten at the last snack of the day, before recess. Go and burn off the sugar kids!

3.  The child will complete a Birthday Walk- they use a globe and go around a sun one time for as many years they are old.  During each rotation I talk about what they were starting to do developmentally, and their interests.   We sing happy birthday!

4.  The child can donate a birthday book to our classroom.  Inside I write their name, year and birthday.  The book is then put in our classroom library for others to share. 

5.  I present the child with a birthday certificate and small present.
6. Above all- stay calm and keep cool