Indoor Recess Fun

Today is a snow day in North Carolina.  I grew up in Pittsburgh, so it's still funny to me that we don't have school, but we have clear roads and I can still see the grass.  I'm certainly not complaining.  Yes, we'll have to make it up, but for right now, I'm enjoying the gift of a day and the ability to get my to do list checked off.

It's been rainy and miserable ALL week and I was experiencing cabin fever.  The kids cheer every time we have indoor recess, so maybe I was the only one?!?

We played with blocks, puzzles, board games, dolls, and created a restaurant this week.  When I see my class enjoying these games, developing socially, being creative and just plain old playing, it makes me wonder what it would have been like to teach Kindergarten when it wasn't so focused on academics.

The kids started writing orders down and I was so very proud ;)

Good old fashioned dolls and dollhouse courtesy of my amazing assistant!

 Playing "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Game"

My future engineer's skyscraper.  I cannot wait to start the Force & Motion unit with my boys especially!  My assistant and the kids in the background were waiting for the snow ;)

 

Connect Four!

Do you still have centers like these that your kids participate in daily?  Do you teach half day or full day Kindergarten? 

I haven't given up yet...

Maintaining a teaching blog is hard work.  I never expected it to be this difficult and I tip my hat to the many blogs I stalk that always have new and creative posts.  I've been in a slump- most likely caused by the holidays, the cold weather, and the day-to-day-trying-to-keep-my-head-above-water mode that teachers so often exist in.

I haven't posted any new TPT products because I just haven't had the inspiration or the motivation.  I was finally inspired today.  I have a project brewing.  I am thankful for this creative process and the passion it rekindles for my kiddos and what I am doing in my classroom.  Maybe it's the fresh new year that's a blank slate in front of me, but I have new goals for my instruction and ideas to implement them.

Please don't drop me from your subscription list yet.  Instead, let me know what you'd like to read about or see.

Finally, just in case you are hiding under a rock and don't know about Cara Carroll at The First Grade Parade (she's a celebrity in my book!), her recent post about math activities is awesome.  They are simple ideas and I made one of them before school and did it today (it was definitely better than my lesson plan!).  My kiddos loved it.

Stay tuned!