Construction Day Fun!

Last week we came back to school after spring break.  I was excited to see my kids and am so excited for the last quarter.  The end of the year is so much fun because of all the things that kindergartners can do at this time.  I decided (over spring break) that I was going to do a "construction day" when they got back.  I wanted them to be excited to be back and to have fun while they were learning.  I had so many people help us for our day.  I sent out and email asking parents if they could send in some things for us.  I also talked to some construction friends to see if we could borrow some safety vests.  Greystone borrowed me almost enough for my whole class.  I ordered hard hats and picked up some construction trucks from local stores and thrift shops.  I also had parents send some in.  I came in one night and set up our tables for the next day. I think I was almost as excited as they were.  

My kids behavior was amazing on our construction day.  They were engaged in activities that we have done before...but that they may have gotten off task with.

When the kids entered the room they saw these signs on the door.  

When the kids entered the room, they saw safety vests and hard hats at their lockers.  They were instructed to put them on right away.  We did our normal morning routines.  They did morning meeting and Writer's Workshop.  

I then led my kids through each center, telling them what they would be doing.

At this centers, there were posters that showed machines and tools and what each of them did.

Above each center, I had a sign with a number on it.  This helped them to know which one they needed to go to next.  If they started at 1, they went to 2.  If they started at 5, they went to 6.  It worked really well.

                                                    

At one center, I had books out for kids to read.

At each center, I had a sign telling the kids what to do.  The kids used bolts and screws and worked on their fine motor skills, putting these together.  If I didn't have these, I would have used regular bolts and screws. 

 We used our light table to build letters and numbers.  If I didn't have these, I would have used Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners or play dough to make the letters and numbers.

When it was time for recess and lunch, we hung our hard hats and vests up.

                                       


 At this center kids built sentences.  They started with a green card and added a red card.  They then added a when and a where card.  Each sentence had a WHO, DID WHAT, WHEN and WHERE.  

At this center kids looked at the supplies that we had out.  They designed a house that they wanted to build and drew it.  They then built the house.  After they were done, they looked at their house to see if it worked the way that they hoped.  If it didn't, they made changes to it.  We used our STEM steps here.

 At this center, kids built CVC words.  We have done this many times in different ways but doing it on construction cards had them so engaged.

 Their favorite center was building a house out of graham crackers and frosting.  I wanted them to build bigger houses, but time got away from us and they had to make smaller ones.

We used a Jenga game to identify numbers.  When kids pulled out a block, they had to say the number on it and put it on top of the pile.  The expressions were priceless.

We used Legos and Lego cards to solve addition problems.  They did so well with this.  They recorded the equations on a recording sheet.

 At this center, kids built words with Scrabble pieces.  I had some Scrabble pieces printed out but had a parent send in a game, so we used that instead.

 During our break, one of my friends posted this on a local online garage sale site.  It was destined for me to see it right away.  I had my hubby pick it up for me.  This was a favorite spot for some of my kids.

I was pretty excited about this center.  I picked up some rocks and wrote all of our sight words on them with a silver sharpie.  I put them in our sensory table.  Kids scooped up rocks with an excavator and with dump trucks and put them in a pile.  They then recorded the sight words on their recording sheet.  I also made paper copies of rocks with sight words because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find dark rocks.

 At this center, kids worked on subtraction equations.  They looked at the cards with the math problems on them and used rocks to solve them.  They recorded the equations on their sheets.

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 We also worked on telling time.  These cards had sentences on them about a construction workers day.  They had to read the time on the clock.

Our day was a blast.  I could have done this every day during the week, but we had other fun activities planned.  I thought about using this for our A to Z countdown to summer.  I'd maybe add it to our "C" day.  

You can find the activity cards and posters HERE.

I hope you have a wonderful week!
Sara

My Light Table Center Ideas

We're having a lot of fun in kindergarten.  Things are coming along.  I love this time of the year.  It's so much fun seeing the growth that the kids have made.   We were excited to add a new addition to our classroom a couple weeks ago.  I wrote a SEEF (Shakopee Educational Endowment Foundation) grant through our school and found out that it was funded.  I ordered a light table to add to our room.  Boy, it is an exciting addition.  It took a little bit for me to get one (lots of bumps along the way), but in the end a friend of mine recommended that I check into  Honey Do Products.  I talked to Kevin and he made me a table, delivered it and set in up in my room within 2 weeks.  It can fit 8 people around it and is tall enough for kid size chairs.  After finding out I was receiving this grant, I wrote a grant through Donors Choose and had some very generous people donate to it.  I was able to order many supplies for our table.  I am going to post pictures of things that I received from my SEEF grant, Donors Choose grant and things I have purchased on my own.  There are a lot of pictures.  I am going to try to explain where I got everything and how I intend on using it all.   Because this table is so new, we haven't used all the centers yet.  I am creating as I go.   We are loving what we have used so far.

 In the bowl are little eraser frogs from The Dollar Spot at Target.  I cut lily pads out of index dividers from The Dollar Tree.  Kids will shake two dice and will put that number of frogs on the lily pads.  They will make a math equation and add them together.

One of the activities that I will have kids do is look at a number and put out sticks and stones for the groups of tens and ones in the numbers.  The tens are stir sticks for drinks found on clearance at Target.  The stones are from the pet section at Walmart.

These color paddles are from Lakeshore Learning.

These Legos are from Amazon.  They will be used for STEM projects and when we have Friday Fun day.

These counters are from Amazon.  I will use them for math.

This board is from Lakeshore.  Kids will make patterns with it.

These Legos are from Amazon.

We have a place called Companies for Classrooms where I live.  Businesses or people donate items to Companies for Classrooms.  Teachers get to go once a month and pick out items for their classrooms.  These geoboards are from there.  I got colored bands from Michaels to use on the clear boards.  We'll make shapes on them.

These containers are from Walmart.  They were in the Easter section.  We will be using them for making patterns, as dice shakers and to count stones in.

These cars are from The Dollar Spot at Target.  We will use them to make math equations and for making patterns.

More chips for math..

I got these stones at The Dollar Tree.  I used a permanent marker to write the letters of the alphabet on them.  Kids will put them in order.

These math containers are from ABC Toy Zone.  They are clear domes with dice and a plus sign inside it.  Kids shake the dice and use counters to add the numbers together.

These numbers are on index dividers from The Dollor Tree.  The stones are from Walmart in the pet section.  Kids will pick a number and will count out that many stones.

These letters are from Amazon.

These shapes are from Amazon.

Kids pick out a number and say it.  They count out the number of stones that equals the number.

These stones are from the pet section at Walmart.  They are by the fish supplies.

These hearts were from The Dollar Tree.  I wrote numbers 1-100 on them.  Kids put them in order.

These are from Lakeshore Learning (I believe).

These are filled with liquid and different things.

I cut out shapes from tissue paper and laminated them.  They will be used for sorting shapes and colors.

I used test tubes for this center.  Inside the bin are sight words, little beads with alphabet letters and test tubes.  The kids pull a sight word out of the bin.  They make the sight word with the beads and put it in the test tubes.

These are shapes from Constructive Playthings.  I used index dividers to write the names of the shapes.  Kids will sort the shapes into piles.

I got these round containers from The Dollar Tree.  I am not sure how I am going to use them yet.

These are laminated index dividers.  I put small stones in the container.  Kids will look at the number on the top of the Math Mountain and make the equation.

Magna tiles...

This is another making words or names center.  Kids put the beads with letters in the test tubes.

Shapes from Amazon.

This is another equation dome with transparent chips.

In this center kids will make different designs with the shapes.  They are then able to look at the design through a Magic Bee Eye Effect Kaleidoscope Wooden Kids Toy Prism from Amazon.

These are from Lakeshore.  They are part of the Lakeshore Light table kit.  Kids can build sight words that are written on index dividers.

We are going to use these for sorting.  They are from Lakeshore.

I can't remember where I got these bracelets.  I got the beads from JoAnn Fabrics.  Kids will sort colors into the correct bracelets.

They will use the same beads in a fine motor center.  They will move the beads from one container to another.

These are colored shot glasses from The Dollar Tree.  They will be used for holding objects and for stacking.

These are salt and pepper shakers from The Dollar Tree.  Kids will put toothpicks in them for working on their fine motor skills.

We used these on the 100th day of school.  These shot glasses are from Party City.  I labeled them with the numbers 1-100.  Kids made towers out of them.

These container are from The Dollar Spot at Target.  I have erasers from Target in them too.  They are used for making patterns and for sorting and counting.

These are from The Dollar Tree.  They are used in math centers.

I got these stones from The Dollar Tree.  I put numbers 1-100 on them.  Kids put them in order.  The numbers that have a 5 in them are blue and 10's are red.

This clear marble run is from Amazon.

These rocks and trays are from The Dollar Tree.  I wrote letters on them.  Kids will make CVC words with them.

This is another container from The Dollar Tree.  I cut out letters from tissue paper and laminated them.  Kids will make CVC words with them.

This tray is from Companies to Classrooms.  Kids count the amount of objects they put in each section.  There are 100 squares.

Whenever I go to Walmart, The Dollar Tree or Target, I am on the look out for clear containers.
They will be used for a variety of activities and to hold dice, counters, stones, etc.

These green containers are from the Walmart travel accessory section.  I put letter tiles in them for kids to make CVC words and CVCE words.

These fruit shapes are from The Dollar Tree.  Kids will sort them and make patterns out of them.

These numbers are from Amazon.

These are from Lakeshore.

I got some fun scatter decorations from Party City.  They will be used for math.

These human x-rays are from Lakeshore.

These are the index dividers that I bought from The Dollar Tree.  I purchased about 10 packs.  I cut them down to whatever size I need and write on them with Sharpies.  I then laminate them.

I made ten frames out of the index dividers.  Kids will draw a number and will fill in the 10 frames with stones from Walmart.

Finally, this is my light table.  It can fit 8 people around it.  It fits the child sized chairs underneath it.  I LOVE having it in our classroom.  We cannot thank the people who made this happen for us enough!  It has made learning so much more exciting!