The Miss Bindergarten Kindergarten Series
by Joseph Slate
INTRODUCTION
The following activities are designed to be part of a school-year curriculum. Each book has its own set of activities that contributes to a larger, end-of-the-year project: individual student mobiles. You'll need a plastic hanger or a similar object for the frame of the mobile. However, if you would like to selectively use the Miss Bindergarten books, the activities provided here can stand alone or easily be incorporated into your own curriculum.
ACTIVITIES
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Project: Create a class "Gets Ready" book.
Goal: Acclimate students to their new class by helping them become familiar with their new surroundings and each other. Students will also review the alphabet and begin work on their mobiles.
Introductions and Sharing Feelings
PLAN AHEAD: Before the school year starts, be sure to take a picture of your classroom when it is messy and materials are still in boxes.
1. Point out the transformation of Miss Bindergarten's room from colorless and messy to cheerful and neat. Show students the picture of their classroom before you moved in and ask them to take a look around now. Can they point out specific ways in which things are different? Point out specific play and work areas as you talk, so that students will become familiar with their surroundings.
2. Share with your class what you did as a teacher to prepare for the year. Talk about your feelings (of excitement, anxiety, etc.) and ask everyone else to share their feelings. Have students draw pictures of these emotions to aid in your discussion. They will be reassured that their feelings are shared by all and will begin to feel more comfortable with their new classmates in the process.
ABC's
While reading this book, point out the first letter of each character's name. Have students identify the first letter of their own first name and see whether, using every student's letter, you can form the entire alphabet. Ask your class which letters are missing. Have each student cut their letter out of construction paper (or hand out precut construction paper letters) to decorate with feathers, tissue papers, cotton balls, etc. This will become the main part of the students' mobiles. You can also simply string these letters together and create a colorful alphabet banner to display in your room throughout the year.
Similarities and Differences
1. Discuss how each character gets ready for kindergarten and gets to school. Are there similarities, differences, or both?
2. Discuss with your students how they prepare for and get to school. Talk about these similarities and differences while making notes on the board. Have each child illustrate one thing from their own routine and bind the illustrations together to create a "Gets Ready" book for the class.
Rhyme
Point out how each character's name rhymes with something they are doing. Help students to create rhymes using their own names. Print their rhymes and attach them to their mobiles.
Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten
Project: Have a 100th day of kindergarten party.
Goal: Help students understand the value of 100 through groupings and sets of similar items.
Math
- Begin discussing the value of the number 100 with groupings of 10. Show students a bundle of 10 pencils and a bundle of 100 pencils.
- Create a "100" bulletin board. Choose a theme: the ocean, the forest, a zoo, etc. Prepare photocopies of 100 fish, trees, monkeys, etc. Have students decorate them and then post them on the board.
- Have each child trace their hands on several pieces of construction paper and then decorate them. Place hands in a row throughout the classroom, or down the hallway, counting and grouping by 10 until you to reach 100.
- Make macaroni necklaces using 100 pieces of pasta.
- Have each student bring in their own collection of 100 things (for example, crayons, pennies, buttons, etc.). Students can do this at home with help from their parents.
- Ask each child to illustrate the number 100 by completing the following statement: "100 things I want to . . . " (Suggestions: eat, draw, make, have, sew, paint, color, etc.) Attach their statements to their individual mobiles.
100th Day Party!
Spend the day doing everything in sets of 100:
- Exercise 100 times (10 jumping jacks, 10 toe touches, 10 shoulder touches, 10 claps, 10 hops, etc.).
- Observe 100 seconds of silence.
- Time how long it takes to walk 100 steps.
- Distribute one brown paper bag per student and have a decorating session using the number 100.
- In 10 separate bowls, place enough snack foods for each student to take 10 of each. You could use mini pretzels, mini marshmallows, raisins or other dried fruit, small crackers, gummy candy, or popcorn.
- Allow each child to count out 10 pieces from each bowl for their bag. Close the bag, shake it up, and enjoy!
- Fill a variety of jars with various quantities of items like buttons, beads, bows, marbles, golf tees, etc. (Only one jar should have 100.)
- Number each jar. Then let each student guess which jar contains 100. Pin the 1 on the 100.
- On a large piece of poster board, allow the whole class to decorate the number 100. (You can do this ahead of time.) At your party, under adult supervision, blindfold each student and let each child try to pin the 1 on the 100. 100th Day Award
- Create a template certificate that reads "__________ has completed 100 days of kindergarten," with space to insert each student's photograph.
