Today we had our first visit from the NA senior football players!! They partner with the K-1 and come read to our classes during football season. We make banners to cheer them on, which are hung in the hallways at the highschool. We are lucky enough to have 3 players read to our room! We have Eric Myers #68, Lucas Dove #73, and Trent Dressel #58. We will have 2 more visits from the boys. If you can, go to the games and cheer them on!

Last Friday, Sept. 6, we had our first Fun Walk to engage the younger children in the New Albany Walking Classic held that weekend. Jeff Hogan started us off with a pep rally in the gym. We then took a scenic walk through Swickard Woods, up the path to the pool, through the woods to the highschool, which apparently was not part of the mile walk!! We then walked up the bleachers, back through the woods, down the path from the pool, through Safety Town, and back to the K-1 playground. Jeff Hogan greeted us with medals and water bottles and told us we walked 1 1/2 miles- go 1st graders :) 

Brain Break

Brain breaks are not only essential to the young mind, but the BEST part of the day! We try to take a 'break" and get our wiggles and jiggles out at least once a day. These short dance sessions get us up on our feet and laughing which brings about a sense of joy and motivation. We typically watch a "Just Dance" video that lasts about 2-3 minutes. Today we had a very SPECIAL surprise. Our very own Cole made his own "brain break" video to share with us. Click on his name below. 

Cole's Brain Break

Brain Break Time!

Friendship and Feelings

The first several weeks of school we focus our attention on the relationships we form with one another. We discuss how we feel when we start a new school year and meet new friends. We read The Kissing Hand and Rainbow Fish to connect our own feelings to those characters in the text. The kiddos thought about times they have been really nervous and how they coped with those feelings. Again, friendship was a key factor in our discussions and we thought about the type of people we want to be and how to treat others. 

                                         

Enemy Pie

One of my favorite books to read to the kiddos each year is Enemy Pie. It's about a little boy who isn't sure he likes the new boy who moves into the neighborhood. He is "enemy #1" because he steals his best friend away. The boy's dad teaches him to befriend the new child without realizing it by making enemy pie. 

Our class discussed bullies and enemies and how we feel about them. We shared why someone might feel like they have an enemy. We read the book and made our own enemy pie, listing ingredients we might want to give a bully such as...a dirty sock, a rotten banana, worms, etc... We made the pie using shaving cream, playdoh, paper, a real sock! 











The kiddos and I then discussed why we shouldn't have enemies and how to turn an enemy into a friend. They came up with characteristics that a good friend should have, and those they should have to offer a friend. We listed those and made a new pie with whipped cream, sprinkles, biscuits, and yogurt to represent those characteristics such as "happiness, kindness, fun...". The pies were NOT eaten, just made with care!

 

It always turns out to be a fun activity we can refer back to when needing reminders about being a good friend!

Welcome to 2013-2014

Hello and welcome to Mrs. Cervantes' 1st grade blog! Our blog will highlight our adventures in our classroom while learning and growing. Let's backtrack a few weeks to our first day!  

On Aug. 19th, 23 bright and smiling faces entered room A28 ready to go! With our new shoes, fresh haircuts, fancy new clothes, and brand new backpacks we started the year. The boys and girls found old friends, started new friendships, and began a new year of fun! Welcome to Cervantes Circus!