Shapes and Names and Glue

Are you back in school yet? We are! I looped up from Pre-K and got to keep 11 of my kiddos. I have a class size of 18 students - 8 girls and 10 boys. I wasn't 100% sure if I was doing Pre-K or K this year until a week before school started - so my room was in limbo all summer. It's still not 100%. but it's getting there. Friday was our 13th day and it was fabulous!

We've been talking about shapes this week in math (along with numbers and counting of course!) - specifically rectangles and triangles and the differences between them. My kids had a pretty tight handle on circles and squares, but they kept confusing rectangle and triangle, We've been drawing them on our Smartboard and dry erase boards, reading stories about them and singing some fun piggy-back songs about them:

Then I got out the craft sticks. I dyed them earlier this week since I could only find natural wood ones ($1.99 for 500 at Walmart!), and I wanted some color for this project!

I  divided the sticks into snack size baggies, added a tablespoon or two of rubbing alcohol and some drops of food coloring. Then I shook it all up, making sure the color spread evenly and spread the sticks on a baking sheet to dry.

I put a pile of each color in the middle of my tables and asked my students to use them to crate rectangles and triangles on black paper:

Once they had created their shapes, I handed out the glue. Yes, I had 18 bottles of glue going on Day 13 and NOT ONE accident or inappropriate usage! 

Check out how they turned out!

 

In the afternoon, we tackled our Torn Paper Names. I had written each child's name in pencil on a large piece of white construction paper. I allowed them to choose their own colors for this, so some chose only one color while others had two or more colors. Then they set to work, tearing the paper into pieces about the size of their thumbs.

This gave them a great fine motor workout, and let me see who will need more help in this area. Once they had torn a small pile of paper, I brought out the glue again! I know, twice in one day, I was feeling brave, but again, no accidents or inappropriateness - can I just say I have the BEST CLASS EVER?! I cut them out and displayed them in our hallway and I'm so pleased with how they turned out:

Now I'm off to plan my lessons for this week! Hope you have a great one!