Tag Archives: kindergarten

Books for Beginning School

Posted on by

Before long, some of you will have a child beginning school for the very first time. Kindergarten is a wonderful and exciting experience. There are many children’s books out there to help ease the fears about beginning school. One of my personal favorite books is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. In the Kissing Hand, a young raccoon is nervous about attending school. His mother suggests that he take a part of her with him. She kisses the palm of his hand so he will know that she is always there. In return, the little raccoon kisses his mom’s hand … Continue reading →

Celebrating School Rites of Passage

Posted on by

My son wants a graduation ceremony. One of his cousins is graduating from elementary school today. Another graduated from middle school last week. Tyler refuses to understand why he’s not having a ceremony. After all, he’s graduating from kindergarten. I have explained to him that normally there is a celebration when you pass from preschool to elementary school, from elementary to middle and from middle to high school. I reminded him that since he didn’t attend preschool he missed the first rite of passage. He then asked, “Why didn’t we have a celebration?” He’s absolutely right, we should have. Homeschooled … Continue reading →

Teacher Appreciation Week: Hats off to Ms. Diaz

Posted on by

I am going to cheat a little or maybe it isn’t cheating, but I asked Karri if she’d mind whether I posted my teacher appreciation letters here in Education this week and she was gracious enough to allow me the latitude. Today is May 8, 2007 and the theme for today at my daughter’s school for Teacher Appreciation is Letter Day from Parent. This is my letter to Erin Diaz, mother of three and my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher. Dear Erin I can’t tell you how lucky and blessed I feel that you were Cassidy’s teacher this year. From the first … Continue reading →

Kindergarten Naptime

Although I cannot remember much from my kindergarten year, I can recall several events from first and second grades. I vividly recall rest time. In both first and second grade, we had a specified time of day that we put our heads down on the desks to rest. Now, many kindergarten students do not have a naptime. My school is the only school in our county that participates in no form of naptime. The other kindergarten classes either have naptime everyday or periodically (when time permits or the teacher feels it is needed). Naps are things of education’s past. Some … Continue reading →

My Kindergarten – Rosemary Wells

Rosemary Wells has made quite a name for herself with children’s books that feature animals as the main characters. Perhaps you’d know her best from “Max and Ruby.” While this brother/sister combo are probably her most famous characters, she has created several, and “My Kindergarten” features many of them. Much thicker and more involved than her other books, Rosemary put together this book with a great deal of thought into the curriculum taught at kindergarten so she could complement that curriculum with the things she chose to include in the book. We begin in September with the first day of … Continue reading →

Great Books for Children Starting School

As children get closer to starting school, you will find them both excited and a little wary, which is perfectly normal. Some children will embrace change, finding school a wonderful experience while other children feel fear and nervousness. In this article, I wanted to provide you with some excellent books that you can read to your child to make the transition from home to school much easier. -Little School – This picture book is great for four to six year old children, teaching them how to prepare for change. By outlining, everything the child would expect helps him/her feel more … Continue reading →

The Road to the Right Kindergarten

My husband was presented with a strange request this week. He was asked to write a letter of recommendation for one of his students. Unless you know what my husband does–that might not seem so strange so let me explain further. He’s a teacher. . .of sports. He teaches at a sports program on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and his program rents out space from some of the most elite preschools in New York City. He only teaches 3, 4, and 5 year olds. Which means that this was a letter of recommendation. . .for kindergarten. What could … Continue reading →

Update: Should Kindergarteners Receive Traditional Letter Grades

Last week I wrote a blog about whether kindergarteners should receive traditional letter grades as opposed to pass/fail grades. The idea was spurred by an article in our local paper debating the merits of this new policy here in Mobile. In Sunday’s paper, a retired child management specialist for the Mobile Mental Health Center and a former public school teacher wrote a guest editorial concerning this new policy. The headline was Grading Too Soon, so I knew right away what his opinion was. In the article he wrote that kindergarteners need encouragement not labeling. He went on to say that … Continue reading →

What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Mathematics

Simple counting to 20 Teaching Tip: May I suggest simple counting in two languages? If you haven’t already, now is a great time to start. For some reason, Math seems to be one of those subjects where many people feel you need worksheets. You can practice counting wherever you take your child. How many traffic lights have we passed, how many numbers can you find in the signs, or how many apples are we going to buy today. One-to-one relationship Teaching Tip: It seems common sense but young children need to be taught the idea that if there are 5 … Continue reading →

What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Language Arts

Phonics Website: For free lesson plans, ideas and games on how to teach your child to read visit Starfall. They also have affordable reading instruction packages if you are so inclined to buy something. Listening to literature, music, poetry Teaching Tip: What do you listen to in the car when you’re driving here or there? Try some books on tape (always available at your local library). A few of our favorite books: When it comes to poetry for kids my absolute favorite is Shel Silverstein. It’s a great place to start for kids because the poems are so entertaining. Nursery … Continue reading →