Happy Halloween from the Cruikshanks!

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Making Friends

Also this week, we were fortunate enough to have a presentation called Making Friends. This presentation focused on the fact that some children need "helpers" in order to function day-to-day. We met puppet friends who use wheel chairs, braces and crutches, and canes and sight dogs every day. Our visitors made us realize that although some people may need to do things a little differently, using special tools or "helpers", we all enjoy doing the same kinds of things.

I know that there have been several questions from the children regarding some of our friends here at Lawrence Avenue who happen to need such tools and "helpers" to go about their day-to-day routines. I know this presentation was very informational and eye opening for my class. Please talk to your child about how everyone is unique and special, special helpers or no. Not only do all people look different, but some of us simply learn things differently or at different rates. That is what makes the world such a wonderful place. How boring would it be if we were all the same.

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Halloween Fun

Well, I just have to say that the children in Room 108 were VERY good sports yesterday! We all came to school prepared for our fun day at Breezy Maple Farms in Massena...boots, coats, hats, mittens and lunches!!! Unfortunately, the farm called and had to cancel our trip for yesterday due to the fact that it was raining out and all our activities were outdoor activities for our visit. The children took the news as well as could be expected. They all seemed to cheer up when I announced we would be going on Monday instead!

However, there was one serious snafu (or so I thought)! We had no costumes to wear for the day ;o( I am proud to say that my roomful of 4 and 5 year-olds made the most of this unforeseen situation. We watched the other kids parade through school and admired all the creative, funny outfits worn to school. We also got to see some of the "big kids'" costumes when we took a walk through AAK Middle School.

We returned to our classroom to finish our Halloween Safety activities, made Balloon Jack-o-lanterns, did Mummy Wrapping (soooo many giggles and so much fun!), watched the movie Spooky Pooh and enjoyed a snack of juice and popcorn! We even squeezed in some free play time. All in all it was a fun day.

And I have the pics to prove it!

Have a SAFE and FUN Halloween! And don't forget to come to school prepared for more fun at the farm on Monday!!

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Pumpkin Muffin Mixer

On Friday, all kindergarten classes congregated for our monthly social gathering...October is Pumpkin Muffin Mixer. The teachers made pumpkin muffins in honor of this favorite fall treat! All children enjoyed relaxing next to their friends in the KIVA while enjoying a scrumptious pumpkin muffin.

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Pumpkin Pumpkin (Children's Book)

Today I shared this video (based on the book Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeane Titherington) with our kindergarten class. They loved it. We are starting to talk about pumpkins and all the ways we use them. We spoke about how pumpkins grow as well...starting with the seed, sun and water all the way to the grown pumpkin itself. I even shared with them the importance of the green leaves (the 'food factory' for the plant). Tomorrow we will make a mobile showing the seed, sprout, flower and pumpkin.

Link to YNN News Clip about Mr. Jenne

Click HERE to see the video about Mr. Jenne.

Mr. Jenne is REALLY sleeping on the Roof Tonight!!

As we were leaving school today, we all waved good-bye to Mr. Jenne as we always do. But one thing was different...he was waving from the roof...in his Elmo/Mickey Mouse PJ's, complete with his stuffed doggy!! The children of Lawrence Avenue and their families met the goal of 1000 subscriptions during the magazine subscription sale we recently held. Soooooo....even though it is freezing cold outside, Mr. Jenne has pitched his tent atop Lawrence Ave. for an interesting night's sleep. Good Luck, Mr. Jenne!!

Please FOLLOW Me!

Please feel free to find the FOLLOW link (toward the bottom of this blog on the right hand side) and FOLLOW this blog. When you do, you will be notified when new posts are added.

On another note, if you have not yet done so, please return the permission slip brought home by your child last Friday. It is important for me to have each one returned in order to proceed with my grant proposal at donorschoose.org. I am attempting to procure items for a cozy reading corner for the classroom. If you have misplaced yours, please let me know and I will send a new one. Trust me, I fully understand how that can happen, as I have done it myself.

Have a great weekend!

Bump!, Buster and Yoga

Time flew by this week in Room 108! Tuesday was Kindergarten Day in the LAE Math Lab. We went to play Matching Bump. Thanks to Mrs. Amy Murphy and Ms. Deborah Thomas for their hard work preparing all the games for us to play.

On Wednesday, Buster the Bus visited us to talk about bus and road safety. He even brought his friend, Miss Honey! As you will see from the pictures below, Miss Honey and her lovely pink hair REALLY like the camera!

On Friday, we were fortunate enough to participate in a yoga session set up by Mrs. Pike for Health and Wellness Month at LAE. As you will see from the pics and video clips, it was a fun and interesting session!

On Friday we also met the two Korean students who will be visiting our classroom each Friday through December. They are here at SUNY Potsdam under the direction of Dr. Andrew Ha. Our new friends were a big help! It's always nice to have an extra set of hands/eyes. Welcome Jin and Sun!!

Enjoy the weekend. Try to stay dry!!

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Busy, Busy, Busy...

Room 108 has been so busy lately that this is the first time I've had a chance to post a new entry in longer than I would like!!! Since our last post we have had our visit to the Potsdam Fire Station, Walk to School Day, and our garden harvest of pumpkins and carrots.

Thanks again to Mrs. Karen Bage for her hard work and patience as we all did our best to dig up the carrots in the school garden for Chef Dave. It was a dirty job, full of dirt and worms, but it was FUN!!

Also, thank you to the men and women at the Potsdam Fire Station for a fantastic visit! We got to see a fire trucks up close. We even got to see Firefighter Jerome dress up in his fire gear so we know what to expect if we ever do have a fire. He looked and sounded somewhat scary with all that stuff on, but we all know now NEVER to hide from a fire or the firefighters.

I am thoroughly enjoying this bunch of youngsters. Thank you for sharing your child with me.

Here is a glimpse into our world at LAE over the past week.

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