We have been spending lots and lots of time talking about treating each other respectfully, being good friends, including others, and branching out to classmates we may not know all that well.  In an effort to mix up the group, each day during snack children choose a labeled craft stick and match it to a table to determine their snack seat for the day.  We began the year with dots 1-5 and have just switched to sight words.  This creates a random mix at each table every day and ensures that nobody is left out during snack.  We have also started doing some partner work and games.  Today the class worked in pairs to find groups of objects outside.  Each partnership had a hoola-hoop to place their objects in with number labels.  Everyone seemed to enjoy this and all of the pairs worked really well together.  Some of the things collected were rocks, sticks, leaves, pine needles, burdocks, milkweed pods, ants!, trucks, and pieces of mulch.

In an effort to help kindergarteners get to know other children in the school, each Friday we have been meeting with 3rd grade learning partners from Mrs. Hale's class.  Thus far we have done a scavenger hunt, read together, and worked on a caterpillar/butterfly project.  We will continue meeting every Friday throughout the year,  changing partners periodically.