Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, we have dived into many of his books, including "The Foot Book," "Happy Birthday to You,"  "Green Eggs and Ham,"  "Cat in the Hat," "Oh The Things You Can Think," and "Horton Hears a Who."  The students have loved listening to his silly stories and finding the rhyming words!

We also had a special story time with Cat in the Hat himself!  Take a look at pictures of our story time and of our class dressed up as mini-Cat in the Hats!  Pick up your favorite Dr. Seuss book and read it to your child today!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. 

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” 

-Dr. Seuss

We're going on a bear hunt...

Look at the claws!

Well, we are not actually going on a bear hunt, but Mr. Hinkle did.  Mr. Hinkle, Ted's dad, brought in two different bear hides to show our class.  Mr. Hinkle hunted a brown bear and a black bear when he lived in Alaska.  The class LOVED seeing and feeling the differences in the two bears.  It was an experience that many of them, including myself, will not forget.  Thank you Mr. Hinkle for sharing your bear hides and stories with us!

There are many differences between the brown bear and the black bear.

Heritage Center of Dickinson County

Children in Abilene have so many wonderful experiences to discover the history of Kansas and Abilene.  First Graders had the opportunity to learn even more about the Native Americans and Pioneers that lived in or near Abilene.  On our field trip to the Heritage Center of Dickinson County, we learned more about the tools that Native Americans used and the homes that Pioneers first built when they arrived to Kansas.  We were only able to visit the Heritage Center for an hour, so please take time to visit the Heritage Center with your family and experience the rich history of Abilene.

A buffalo head inside the Heritage Center

One of the first Pioneer homes near Abilene

Native American's used buffalo hide as blankets.

Valentine's Day!

A special thank you to the volunteers who made our Valentine's Party so special!  Our party was filled with cards, sweets, treats, and BINGO!  Our BINGO game even helped us practice our spelling words for the week!  Again, thank you to all who helped!  Enjoy the following pictures of our class and our favorite Valentine's cards and treats.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Technical Difficulties

I apologize for the absence of our classes blog postings.  I have had some technical difficulties with my camera.  My camera has been fixed and should be ready to go for the rest of the school year.  

Enjoy the following posts about the exciting events we experienced in February.

Rhyming Show and Tell

For the month of February, students were able to bring in two objects that rhyme.  We had some creative students (and parents).  Some of our show and tell objects included hogs and dogs, hats and cats, hares and bears, books and hooks, ducks and trucks, and even Spiderman and a trash can!  Thank you to all of the creative minds who found excellent examples of rhyming words!  

Our March Show and Tell will be objects that are compound words!!

 

A New Year!

There is no better way to celebrate the new year and Kansas' birthday than baking bread with flour made from Kansas wheat.  After learning about how wheat is grown and made into flour, students made bread in a bag.  This experience was fun for everyone.  Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us today;  the bread would have not turned out as yummy without your help!  

We are looking forward to eating homemade bread AND butter tomorrow for snack!!

Merry Christmas from...

Mrs. Simpson's First Grade Class AND Santa!! 

Saying Good-Bye Is Hard To Do

So instead, we said, "See you later!"  Today was our student teacher, Mrs. Marks' last day!  It was a day of mixed emotions for all!  We laughed, cried, and enjoyed our last day with her!  We surprised her with a going away party this afternoon.  The party included the kids reading their class book, "Mrs. Marks is Amazing so Please Hire Her," presenting her with a gift to remember us by, and enjoying one last read aloud from Mrs. Marks.  We will miss Mrs. Marks and can't wait for her to visit us again!!

Dear Principal, You should hire Mrs. Marks because...

She is a nice teacher!

She teaches us math.

She makes us laugh!

Group hug for Mrs. Marks!

Mrs. Marks' first class of shining stars!

Thank you for all your hard work Mrs. Marks!!

Properties of Matter

The properties of matter discussed in class were solids, liquids, and gases.  We saw an example of a solid (ice), a liquid (water), and a gas (perfume).   We also discussed other examples of each property of matter.  Students had to sort different examples into the correct section on our Properties of Matter Chart.

IT IS BEGINNING TO SOUND A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

We were honored to have the AHS Jazz Band and Singers perform for us on Friday.  The AHS band started with wonderful Christmas music, including Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!  The AHS Singers took the stage next and provided us with more beautiful Christmas songs and even some dancing!  It really helped us get in the holiday spirit for our own Christmas Program on Tuesday, December 13 at 7:30!

AHS Jazz Band

Enjoying the concert!

Dancing with our high school aid, Ms. Michayla!

Dancing into the Holiday season!

AHS Singers

Happy Veterans Day!

Two Veterans shared their experiences with us today.  We were honored to have an Army wheel mechanic and an Army aviation mechanic share with us their jobs, deployment stories, and thoughts about Veterans Day. 

They explained to us how the military is fighting for our Constitution and our freedom.  Veterans Day helps us to remember to honor the men and women that serve and do more for our country.  They also shared with us the "The Solider's Creed."  Students repeated the following lines and were able to connect the creed to what they do everyday.

I will always place the mission first.  

(I will always do my school work first.)

I will never accept defeat.  

(I will always do my best.)

I will never quit. 

(I will never give up.)

I will never leave a fallen comrade.  

(I will always help a friend.)

Remember on this Veterans Day and everyday to 

thank a Veteran!

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Happy Halloween!

Thank you to the parents who provided us with a FUN Halloween party!  Our party was full of pajamas, book characters, candy corn games, spider cupcakes and yummy treats!  It was the perfect Halloween party!!  Enjoy some pictures of our Halloween party!

Introducing the candy corn race!

On your mark, get set, GO!

Concentrating on not dropping the candy corn!

Scooping up the candy corn WITHOUT using hands!  Trickier than they thought it would be!

Pumpkin Life Cycle

To help celebrate the Fall season, Mrs. Marks, our student teacher, taught the different stages of the pumpkin.  By creating a craft that represents the different stages, students learned how pumpkins grow. 

We also had the opportunity to taste pumpkin.  Surprisingly, all of the students tried the steamed pumpkin.  And not surprisingly, the students did not especially like the taste of plain pumpkin.  When we added the cinnamon and sugar, some of them actually liked the taste of the pumpkin.

The different stages of the pumpkin

Pumpkin Life Cycle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying steamed pumpkin

The aftermath of trying steamed pumpkin

Fire Safety

Last week, during Fire Prevention week, two firefighters from the Abilene Fire Department visited Kennedy.  The firefighters discussed how to prevent fires and what to do if there is a fire in your home or school.  A 'Home Fire Escape Plan' worksheet came home this week.  If you have not, please discuss, create, and practice a fire escape plan at home.  We practice the fire drill at school several times a year and are asking you to do the same at home! 

Discussing how to prevent fires.

Showing us all their gear!

Reminding us that firefighters are not scary; they are helpful!

Reminding us to not hide from firefighters during a fire.

Showing us how they crawl under the smoke.

Ladders help firefighters reach tall buildings.

Mrs. Hoffman taking in the view!

Thank you Abilene Fire Department for everything you do!