Morning Meeting Monday and TURKEYS!

Monday!  Monday!  Monday!  How was your Monday?  Even though it was 125 degrees in our room today (we are so lucky to sit on top of a 60 year old boiler.  With no insulation  Guess where all of the heat goes?! Yeah.  Into our room!) we stayed super busy and got a lot done!  I am excited to share one of my most favoritest art projects of the entire year with you!  And a great new morning meeting idea! Ready?  Set. GO!

My two amazing teammates (I have the BEST team ever.  And if you disagree we can discuss this like adults.  Adults who teach 5 year olds!)  Seriously, if wasn't for them I couldn't make it through the days.  Anyways, they went to a training last week and returned with this idea.  I saw one of the 'mates with a pink diamond on her shirt and I asked her if she was a pink diamond for the day.  And this is the idea she shared!  

First, program labels or stickers with numbers, letters, or shapes.  This is a great greeting for reviewing skills!  

Attach a sticker to each child.

Students approach another student and greets them.  Instead of greeting them by name, they greet each other by what is written on the sticker.  For example:  "Good Morning 19."  And they return the greeting:  "Good morning 10!"   They trade places and the student moves onto greet another classmate!  

We did so well with this greeting this morning.  It did highlight just how much work we need to do on our numbers from 10-20!  We will be doing this greeting all week!  

And now!  My most favoritest art project!  It's a simple but hilarious turkey project!  You have to do this and then share the pictures with me!

Here's what you need:

3 paper plates per student

1 popsicle stick per student

orange paint

brown paint

orange strips of construction paper (2 per student)  I use the 12x18 size

Red rectangles of construction paper (cut corners diagnolly to make the beak)

white squares of construction paper (cut into circles for eyes)

Hot glue gun

glue sticks 

Instructions:

Paint two of the plates brown and 1 plate orange.  This gets messy so be prepared!  We had paint everywhere!  But that's ok!  That's the fun of kindergarten!

After the paint dries, the teacher (teacher gets hot glue burns, not students!) use a hot glue gun to attach the two brown plates using a Popsicle stick.  (See picture!)

And I hope your children exhibit the same kind of concern for you as mine did.  Seriously every time I touched the glue gun, I heard "oh my gosh, Mr. Greg please be so careful!"  I. LOVE.  MY.  MONSTERS.

Give each child 2 strips of orange construction paper and have them fold them accordion style.  

Attach the legs to the bottom of one brown plate.

On the top circle, glue the two white circles that were cut from the rectangles.  

Students fold their orange plate in half and cut on the line to make the wings.

We talk about where a turkey's wings belong and where they don't belong (EARS!). 

TIP:  staple the wings on!  

I have students tell me where they want their turkey wings  and whether they want them up or down.  And that's where I staple them.  I don't argue or tell them it's wrong because it's there art project!  

Finally, attach the red beak!  

AND TADA!  A turkey!  

I love hanging them from the ceiling because they look so cute!

LOOK!  A KINDERGARTEN SMORGASBOARD OF TURKEYS!  

It's a bird.  It's a plane.  It's DUMBO TURKEY!  People, every year, no matter how much we talk about it and no matter how much Mr. Greg pleads, we always, without fail end up with this.  Yep, Dumbo turkey!  And this is what makes it my favorite project!!

And here is the highlight of your Monday!  It's silly hat Monday!  Yes.  It's backward.  No I did not teach them backwards today.  I'm saving that for my expected evaluation tomorrow!  The picture didn't fix itself for some reason...but there it is...D for dog!  

And day 12 of my mustache!  A little boy today told me "I like your mustache Mr. Greg!"  YEAH!

Shirt:  H&M

Sweater:  Old Nay

Scarf:  H&M (from the Mister's closet)

Pants:  Old Navy

Don't be fooled...after 10 minutes in my classroom this morning, the scarf and sweater came off!  And I still soaked through my clothes...yeah, that hot!!  

If you need a last minute Thanksgiving idea, check out these two packs!

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving Measurement

And if you're already planning for after Thanksgiving, check out my newest creation!

Run Run As Fast As You Can!  A Gingerbread Man Unit!