A Couple of Cool Cowboys

Recently we studied THE WILD WILD WEST. We talked about people moving west. We discussed how they traveled, their living conditions, and why they would want to pursue this life.
We spent a great amount of time discussing the life of a cowboy. We talked about the work they did and why they did it.

We discussed their clothing and the necessity of the garments they wore. Some of the things we learned... a cowboy wore boots to protect his legs from getting scratched and cut. But also he wore the boots to protect his legs from possible snake bites! Yikes!!! We like the bandanas the cowboys wore. They look real cool! The cowboy used it to cover his face when the wind blew. The bandana kept the dirt and dust from getting all over his face! Pretty neat, hugh!!! The big hats protected the cowboy's face from the rain and also kept the sun out of his eyes.


We discussed not only their work, but their "leisure time", how and where they slept They used their saddle for a pillow, which in my opinion doesn't seem very soft!
The cowboys had their own cook to go out on the trail with them. They called hime Cookie. He had a special wagon with drawers built-in to store the pots and pans and all the food.


A cowboys life could be full of adventure but was full of very hard work.
One morning we drew and colored pictures of a cowboy. Take a glance at these.

This cowboy was done by Nathan. Nathan made sure he had some of those necessities on to protect himself.


I especuially like the catus in the picture, Nathan shows a good perception of distance with the large catus being in front, and the small one in the back. I think Nathan did a good job showing how hot it was in the desert. He did this by making the background colors very vivid and bright.

Outstanding work Nathan!!!!!



Jack D. is the artist of the next cowboy!! I must confess that I have refered to Jack D. all year as PARTY MAN!!! When I met Jack the first day of school, I knew right off we were going to have fun. Jack brings new meaning to LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! His cowboy picture tells it all!!

I like the way Jack illustrated the lassos. They take on the look of balloons!! The stars give the picture a party image too!
The spikes on the catus make it look as if the wind might be blowing. It just seems to be a picture full of movement and alot of energy!

But,I must admit my favorite part of the picture is that Jack drew the cowboy sitting on a catus!!! It is soooooo Jack! Just look at the expression on the cowboy's face! He looks as if he is going to yell OUCH!!!!!!

The Sandbox

We work in centers everyday. Some of our centers are in the classroom, some we do in the hall, and some are outside. We are so lucky to have a courtyard right outside our classroom. It is completely enclosed, safe, and secure.
One of our favorite centers is the sandbox.
Jack M said,"I like to dig in the sand and I like to make sand mountains".

Alex said, "I like the sandbox because it is fun for me. I like it cause I get to play. I build sand castles".

Kara said, "I like it because I get to play with the sand. I get to make cakes and sand castles".

Matthew said, "Sometimes we make sand forts in the sandbox".

Nathan said, "I like going to the sandbox because you get to build stuff with sand. You get to build stuff like sand houses, sand forts, castles and buildings. Its very cool!!!"

This is Nathan. We are very greatful to him and his dad. Nathan's dad built our sandbox. Natnan and his brother helped bring the sand into the courtyard and pour it in the sandbox. This was a special gift to our class. We have really enjoyed it. So, we say "THANKS FOR THE SANDBOX"!!




Why, some people will challenge the use of a sandbox in kindergarten. They say, "It is only play". I say "Good"!! We in Early Childhood know that a child's play is a child's work. What better way to learn.
The sandbox offers many opporitunities. It provides the child with appropriate play experiences that contribute to the child's development. It helps children with large and fine motor skills. It enhances creativity and curiousity. It gives the child a better sense of science and math in our world. The sandbox also is a part of building a foundation of reading and math readiness.

I have noticed that the children in our class suddenly become quieter when working in the sandbox. Maybe it is because it gives a calming, soothing feeling to them. Even as an adult, I still enjoy the feeling of running my fingers through the sand.


I can remember vividly playing in the sandbox. I would spend many days at Mamaw's house. And Mamaw lived next door to My Aunt Catherine (Cac Cac) and Uncle Ernie. Edward is their son. He and I would play for hours in his sandbox. We would make roads, cities, and farms. Sometimes it was fun to just pour the sand in a bucket and empty it over and over again. But my favorite thing to do, was to play in the sandbox after it had rained. It was then we could mold all kinds of shapes and build castles!!
I am sad to say that one summer it all came to an end. Cac Cac took the tin top off the sandbox for us. (She always covered it up for the winter.) Edward and I were standing there with great anticipation. When she removed the top, the first thing we saw were two baby snakes. A mama snake had made our sandbox her home.
Cac Cac killed the snakes, empited the sandbox, and put it in the alley for the garbage man to pick up. We never played in the sandbox again.

The Reading Teacher

Matthew began kindergarten with such a desire to read. And suddenly one day last fall, he was reading! I don't mean beginning to read. HE WAS READING ANYTHING HE WANTED!!! I don't know who was more excited, Matthew or me.

Last Tuesday, Matthew entered the room with a huge smile on his face. He said, "I can read good and I can help other people read too. I think Dr. Richardson will want to hire me to be a reading teacher. That way I could help alot of people learn to read."

So, I sent a message to Dr. Richardson telling him I had someone in our class he needed to interview. Dr. Richardson scheduled an appointment with Matthew for later that day.

Here are some questions from the interview.

Dr. Richardson: Why do you want to be a reading teacher?
Matthew: Because I am a very good reader. I can even read part of a chapter book.

Dr. Richardson: Have you ever taught anyone how to read?
Matthew: I have helped my friends in class.

Dr. Richardson: Do you think you could manage a class full of kids?
Matthew: Yes!

Dr. Richardson: Although I'd like to hire you right now, I'm not allowed to because of your age. Will you continue to be our
reading helper and help your friends learn to read?
Matthew Yes I will.


The next day, our Reading Specialist, Anna Mary Walthall, came by our class to visit Matthew. She and Matthew went out in the hall to talk.


This is a part of the conversation.

Miss Walthal: When did you become a reader?
Matthew: On April 1st or October 13th, I started reading and I didn't dream of anything else. I started sounding out
words and ummmmm, that's how I got into reading.

Miss Walthal: How did you learn to read?
Matthew: At night I read books to get better at reading and the more I get better at reading the more I get reading the
correct words and the correct lines.

Miss Walthal: Today I'm going to talk with parents that will have Kindergarteners next year, how can they help their
children learn to read?
Mathtew: If they keep going to the library to get some chapter books and picture books and if the books are too easy
return them, but if they are too hard, you can read them to them.

Miss Walthal: Why is it important for parents to read to their children every night?
Matthew: The more they listen to their mother read, the more they can read better.

Miss Walthal: Matthew, what tips would you give to next years's kindergarteners about how to read?
Matthew: Keep on reading easy books. If you know how to do it, teach each other. Help them sound out. The more
they do it, the more they get good at it.

We can all learn some lessons from Matthew.
Don't give up.
Keep practicing.
Do your best.
Listen to you parents.
Help others

Here We Are

Here are Wilson's Whiskers 2005-2006. Pictured from left to right,
Front Row
Matthew, Peyton, Kathleen, Chace, Taylor, Maya, Jack D., Caleb, Alex,
Back Row
Ms. Wilson,(teacher) Jayda, Nathan, Jack M. Jaylyn, Jenny, Dr. Richardson, (principal)
Don't you think we are the greatest looking kindergarten class you have ever seen!!

Can you guess who "The Party Man" of the class is?

Jack and Magnolia

Jack and Magnolia are my little dogs. They are long-haired Chahuahuas.They are one year old and weigh 4.5 lbs. each. Jack is white with a little buff. Magnolia is black and white with a little tan around her eyes. This is their "school picture". When we had spring pictures made,the photographer was delighted to make their picture. They love to come to school! They come quite often on weekends with me.

Teaching requires alot of work after school has dismissed. Because I spend time working after hours, I will bring them to school to play. I am lucky to have a coutyard right outside my room. They enjoy running and playing there while I work. Soon Jack and Magnolia will have their very own blog.
Stay tuned! You will not want to miss it!

Our Visiting Artist

Each year an artist comes to our school. The artist will talk about the kind of work they do. He/she will demonstrate the work. In years past we have had artists who paint with watercolors, oils, acrylic. We have had an artist to do a collage. We have had artists to show how they sculptor things. We have even had a potter.
This year our guest artist paints murals.

Our artist is very special to our class. Her name is Julie and she is Taylor's mom!! Wow! How exciting could that be!! I think an artist is a cool thing for a mom to be.

She spoke to all of the classes at school. She told us that she had been drawing and painting since she was a little girl. She told us that the best way to get good at drawing and painting is to practice.

She show us a book of all kind of murals she has painted. They were neat! She told us that since she paints on walls, she must paint the pictures very big. She said that she has been painting big things for such a long time, that it is sometimes hard to draw and paint small things. I guess that comes from all of that practice!!

The very best part of her visit is that she left a special gift for our school!! She painted a mural in our front hallway! It is beautiful, and VERY BIG! There are two big tress with lots of flowers and some animals. It looks great! Everyone who comes to our school will see it!!!

Take a look at Taylor and her mom in front of the mural.

We've Gone Buggy

What is it that is so intriging about bugs to children? They get so excited and want to look at pictures of them, hunt them, draw and colr them, and even write about them. Maybe it is because there are so many varities of bugs. They come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, and live everywhere. Whatever the answer, kindergarteners love them.

Each year, during our study of bugs, we do a little project. The children like to refer to it as "homework",which sounds so grown-up to them. I send a paper home for the children and parentsto work on together. It is called CREATE A BUG. Below is a copy of the page. Now, I can't take credit for this because it came from a book entitled BUNCHES OF BUGS whic is published by Lasting Lessons.


Check out these bugs that were made by children in our class. Each child show his/her bug to the class and told us exactly how they made it. Let us know what you think!!


This is Jaylyn.
Jaylyn made a betterfly. She used blue construction paper to make the wings. The face was made from a push pin. The body was made from a hair bow and a glue stick. Jaylyn said she liked making the wings the best because it was like making a fan.



This is Jenny.
Jenny made a butterfly. For the body she used a feather. For the legs she used bread ties. She used a cotton ball for the head and paper for the wings. Jenny said she liked making it with her dad.



This is Jayda.
Jayda made a ladybug. She used a paper plate to make the body. She used a small paper plate to make the face. And she used two markers. Jayda said she liked it best when she colored the spots.




This is Kathleen.
Kathleen made a caterpillar. She made it with a paper towel roll and some wires for the legs. She used Easter eggs for the head and the tail. Kathlee said she like it best shen she wrapped the paper towel roll with tissue paper.



This is Chace.
Chace made a spider. He used a cup for the body. He used pipe cleaners for the eight legs. He used fake eyes that move for the eyes. Chace said he liked putting the pipe cleaners on the spider.





This is Nathan.
He made a butterfly. A water bottle was used to make the body. Nathan used a disco ball for the head. For the wings, he used tissues and for the legs he used pipec leaners. Nathan said he like it when he got to put the legs and the wings on the butterfly. He said his mom made holes in the bottle with a knife and then he got to put the pipe cleaners cleaners in it.


This is Maya.
Maya made a honeybee. She used a bottle for the body. Feathers were used for the wings, and Qtips were used to make legs. QTips were also used for the antennae. Maya said she liked using the bottle for the body the best!! She had to take the paper off the bottle before she used it.


This is Alex.
He made a ladybug. He made the head out of a little fuzzy ball. The body was made out of wood. The antennae were made out of string and the wings were made out of plates. Alex said the best part of making the ladybug was painting it.


This is Taylor.
She made a ladybug. She made the wings out of paper towels. She colored it yellow. She used google eyes for its eyes. Taylor said she like cutting out the cardboard for the ladybug's body the best.