Zero the Hero and the 100th Day!

Hi everyone! Hope you're enjoying your weekend so far!  We had a great week this week.  I'm sure most of you know why... we celebrated our 100th day and got to meet ZERO THE HERO!!!! But, before we get to that fantastic, memorable day, let's back up a bit. 

First of all, this happened:

 That's right- you're looking at a future rock star, ladies and gentlemen!  Our Helper of the Week was rocking out with our kiddos during our daily morning routine!  We were singing about the days of the week and the months of the year- no Justin Bieber songs here! Love the confidence that came pouring out once I handed him our "microphone". 

Speaking of singing, guess who's back from her maternity leave??? Mrs. Haas our music teacher! The kiddos were so glad to see her again! We really enjoyed having Mrs. Oswald subbing during her maternity leave, and we learned so much about musical notes, so we'd like to say thank you so much!

So, knowing very well that we were heading towards the 100th day, we had to practice counting to 100 in different ways all week long.  We practiced counting by 5's and 10's each day.  We know which coins are worth 5 cents and 10 cents, and we learned how many dimes we'd need to make 100 cents.  Here are some kiddos practicing their counting-by-ten's skill.

 

 The kiddos are really working hard on controlling their movements while they color (i.e. staying inside the lines).  I know some people may feel that staying inside the lines is constricting to their artistic talents, but in Kindergarten, it's more about being able to use their fine motor skills correctly.  There are other chances to show us how creative they can be in so many other ways = ) Their coloring is coming along nicely, which also helps with their printing and cutting skills!

     This month not only has the excitement of the 100th Day, but we are also learning about Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.  We've been decorating our Valentine mailboxes in class, getting them ready for all of our Valentine's!  If you haven't filled out 24 Valentine's yet, please do so this weekend!  Remember, we are not addressing each Valentine to a specific friend- rather, we are just signing our own name on each Valentine so we know who the Valentine's are from.  We are also hoping to avoid candy Valentine's- we will have PLENTY of treats from our Kinder Club that day, along with any Candy Grams that might have been purchased.  If you don't know what Candy Grams are, they are Valentine's attached to a lollipop that you purchase for $1 a piece.  They are sold by our student council, and they will be delivered to your child on Valentine's Day. It is a fun surprise!  An information sheet should have been sent home in your parent envelope last week (on hot pink paper), but if you missed it, stop by the office on Monday (your last chance) to purchase some for your kiddo. The last day to turn in your candy gram money and papers is TUESDAY morning! All money made from this candy gram fundraiser will go towards the start-up of a Student Store Cart that will be run by student council!  

     Ok, back to Kindergarten!  Here are some photos of the kiddos working on their mailboxes:

We also spent some time making Valentine's for our 5th Grade Study Buddies!  We got to choose from four different cards, then we colored them nicely and signed our names inside the cards.  Here is a photo of one child working on that project:

 

Now, onto the 100th Day!  Our day started with a prayer service in church with our study buddies, then, almost like the passing of the Olympic torch, Mrs. Frawley slowly but surely placed the number 100 onto our classroom number line:

The excitement was intense!  We cheered, then moved onto the next activity- hopping for 100 seconds!  

That was tough, but we did it!  And we cheered some more! 

Then, after our morning routine, we worked on a little 100th day art project, went to recess, and then this happened:

Oh yes, we are donning our 100th Day glasses!  Don't we look great??? Even the penguins on our art wall received some glasses! 

Once we were wearing appropriate 100th day glasses, we each received four balloons and walked out to the main playyard to join the rest of the primary grades for the St. Jude School 100th Day tradition- sending 100 balloons to God to celebrate the 100th Day! Here are some great photos from that exciting, memorable moment:

We counted down from 10... then released the balloons (and cheered a lot!)

Up, up, and away!  Hooray! This was just too much fun!!! I heard some of the kids later in the day talking about how the balloons must be in space by now = )

While it is hard to follow something so spectacular, something just as awesome happened/showed up shortly afterwards. We were quietly sitting on the carpet, listening to a wonderful parent read a story to us about 100, when all of a sudden, the door burst open and ZERO THE HERO appeared!

 We were in awe at first, and then very excited!  He gave us some great advice on listening to our parents and teachers, eating our fruits and veggies to be strong like him, and then we participated in a little 100th Day activity- standing on one foot while counting to 100! 

Before he dashed off, he left us some 100th day goodies, and, of course, took a photo with all of the kiddos:

THANK YOU, ZERO THE HERO! WHEREVER YOU ARE!

Well, while that is a tough act to follow, Centers did just that!  Here are some snapshots from our super fun 100th Day centers:

We started out by making some awesome Owl hats! They were a hoot!

We rolled dice to color a 100's chart.

We played bean-bag toss with a 100's board.

We played ring toss, earning points and counting by 10's.

We practiced counting by 10's while we hopscotched.

We tried to use 100 cups to build a tower!

We ate a snack with items shaped like 0's, including a necklace of cereal on a string of licorice!

I missed one more center, where the kids drew pictures of what they'd like to purchase with $100- cars seemed to be a popular answer = )  

Well, that's it for me!  Busy day, but next Friday, Valentine's Day, will be another opportunity for fun times in Kindergarten!  This week, we will study the letter Qq- now, I know what you're thinking- I've got to find a share that starts with Qq??? Well, if you can't find something clever that starts with Qq, then this week your child may share something that has to do with Valentine's Day!  Please include three clues as usual, but make sure one of the clues tells us what letter their item begins with.

Have a fabulous weekend, and we'll see everyone on Monday (hopefully with their Valentine's!) 

~Take care!