Kinder Kinesthetics in Kindergarten!

Funded Dec 5, 2021

The first day I brought the boxes into the classroom, the students were all very curious and excited! It was almost as if we were celebrating each of their birthdays that day! The students helped me to unveil what was in each box! As each item was opened there were many shrieks of joy, lots of smiles, laughter and many words of gratitude! As I explained where the items were generously donated from, the students decided we should look at how each one worked and find a special home for each item in our classroom. The class spent some time that first day, exploring our new items and discussing appropriate ways to use each item or as the kids would say, "it's a tool, not a toy!"

My kindergarten students are obsessed with the flexible seating! We specifically use the seating during whole group instruction time on our class rug and during math/literacy centers. The flexible seating is placed around the perimeter of our class rug and students sit on the seating any time we are together on the rug. There is a rotating schedule that we use each day to determine who will sit in the flexible seating for the day.

We love to use our flexible seating for morning meetings, story time, activities on the smart board, class discussions and whole class minilessons. The time the students most enjoy using the flexible seating is during math and literacy centers! The kids will find a cozy spot around the room with their partner and eagerly play a math game or race to see who wins alphabet memory! The kids are so appreciative of the seating during centers because it provides them a comfortable environment to complete an activity and gives them a sense of choice/responsibility.

The students now have a good grasp on being responsible with the seating and finding the best way to use the seating to support their learning! The next step for our flexible seating is to introduce using the furniture during writers' workshop. Students will soon be getting their own writing journal and will begin to practice writing a complete sentence with their pictures, specifically as we start our "how to article" writing until. The kids will be able to utilize the seating to create an "author's corner" in the classroom for themselves, in order to get some great brainstorming and writing done!

Many thanks to each and every one of you who made it possible for my students to have resources that support them reaching their full potential! I would like to pass along many hugs and thank yous from my kiddos! The biggest thank you of all comes from ME, your donations have a constant impact in our classroom and support the success of my students' on a daily basis! Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity and being a part of shaping the future of our nation!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Murphy