Pioneer Activities

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was our Pioneer Day. We host this awesome day for our first graders every year at the end of their pioneer unit. It is crazy, super exhausting, but completely worth it when you see how much fun the kids have in their activities. This event is also made possible by the wonderful parents we have at our school and in our classes who step up and help us run the centers.

All our festivities start at lunch and go to the end of the day. We have a dad come on campus and grill hot dogs for our lunch. We pair that with popcorn, apple slices, and cookies. Once they have eaten and had a recess break we split the first graders into 4 teams. Each team will visit all 4 centers: Pioneer Chores/Cooking, Pioneer Games, Pioneer Crafts, and Pioneer School.

In Pioneer School the kids use feathers and ink to write the alphabet on hornbooks. Then they use rocks to help them solve math problems. They will also read a pioneer story book and have fun with a mini spelling bee.

At the Pioneer Crafts center they complete 2 crafts. First they make a mini wagon with popsicle sticks and paper. Then they make a yarn doll. This center takes the most volunteers because of the yarn dolls. The kiddos do great with the yarn wrapping, but the tying of the doll is difficult for them.

For Pioneer Games they have fun with Wagon Wheel races, hot potato, duck goose, musical chairs, and they drop clothes pins in jar while pinching it between their chin and chest. We do provide music for this center using a cd player because neither of us can play a fiddle.

Pioneer Chores/Cooking is the favorite. Several years ago a dad at our school built us a wooden goat that he rigged to be milked. His wife covered it with faux fur and gave it ears, eyes, and a mouth. The first class to have the goat for Pioneer Day named it Snowball and the name has stuck. This center is probable my favorite to because of the goat. It is amazing how little aim first graders have. Poor Snowball is usually soaked after being milked, yet the bucket is typically empty. They also have fun washing clothes using a washboard and then hanging them on the line. They sweep, collect wood for a fake fire, and then finish by making ice cream.

At the end of the day we have very happy but tired children. We also have very exhausted grown ups. It is so worth it though watching them have fun in each group all dressed up like little pioneers. I have included a few pictures below.

Thanks for reading!

Ashley

Peek at my Week: Week 9

Hello!

Well fall break as come to an end and we are now returning to what I feel is the craziest part of the year. We have 5 weeks until Thanksgiving break and in that time we have our PT conferences, Pioneer Day, book fair and the activities that go with that week, Thanksgiving units, and our 50th day of school celebrations. It is all a lot of fun but it is a little crazy and exhausting as well.

I am excited to be sharing all these things with you this year. I am going to give you a glimpse as I link up with DeeDee Wills at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten for her Peek at my Week linky.

Prior to fall break we had been in our second week of our pioneer unit. We had a lot of fun that week. We started by learning how to Square Dance. They had so much fun! We then talked about the types of homes that Pioneers would build when they got to their new land. We then learned about patterning as we made our quilt squares from different size triangles. Some kids were very serious about their squares. Others were very free in their pattern creations. At the end we made a lumber house and added our own artistic touches to the picture. Those are now hanging on my classroom wall. The kids did a great job with them. Here are a few pics of them in action.

This week will be even bigger though. We are closing our pioneer unit. To close the unit we have a Pioneer Day. This is a day where they come to school dressed as pioneers and we go through centers with pioneer activities: games, crafts, school, and chores/cooking. We also have a first grade only barbecue before the fun begins. The kids love it because it is a special, fun event just for them. Little do they know they are actually learning as they go. Look for a post this Friday with some fun stories and pics about how the day goes.

That is are biggest activity/lessons this week. The rest of our plans are laid out on the plans below. The links to all the files you see can be found below the image.

Number Sense to 100
Pioneer Unit
Thankful Thoughts

Have a wonderful week!!

Ashley