An Ode to Soap

Hi there!  This is Terri Izatt from Kinder Kapers and as you may recall I LOVE being outside and getting my students outside.

Being outside is so healthy for them, even the dirt outside is healthy.  And our little ones do get dirty (more about that later).  Today I want to talk with you a little bit about getting them clean.

If you will permit me to step up on my soapbox for a minute...I don't like hand sanitizer, in fact I almost hate it.  Let me explain....

I hate it because my students all think it is the only way to clean hands.  They come to my classroom with little bottles hanging from the outside of their backpacks and bigger bottles in their pockets and one mom has even sent her son with a large pump bottle he keeps in his backpack.  They share it at recess like it is a toy.  They drip it in big gobs on the floor where it strips away our floor's finish and leaves white marks.  They think it cures everything...when really it does nothing to dirty hands.  Yes, that is correct.  If your hands are visibly dirty, it doesn't work.

The sanitizer wets the hand, brings up embedded dirt, smears it around, and leaves the dirt on the hand.

Hand sanitizer works by stripping off the outer layer of oil from the skin.  This prevents bacteria present in the body from coming to the surface, but these generally are not the kinds of bacteria that make us sick.  Hand sanitizer was only meant to be used when washing with soap and water was not a possibility or as an adjunct to washing.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (particularly those with 60 percent alcohol or more) can reduce the number of some germs, this is true, but a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that hand sanitizer doesn’t reduce the spread of some viruses such as the norovirus.  You can find more research here.  The Food and Drug Administration, in regards to regulations concerning proper procedures for food services, recommends that hand sanitizers not be used in place of hand soap and water, only after proper hand washing.

So where does that leave of as teachers of small children who like to get dirty?  We need to let them get dirty, and then teach them the right way to wash their hands.  When we send them to the bathroom with a bottle of sanitizer, are we telling them that it is okay to go to the bathroom and then just give yourself a squirt of this and you will be okay?  Or do we make them wash with soap and water before using the hand sanitizer?  We hope they come to school knowing how to wash their hands, but do they?  Take time to teach them the steps.  You can find this wonderful maze to help you explain the 4 steps to clean hands on the Home Food Safety web page.

There are also YouTube videos and songs, like this one, to help you.




When convincing your students of the importance of washing their hands a lesson about germs can be very helpful.  The first time my students had this lesson it was given by a university program that came with preset lessons and all the supplies to present the lesson.  It was an all science all day program.  I loved it!

But I digress....We read this book:

and then used glow germs and black lights to show how germs spread and how you need soap and water to get rid of them.

You can get those glow germs many places, but I have found Amazon to be the least expensive and have the biggest selection.

Heidi Butkus of Heidi Songs and Little Miss Kindergarten have another way to present this lesson.  You can read about it here and here.  Or you can just mix cosmetic glitter into some hand sanitizer, put it on your own hand and high five or shake hands with everyone in class.  Go ahead and play some music and shake hands for two minutes.  You should also touch random things around the room to see how far the glitter travels.  You can look for the glitter with magnifying glasses.  This is a great visual for the kids.  It also shows them how important it is to thoroughly was their hands.  It is not easy to get the glow germs or the glitter off your hands.  As you teach your students the proper procedure for hand washing, you might want to share this song.



Little Miss Kindergarten had another good visual for how germs and travel.  She took yellow and pink paint and put a dot on the hand of every student, except for two students who got blue dots. Once again students were to shake hands while the music was playing.  When the music stops students make a handprint.  When Little Miss Kindergarten did this all but one had blue on their handprint.  Another good visual.

If you have an outdoor play space you could make a simple hand washing station if you need to, with a bar of soap and an old pair of panty hose.

Don't be afraid to let those kinders get dirty...there are health benefits.  You can read more about it on the National Wildlife Federation website here.  Just remember to get out the soap and have them clean up after.

My final piece of advice....Encourage your students to wash their hands properly and often. SOAP...it's more than a four letter word!

Come visit me at Kinder Kapers and see what kinds of messes we are making!  You can follow me on Facebook too.

SNOW!!

Happy 2015!  Are you ready for a new year?  A brand new slate....fresh, clean and ready to be filled with golden opportunities and wonderful adventures!

This is Terri Izatt from KinderKapers and I am ready to get all those little ones up and moving and outside.  The book that inspired my blog name says that all the animals were dancing their merry Christmas Capers.  I want to see all our kinders out and dancing some merry kapers of their own.  But how do you do that in the winter?

You model, model, model.  If you want your kids (students or your own children) to be active, you have to be active with them.  No groaning or complaining when it is time for outside recess duty.  Dress for the weather and show the kids how fun it can be.

Let's start with how to dress for the weather.  Layers.  That is the key.  If you are in a very cold and snowy place allow extra time in your schedule for getting those layers on.  Snowpants and boots are a must if you live where the kids come to school with snow on the ground.  Your students also need a good coat, hat and gloves.  Is it hard to keep track of that stuff?....yes.  Is it hard to keep it dry?....yes.  Is it healthy for kids to be outside in the cold?....YES!!

It is a little different dressing your own children for outside play, but the general rules are the same. You can't control what parents do, but you can encourage.  For school time clothing, layers are nice because when you are in the classroom you can let your students shed a few layers during the day and they can put them back on for recess, outside activities, and the walk home.  Yes....I did say outside activities.  You can and should encourage outside learning opportunities. 

As you think about outside learning activities you need to be aware of the preparedness of your students.  Don't go beyond their readiness to be comfortable in the cold.  If I can count on there being snow, I plan ahead and send home a note telling parents I need them to send their kids with boots and gloves and warm clothing.  They will be going outside.  If you need to, help teach your parents how to be happy and safe.  KidsHealth.org has good information to share here and here. 

How can I help those who don't come prepared?  I have a few pairs of extra gloves and plastic bags over shoes, and then we hurry through activities and break them up if students are getting too cold.

What activities can we do??  Some are planned out ahead.  I usually know what we will be doing and when we will:
build a snowman,

Build a snowman.  Then write a simple how to story.

 act out stories,

My favorite book to act out. 

make snow angels,

No snow for us yet this year, but here is a picture from Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day

 learn about how matter changes by freezing water in a small jar.

Better picture to come after we conduct our experiment on Monday

Other activities I just need to be ready because you need fresh snow to catch and observe snowflakes, you need lots of fresh snow to make snow cream.  Those activities come up sort of on the spur of the moment and I want to be ready to take advantage.  I have magnifying glasses in my classroom and you just need cold dark paper or fuzzy fabric (like hats, gloves, and coats) to catch those snowflakes....but look fast!
For snow cream I bring sugar, vanilla, and evaporated milk from home and just keep it in my closet. 

True confessions...this is not my picture, but mine looks just like this when I have enough snow to make it.  Second confession....there is no real recipe.  I just add milk (evaporated, cream, or even regular), vanilla and sugar until it tastes like ice cream.  It is about 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1teaspoon vanilla.  Then I add enough snow to make it the desired thickness.  You really can't go wrong.

What can you do if you have no snow??  WHAT????  NO SNOW!!!!  Easy....make your own.

I learned of this great recipe just before Christmas.  You can bet we took advantage of that!

Our elf brought this in December. 

All you need is shaving cream and baking soda.  I gave each student about 1/3 cup of baking soda and covered it with a good squirt of shaving cream.  We tried mixing them in the cups, but ended up finishing it in baggies.  Then just for a little extra fun because this snow is made with baking soda, you can spray it with vinegar and it will fizz.  Exploding snowballs....how fun is that?

You can make your own snowflakes and have an indoor blizzard hanging from your ceiling.  Martha Stewart has some great directions here.

You can also check out this website for information on the science of snowflakes.  

You can learn about Snowflake Bentley and how he captured snowflakes with photography.

You can have an indoor snowball fight (and target all kinds of skills).  Just give each student a square of paper and have them write a word, a math problem, a letter, then wad that paper up into a ball.  One, Two, Three....GO!  Have them throw the snowballs at you, each other, a target, or just up in the air.  Now collect the snowballs and take turns reading the words, solving the math problems, giving words that begin with the alphabet letter.  It is all in good fun and it is all about the learning too.

I have a game in my TpT store for free called snowball fight.  You play it with snowballs and a hat, cup, or mitten.  Take your snowballs, count them, then someone gets to hide those snowballs in the hat.  It is the job of everyone else to figure out how many snowballs are hiding.  You can download the game and recording sheet here.

It is always good fun to throw in some snowy art.

And a poem or two.

                                          

This wonderful rhyming poem is from my favorite author (my mom).

Have fun in the snow and with the snow.  From my class to yours....we {heart} winter!

Happy Birthday PreK and K Sharing!!

Happy Birthday!  PreK and K Sharing is turning 3 this month.  I share a birthday this month too, but I won't tell you how old I am turning.

That may be a bit too much self promotion for me....but I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful collaborative community.  I learn new things all the time.  There are so many experts here with so much to share.

Birthdays are a great chance to go back and reflect on some of the things I have shared and some of the posts that made an impact on me and my teaching.

 When I look back at the things I have shared it is no surprise that my favorite posts are my favorite things to do in my classroom.

Raising Butterflies

Tracing Our Shadows

Counting Pumpkin Seeds

Getting Outside!

I want to mention a few (I know there are more than I can ever shout out ).  I apologize for that ahead of time.

I love everything Deb Chitwood writes.  Her latest on owls is one of my favorites.

This post on the power of asking questions really got me thinking.

Carolyn Kisloski always rounds up a ton of ideas that are easy to use.

And she makes Prezi (which I want to learn to do).

Of course there is our fearless leader Debbie Clement.  She is so talented and and sweet and kind and I learn so much from her.  She has rounded up resources from many great contributors for a Birthday Bash Giveaway.  Don't forget to enter here.

Happy Birthday PreK and K Sharing!
from
Kinder Kapers 

Pumpkin Fun!

It's Autumn time, It's Autumn time

The leaves are falling down.

It's Autumn time, It's Autumn time 

All around the town.

Oh my goodness...leaves, pumpkins, apples, corn mazes....there is so much this season has to offer our little ones.  It is time to get outside.  The temperature is perfect and even if it is not....get out anyway. 

If you are not able to get outside there are many ways to tickle the senses inside your classroom.  

This is Terri Izatt from KinderKapers, and this autumn my kinder kids are dancing their merry kinder kapers with pumpkins.  I'd like to share with you my favorite pumpkin activity....Counting the Seeds.

Begin with the question, "Does the biggest pumpkin have the most seeds?"

Now you need pumpkins....I usually use 5 (four students to a pumpkin seems to be a good number).  Measure them, weigh them, line them up and decide which is the biggest pumpkin (this can be tricky if you have tall, skinny ones and short fat heavy ones).  Don't rush the chance for discussion and comparisons. 

Next comes the fun part....cleaning out those pumpkins.  I really want this to be an interactive and sensory loaded experience, so I cut the top off and let my students clean it out by hand.  Ooey....gooey....wonderful mess.  

To keep the mess under control, and the seeds with the right pumpkin, I put each pumpkin on a large piece of different colored butcher paper.  I tear off a piece and pin it to the pumpkin and then I tear off another piece and tape it to the cookie tray where we are collecting the seeds.  Goo goes on the butcher paper and seeds go in a cookie sheet.  It makes for easier clean up.  Don't worry if some of the goo is still on the seeds, it will not matter.

Now here is the best trick I learned....wait a day before you do your counting activity.  Let me repeat that.  Wait a day.  On the first day your seeds are still slippery.  If you wait a day, they will be drier and easier to count.

Count your seeds in groups of ten.  1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10, and into a small cup they go.  Count to ten again, and again, and again, until your have 10 little cups.  Now take those ten cups and pour them in a bigger cup.  Keep going until you have counted all your seeds.  This is a great day for parents to come and help.  With a little bit of help your Kindergarteners can count all those seeds (ten seeds at a time).

I've done this activity with second grade, third grade, and with my kinder kids too....it doesn't matter the age, extra hands are a big bonus.

Once the seeds are all counted it is time for the big reveal.  Is the pumpkin with the most seeds the one that was the biggest??

I don't want to give away the answer, but you can guess.  If you have plans to keep your seeds, to roast or for an art project, dry them thoroughly.  Spread them out on the cookie sheets in a single layer.  If you keep them in the cups they WILL mold. 

If you want a book to read, here are a few of my favorites:

One last piece of advice....Go BIG or go home.  I always try to get the biggest pumpkins I can find and my pocketbook can afford.  When we float our pumpkin it is always so much more impressive to use a big one.  I love that WOW factor.

Come and visit me at KinderKapers and see what other fun things we have up our sleeve for this month.