April - Monthly Summary - Healthy Living

Mrs. Baxter's Kindergarten Class - Healthy Living

April found us continuing to work on leadership. Our principal, John Horstead, came by the class and chatted about their thoughts on leadership and what his role is in the school. The students LOVED having Mr. Horstead stop by and take time to talk with them.

We also began discussing Healthy Living. I was looking forward to this topic as it is one that I feel our families can benefit from. Our journey in healthy living actually began in September when we educated our new kindergarten parents by sharing examples of a healthy lunch. Packing fresh, healthy lunches is something our community struggles with, for several reasons, some due to lack of resources or money. I strive each year to impart how important it is for children to eat healthy and get outside to play on a daily basis.
To teach our students, each and every recess and lunch break we celebrate when they make healthy choices with their eating. As a class, we have counted each fruit and vegetable in our lunches and when we reached our goal of 200, we made a class fruit salad to share. Students who are reluctant to eat fruits and veggies quickly begin to ask their parents to send them something healthy in their lunches. Every day we exercise, we play outside for recess and lunch, we also ensure we have daily physical activity. It takes different forms, such as, dance in the classroom or time in the gym. The students absolutely love dancing with
GoNoodle! They request it several times a day, the Koo Koo Kangra Roo and Kids Bop songs are their favourites. It makes a great brainbreak, while energizing the students.

A few classes in our school had the opportunity to register and participate in six yoga classes at the school. They were spread over two months and the students loved learning the new poses and went home to teach their families after school. Lululemon also surprised us by sending an instructor to allow us another yoga session! To continue with these amazing teachings we have found a website, Cosmickids.com. The instructor tells stories while she teaches the yoga lesson and we can follow along in our own classroom or at home.

As a school, we are enrolled in the School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program. The program sends a fruit or veggie each month, for every student in the school. This month was grape tomatoes and next month will be mini bell peppers, we have also had kiwi's, apples and carrots. It allows students the chance to experience healthy foods that they may not have tasted before. It is interesting to see how many students have never tried or refuse to eat fruit and vegetables until they see their friends enjoy eating them. Many are willing to try eating healthy if their buddy is enjoying it!

While we have been talking about this concept, particularly healthy eating, since the beginning of the school year, this month looked closer at why all of these choices are important. We watched Akeem's video and I read two stories recommended by our librarian and then brainstormed actions that were healthy and unhealthy. I was impressed at the responses of my kindergarteners. They were truly paying attention and aware of the benefits of healthy choices. I send home the parent letter and hope that these students and their families are continuing the conversations at home and putting into action what they have learned.

I also made some personal goals. I began using the Carrot app to track my steps and My Fitnesspal for journalling my food. I need to work toward making better choices for my family, my students and my quality of life.

I am in disbelief that May is only a day away! I am looking forward to our Classroom Champions BBQ. The students cannot wait to meet Akeem in person and eat some ice cream with him!

March - Leadership Summary

Sorry I am posting so late! March seemed to fly by so quickly with the two weeks off and assessing for our term two reporting period. It was a busy and quick month, that had us continuing the conversations around leadership into April. So here we are!

We began our leadership lessons by discussing what we think makes someone a good leader. The students chatted in pairs, sharing their ideas of what being a leader means to them. They then switched partners and shared their ideas with another classmate. We then regrouped and jotted our ideas down on our chart paper. The main ideas that the children really stuck on were that leaders are kind, caring, follow the rules, help others and try their best. We tied the ideas back to what we learned about being a good friend and found many similarities. We reread "How Full is Your Bucket?" and the students made many connections between the book and how to be a good leader and how not to be a good leader. Afterwards we read "The Giving Tree". The students loved the idea of the book and how caring and giving the tree was. 

The next lesson started with reviewing what we had discussed what a good leader was. Then we watched Akeem's video and noted that the points he highlights in the video are the characteristics that the students had already mentioned! The students were impressed that they had the same thoughts about leadership as Akeem!

The students talked about adults and helpers in our community, in their families and in the school that they consider to be leaders. We asked why we consider them to be leaders and came back to the same list, because they keep people

safe, take care of people, they follow the rules and are kind and caring. It was definitely an interesting discussion when a few students began discussing the current and former leadership in the US and Canada. It is truly amazing how much these children know about the world around them and a great reminder that they hear and understand much more than we give them credit for. This topic really punctuated the epitome of true leadership.

One of the best surprises we had this month was when our liaison officer dropped by to say high to the kids. She stops by the school on a regular basis to check in with the kids and joins right in with whatever activity the classes are participating in. On this day happened to stop by when it was pouring with rain while the kids were outside during recess break. The Constable stayed outside, in the rain and did not come into the school until the bell rang and she entered with the students. When she came into the school, I asked if she would mind stopping by the class and talking to the students about what leadership means to her. The students quickly made the connection that the Constable exemplified exactly what a good leader is! Several students now want to be a police officer when they group up!

The class made a video and sent a request to the principal, asking him to come and talk with the class about his role as the leader of the school and he will be popping by next week to share his experiences and thoughts with us.

As the months unfold, I am seeing the overlap and how the students are connecting to the topics and making them their own. It is powerful and they are definitely growing into more confident and empowered students.