The Ricker Report

Last Day of Kindergarten

2010-06-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of kindergarten for the 2009-2010 schoolyear. We had a great day looking back, passing out awards and gifts, and enjoying our last moments as a group. Personally, I had a fantastic year. I hope that all of the students and parents from room 2 feel the same way. Enjoy the picture CD from Ms. Jan and the class yearbook I put together. They'll help us remember all the fun that we had. Have a happy, healthy, and productive summer. I wish everyone the best of luck next year and beyond! Keep in touch!

Kindergarten Culmination

2010-06-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ricker's Kindergarten Class of 2010 had their culmination ceremony today in the Third Street auditorium today. The students recited a "graduation" poem and performed three songs: "I Can Sing a Rainbow," "Baby Beluga," and a Kindergarten Medley that included "I'm a Little Teapot," "The Kindergarten Class," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," and "The Chicken Dance." They did a wonderful job! Then we presented "diplomas" to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" and took as many pictures as we could. After the performance, everyone went back to room 2 and had a fantastic lunch. It was so nice to see all of the students, parents and family members celebrate together. I think that everyone had an excellent time since we still had people hanging around twenty minutes after school let out! I'd like to thank everyone again for such a memorable year. It has truly been my pleasure! Have a wonderful summer!

Kindergarten Picnic

2010-06-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

All of the Third Street School kindergarten classes had a fantastic end of the year picnic at Pan Pacific Park this afternoon. Mr. Lewis (Landon's dad) grilled hot dogs to accompany all of the wonderful pot luck items like chicken, kim bap, sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, drinks, and cupcakes to enjoy on a bright and sunny day. The students got plenty of time to play with balls, hula hoops, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, and on the swings and other equipment that the park has to offer. What a wonderful day!

By the Sea

2010-06-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Our last Open Court Reading unit is called "By the Sea." We will be studying the ocean and many sea creatures. We began by learning about fish and their parts. We read "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister and made our own rainbow fish, complete with one shiny scale. We made some colorful fish designs by melting crayon scrapings between sheets of wax paper (with the help of Ms. Jan and Lucy's mom). We will continue this week by making starfish, octopus, sea horses, and sea turtles. We also will write independent sentences about these animals in our ocean books.

Animal Report and Diorama Projects

2010-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our fantastic animal report and diorama projects. All of our students read and presented by themselves. We had a wide variety of animals and some very creative and imaginative dioramas. All of the projects were on display yesterday at the Science Fair, but if you missed it, please stop by room 2 and check them out!

Science Fair!

2010-06-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

The annual Third Street Science Fair was today, Thursday, June 5th. Our class entered our exceptional animal report and diorama projects from last week into the fair for everyone to see. One of our students, Paul Kang, also brought in an additional project called "Sink or Float." Paul shared his project with the class, explained the scientific process, showed us the results of his experiment, and even extended his results to show why certain objects sank or floated. Great job, Paul! I hope that everyone had a chance to see ALL of our projects at the Science Fair. If not, stop by room 2 to check them out!

Pass the Torch

2010-05-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Third Street Olympics are coming! On Saturday, June 5th, the third annual Olympic Games will take place at Third Street between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Instead of an entry fee, students are being asked to fill the backpack that went home today with school supplies and other non-food items. We are trying to "pass the torch" to some of the 14,000 homeless children in Los Angeles. The class saw a presentation by some 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders today and seem very excited about the event. The filled backpack is your ticket in to great games, food, and fun. Be sure to wear your t-shirt and compete in the games. By helping those in need, and having fun, we all win!

Life on the Farm

2010-05-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

We've been learning about life on the farm lately. We've learned what animals typically live on a farm and what sounds they make. We've discussed what farmers do on a farm, and what tools or equipment they use. We made some cool art, too, including some sheep, pigs, and chickens. We'll finish up this theme next week!

Field Trip to the California Science Center

2010-05-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today our class took a field trip to the California Science Center. We got a chance to explore many exciting things in small groups. There were exhibits on life, animals, earthquakes, weather, building, travel, virtual reality, the discovery center, and many more scientific topics! The class had a lot of fun enjoying what the Science Center has to offer. We had a great time!

Teamwork!

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

We started a new unit in Open Court Reading on teamwork. We will spend some time discussing what teamwork is, what makes a good team, and examples of teams. We'll read several stories and write what we've learned. It should be a lot of fun. As the students like to sing while we work together, "What's gonna work? Teamwork!"

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

We wish all of our moms (especially those in room 2) a happy and healthy Mother's Day!

Butterflies, Take 2

2010-05-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

While we were at the KIdSpace Museum, I bought more caterpillars from the gift shop. I was worried about our batch since they took longer than the expected 7 to 10 days to emerge from their cocoons. Anyway, long story short, we have five more future butterflies in our classroom. They entered the chrysalis stage, and we expect them to emerge around the middle of next week. We hope that they turn out as well as the last group!

"The Tiny Seed"

2010-05-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our multi-week study of plants and seeds this week. We learned what plants need: air (or carbon dioxide), water, sun, and soil. We learned the parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves, and petals. We examined seeds and took them apart, using a magnifying glass to examine their parts: seed coat, food storage, and baby plant. We read "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle, wrote what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and made our own giant flowers to match. Finally, we watched as our tiny seeds began to germinate and grow into little plants.

The Butterflies Emerge!

2010-04-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

We got some great news today as all 5 of our butterflies emerged from their chrysalis! It took about three weeks to complete the entire life cycle, but it was well worth it. We didn't get much time to enjoy them with music and an assembly on Friday, so we will keep them over the weekend and release them into the school garden on Monday afternoon.

Field Trip to KidSpace

2010-04-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Our class took a field trip to KidSpace Children's Museum in Pasadena today. The class got to explore many different areas inside that included nature, bugs, earthquakes, climbing towers, and more. Climbing the towers and going though the anthill were particularly popular. Outside there was the trike track, wildlife pond, cliff climb, and more. We also had a class where we learned about the Chumash tribe of Native Americans and their cave paintings. Students got to make and take home their own design. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful day!

"The Carrot Seed"

2010-04-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

We continued our study of plants and seeds this week by reading "The Carrot Seed" by Ruth Krauss (pictures by Crockett Johnson) and having related activities. We discussed how to help a seed grow, wrote what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and made own own giant carrot, like the one the little boy grows in the story. We had a great time, just like we knew we would!

Patriotism

2010-04-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

We concluded our Open Court Reading unit on Patriotism today. We spent the last month learning what patriotism is, how to be loyal and proud of your country, and discovering some important American symbols. We read numerous books on all things related to the "Red, White, and Blue," learned some patriotic songs, and even made our own American flag facsimilies with 13 stripes and 50 stars. Next up: Teamwork!

Open House

2010-04-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone that attended our Open House last night! Everyone seemed very pleased with all that we have accomplished this year in room 2. In case you missed it, we had welcome letters for our parents (with little houses), some impressive paragraphs telling all that we've learned in kindergarten, our 100 day booklets, journals, some very cool pictures printed from the Tech Lab, class books and letters from throughout the year, center activities, our butterfly pavilion, our planted seeds, a link to this blog, our class video showcasing all 25 wonderful students, and more! I think that we can consider Open House a real success. We're truly having a great year in kindergarten!

Chrysalis

2010-04-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our caterpillars have made their way to the pupa stage! We saw all 5 hanging from the top of the jar this morning in their homemade cocoons. At recess, Mr. Ricker nervously transferred them into the butterfly pavilion to prepare for that final exciting stage. We're really looking forward to seeing them turn into butterflies!

Seeds and Plants

2010-04-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Our class started a study of seeds and plants this week. We planted some lima beans and will be tracking their progress as they sprout and grow into plants . We will spend next week looking more closely at seeds and plants, learning their parts and what they need to survive.

The Caterpillars are Growing!

2010-04-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here's an updated picture of our caterpillars. As you can see, they have been eating and have grown a lot since last Friday. We will continue to watch their progress and wait for them to enter their chrysalis or cocoon later in the week!

Some Very Hungry Caterpillars in Room 2!

2010-04-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

To better our understanding of butterflies, our class got some larvae to observe real metamorphosis take place. We got our caterpillars on Wednesday afternoon and they have been eating steadily ever since. All five have been active, some even have crawled up the sides of the container to the top of the jar! The children love to see them eat and grow and eat and grow...just like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar!" We'll keep you updated as they go through their life cycle from caterpillar to chrysalis, and finally, to a living butterfly. Feel free to stop by and check out the metamorphosis in person!

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

2010-04-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

Our class spent the week learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. We colored, cut, and pasted the four stages: egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa (or chrysalis or cocoon), and adult butterfly. We made a very cool butterfly plate that included leaves and pasta to illustrate their life cycle, too. We also used crayon scrapings and wax paper to create see-through butterfly art on Friday. We had a great week!

Open House April 20th

2010-04-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to everyone that the annual Open House at Third Street Elementary is coming soon! On Tuesday, April 20th, all are welcome to visit the campus and see some of what we've learned this schoolyear. Students can show parents the classroom and some of the work we have done in kindergarten. Room 2 will be open from 5:30-6:30 P.M., along with grades K-2, while grades 3-5 will be open from 6:00-7:00 P.M. We hope to see you there!

Spring Break!

2010-03-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

We don't have school this week at Third Street School. Spring Break will last from March 29th until April 2nd. We hope that everyone has a happy and healthy vacation. We'll see you back in room 2 on Monday, April 5th. Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Colors and Art

2010-03-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

We're wrapping up our Art unit on Color, so I thought I would share some pictures of our finished work. We started the unit by identifying and using colors. We made a color wheel with tempera paint and mixing the primary (red, yellow, blue) colors to get the secondary (green, orange, purple) colors. We drew gardens of color, made a sandwich collage by cutting colored construction paper, put primary color shapes on top of one another and put secondary colors in the overlapped space, and used oil pastels to make hot (red, orange, yellow) and cold (blue, green, purple) colored flowers. We had a lot of fun! I'm posting some examples from the "Primary+Primary=Secondary" project, the hot and cold colored flowers, and the sandwich collages. Enjoy!

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

2010-03-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

We began a unit on bugs this week! We started by focusing on what makes an insect. We learned that insects have 6 legs, 3 body parts (the head, thorax, and abdomen), and 2 antennae. We learned some facts about ants, bees, and ladybugs, too. We know that spiders are not insects because they have 8 legs and only 2 body parts. We made ants, bees, and ladybugs in class, and even wrote about insects in "My Insect Book." After Spring Break we will learn more about the life cycle of a butterfly. Cool!

A Green Week!

2010-03-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great week in room 2! We finished up our study of penguins and had several St. Patrick's Day activities. For Shamrock Day, we made Potato Guy (or Potato Girl), wrote our own leprechaun cartoons, had clover adding activities in math, and had a visit from a small footed friend. It was a very green week!

Leprechauns in Room 2?

2010-03-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

We found some mysterious green footprints leading into room 2 this morning. There also was a cauldron of gold (wrapped) chocolates left on Ms. Jan's desk. The class decided that a leprechaun had indeed visited us on St. Patrick Day and had left us some of his gold! I cannot confirm or deny any small green visitors, but several students claimed to have seen him out on the kindergarten yard later in the day. It was quite a memorable St. Patrick's Day!

Learning About Penguins

2010-03-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

We spent this week learning all about penguins. We read several penguin books and stories about penguins. Our favorite was "Tacky the Penguin." We made penguins in art and made tacky Hawaiian shirts like the one in the story that Tacky the penguin wore. We also wrote sentences about Tacky and penguins in our journals. It was a cool week!

Bears! Bears! Bears!

2010-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Room 2 wrapped up a two-week study of Bears last Friday. We cut and pasted bears, sewed a bear, and made bear pictures. We also read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See and Bears, Bears, Everywhere and made own own mini-books based on the original text. We had a beary good time!

100 Day!

2010-03-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

Our class celebrated the 100th day of kindergarten on Wednesday, February 24th. We made 100 Day books, 100 Day necklaces, 100 Day glasses, drew 100 Day pictures, wrote what we'd do with 100 dollars, and found Zero Heroes. It was a great day! Only 80 more to go!

Welcome to Room 2!

2009-12-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mr. Ricker's Kindergarten Class. We are looking forward to a wonderful year of learning in room 2!