Back to School with Pete the Cat

I am super excited about ROCKING the start of our Kindergarten year off with Pete the Cat!  It is always a favorite with my students and MUSIC is a topic we will be exploring as a school during the first semester.

Before school started I made a large Pete the Cat for my bulletin board and made colored high tops shoes to hang above my student work tables.

On the first day of school we read the book, Pete the Cat, Rocking in my School Shoes by Eric Litwin and danced around the room as we listened to the audio.

On the second day of school, we reread the book, this time there was a clue at the end of the book for us to search for Pete the Cat.  We toured the school in search of Pete as we met some very important people and places on our campus.  We sang as we walked from place to place.  We ended in the auditorium where we met our music teacher as we sang and danced in our school shoes.

All day they were looking for clues to find Pete.

We made our first class book where each student decorated their own school shoe and completed the sentence frame:  Here comes _(name)______rocking in his/her __________ shoes.

We ended the day with making musical shakers from old pill bottles and filled them with beans and lentils.
Next week we will continue to have fun with Pete the Cat singing, dancing, reading and decorating our wall with more unique shoes.

WE LOVE PETE THE CAT!  It was a fun, engaging and memorable way to start the school year!!!!

Link to the story: http://www.petethecatbooks.com/9780061910241/pete-the-cat-rocking-in-my-school-shoes/

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-n6c6Ggs-Q

TShirts - I purchased on https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-cm-licensed-pete-the-cat-tees

Classroom Theme and Community

I always love kicking off my school year with a theme that I can unite all my students.

Here are a few of my themes I have used in the past.

Each year my school chooses a semester theme that each grade level explores and investigates.  Last Fall is was COMMUNICATION.  I chose to start the year talking about how bees communicate and used this theme throughout the semester.  I kept the bee hive up all year and had a "cell"/hexagon for each student in my class with their name and hand print.  The bees were made in groups of 2-3 students.  They picked their own materials and created their own bees.

The previous year the Fall semester theme was WATER.  I started the year reading Rainbow Fish and talked about how we are all unique and special!  I kept up the large Rainbow Fish up all year with student names on each scale.

This year coming year our theme will be MUSIC.  I am thinking I will have to start the year with Pete the Cat and his groovy new shoes....stay tuned!