Scavenger Hunt Bags

So I have seen this on Pinterest a while back and thought these would be really good for my students who finish early.  I decided to make one for every letter of the alphabet, which is proving harder than I thought with some letters.  I would like to have at least 5-6 items per bag, with not too many in the bag since the kids are suppose to find things.  My "Ss" bag has the most items in it.  These have cost some money to make, but I think that it will be beneficial to the students, especially with beginning sounds and identifying things that begin with certain letters. 

The bags are not finished.  I have put the ribbon on where the zipper is, but I still have to put the letters on the bag to identify which letter bag it is.  I also have to print out the pictures with the items on it.  On the back of that picture, I am going to have the different items listed for my students who are higher and can read.  Then I am going to put them on a ring and going to have a special spot in the room for these to be hanging. :)  here are some pictures for a sneek peek at what I have collected so far.  These are the bags that are all set and ribbon glued on them. 

These are the items that are in my Bb bag.

The Cc bag

The Pp bag.

The Ff bag

The Ee bag

The Hh bag

The Mm bag (don't know why this picture is turned this way, it was normal)

The Ss bag

These are the little plastic beads that I put in.  Thanks to my dad who got them from his work.  You can get them from Joann's too or get Bean Bag filler.

I used see through binder pencil bags.  These I got at Meijer and seem really durable.  For the consonants, I am using blue, black, and purple.  The vowels are all going to be in pink bags... to show the kids that there is a difference.  I hot glued ribbon right on to the zipper, making sure I went over the zipper all the way so that the bag doesn't come apart.  I wanted to make sure I couldn't get into the bag again- also so I don't have these plastic pieces EVERY WHERE in my room! (Don't think that Mr. Jerry would like that too much at the end of the day!) 

Once I get one finished, I will post a picture of that as well.  I have the letters at school, in a cupboard, packed away, so it will be hard to find them right now.  Have to start cleaning out and setting up the room first to find them.  I will have my aides help me in final assembly of these. 

I am really excited about these and hope that the kids enjoy them.  :)

Going to try and Blog about my teachings...

Well, I have become an addicted person to several blogs now on the internet to get ideas for Kindergarten.  I have had some REALLY cool ideas from these sites and also gathered some ideas for myself.  I like the idea of blogging and posting ideas or things that the kids are doing in class.  I decided that I would start to write a blog to help with this.  I was going to start to do this next school year, but I decided if I started now, that it would be easier to keep it up next school year! :) 

Life as a Kindergarten teacher has been a blast this year.  Yes, there are ups and downs everyday, but that is like that in any job field.  I love being with the kids and teaching them new things.  Just even the simplest things they can be so interested in- which makes the task even more fun! I have learned a lot this last school year, since it was my first year teaching.  I fell in love with Kindergarten and I don't know if I will want to teach anything else.  We will see what God has in store for me in the future, but for now I will take how awesome my job is every day! 

I teach at a K-8 Lutheran school in Michigan.  I actually went to this school from Kindergarten through 8th grade myself.  (Yes, some of my former teachers are still teaching there.)  :)  My class currently is 18 students.  I love them all.  They have taught me much about Kindergarten and that age level, which is good to prepare me for a few years away when my son turns 5! 

It is so much fun doing projects with the kids.  I am always looking online for different ideas for them to do.  I also keep looking for different ideas for centers for my kids to do.  It is so much fun teaching them new things.  I love to be on Pinterest... I am addicted, I will admit that.  I also like looking on Teachers Pay Teachers, or TPT.  I need to figure out how to sell things on there too! 

So I hope that you enjoy reading about things we are doing in Kindergarten, ideas and projects that we have been doing, and just the life of being a Kindergarten teacher.  Next year will be different for me too.  I will be teaching two half day classes.  I am excited to teach twice as many kids, but also will miss my time with my son in the afternoon.  It will be worth it though and I will just have to make more special times with my son.