Summer 2007
Camp Kindergarten Kapers

Paddles Up - Purchase dry erase paddle boards from Oriental Trading for all your students. Tell them to write a number, letter, sound, word, etc on their paddles. When you say, "Paddles up," children hold their paddles up in the air. When you say, "Paddles down," children erase their paddles.

Line Up - Bonnie Dennison gave us this idea for lining up quietly:

            I keep my eyes straight ahead.
            I keep my hands to my side.
            No one will hear me we will be so quiet.
            That’s how we walk in line. Shhhh!

Quiet Tooty Ta - One teacher said to calm her children she has them sit in their chairs and do a quiet version of "Tooty Ta."

Smart Cookies - How about some REAL smart cookies to go along with smart cookie nametags the first day of school? Substitute ingredients in this “No Bake Cookie” recipe for good student characteristics. For example:

        2 cups sugar = 2 cups respect
        3 TB unsweetened cocoa powder = 3 TB kindness
        ½ cup butter = ½ cup responsibility ½ cup milk = ½ cup helpfulness
        1 pinch salt = 1 pinch of laughter
        3 cups quick oats = 3 cups doing your best
        ½ cup peanut butter = ½ cup honesty
        1 tsp. vanilla extract = 1 tsp. friendliness

Using a 3 quart saucepan, bring sugar, cocoa, butter, milk, and salt to a rapid boil for one minute. Add oats, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Cool.

To cook in a microwave, bring to a boil sugar, cocoa, butter, milk, and salt. (It will take about 3 minutes.) Stir halfway through. Remove from the microwave and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Then stir in oats.

Name Song - Jessica Barney, Cindi Holman, Brooke Scott, and Carol Jeske sing this song to the melody of “Pizza Hut” as they insert children’s names. For example: Carol, Carol, Jessica and Carol. Cindi, Cindi, Jessica and Carol. Cindi, Cindi, Jessica and Carol.

Name Bottles  - Cheri Winton Gaetz of Mt. Doral, FL, makes name bottles for all of her students each year. (She purchases the bottles from Steve Spangler.) Children use the bottles throughout the year for letter recognition, identifying names, etc.

Hug Pillows - Lucy cuts inexpensive muslin fabric into 12" squares. At the beginning of the school year when she makes home visits, she lets the children and their families decorate the fabric with markers. She then sews them and stuffs them to make a pillow. They are in the classroom for any time the children "need a hug."