the second day

All Are Welcome Here.

Our morning message connected back to one of our first day books, All Are Welcome Here. It was an invitation for children to write their name on a sticky note and attach it to our message; a visual representation of our new community and the important place we all have.

Tools introduced and modeled during this active engagement;

Pencil- What do you notice about the way I put my pencil away? Where do pencils live in our classroom? 

Sticky note- How can I check for the sticky side? What can I do if I accidentally write my name on the sticky side? Turn the note over and write my name again! 

All of the children walked safely to their table to write their name. I watched Savannah check for the sticky side of her note and turn it over when she needed to. As children attached their names to our message they were careful to give their name space, ensuring all of our names were visible.

 

 

The books we read at the beginning of the year connect to our learning about community and feelings. On the second day we remembered the feeling of worry and began a deeper conversation about feeling brave. I shared the front cover of the book Jabari Jumps and introduced the story of Jabari and the many feelings he experienced when doing something challenging and new. We would be thinking together about the word brave.

Through personal reflections with a turn and talk partner, the children talked about the word brave.

What do you know about the word brave?

What does it mean to be brave?

Have you felt brave?

I didn't expect to introduce turning and talking with a partner on the second day of school. We will take the time later this year to develop expectations around a turn and talk, but the word brave holds such importance and many of the children were eager to share their thoughts with a friend. 

After a little turn and talk, Sebby offered his story about feeling brave. Standing in front of the audience (our four rows on the rug) Sebby shared that when he goes to the doctor to get a shot he's worried and scared, but he's brave, and he does it. 

Can you be worried or nervous and brave? 

Many of us were worried about starting school, but we did. We were worried and brave- we're all here now. 

 

In Jabari's story we noticed that in one moment Jabari felt many big feelings. He felt excited, then worried, then happy. He felt brave. We used his story and our own stories to better understand feelings and ways that we can talk about feelings in Kindergarten. I introduced the zones of regulation.

When you are in the green zone you are feeling happy and ready, like when Jabari jumped off of the diving board! When you are in the blue zone you are feeling tired or sad, like when we are missing our parents during the day. When you are in the yellow zone you are feeling worried or silly, like when Jabari wasn't sure if he was ready for the diving board. When you are in the red zone you are feeling angry, like when you are trying to talk to a friend and they walk away from you.

We sorted pictures of Jabari into the zones. His story helped us to recognize that we have many big feelings at every moment, that we can move between the yellow and the green zone depending on the tools. Jabari's dad gave his hand a squeeze, that helped him to be in the green zone and ready to jump.

We are brave when we start something new, like school.
We are brave when we notice and talk about our feelings.

Using similar language at home may support you and your child in recognizing, naming, and embracing feelings. It is from these conversations that we can develop tools for helping us when we feel in the blue or yellow zone. One tool that I will introduce next week is our peace space, a space in our classroom where we can go to take a break or a deep breath. It is a space used for reflection and getting back in the green zone. It is a space where we all can go.