Welcome Back and Getting Started with Kindergarten

Welcome back was an understatement this year.  We had to pack up for new floors so that meant unpacking when we got back.  That was a huge task let me tell you but it is done and the library looks great.  If I hear anything about new floors, paint, AC or a refresh, I'm running.   Just kidding it is all worth it in the end.

Half Carpet Half Tile

Looks so new and clean

We started off this school year hitting the ground hard.  This is the start of year 5 so we feel like we have a grasp on things (well that is until I have some bright idea in the middle of the night and change things.)  Anyway Kinder is where we really saw things happening fast.  The Kindergarten teachers loved that we let the kids come down alone last year to check out any time they needed to so they were ready to start that as soon as we would allow.  Well we don't usually teach the Kindergartners to self check out until Christmas and we don't teach them to use a shelf marker until Spring.  We didn't let that stop us we jumped in and started them sooner.  We use long slips of poster board that we cut and put their barcode at the top and teach them to put it in the front of their book,scan it, flip the book over and scan the school barcode then scan the reset block.  So week 3 we started.  Oh week 3 was painful to watch them and let them figure it out.  It took 45 minutes easily per class but we had to let them do it before we could let them come alone.  So last week we let them start coming.  We do make them drop their library card slip in a box while they look for a new book.  We have a cart full of books that they can pick from.  We are not teaching shelf markers yet and we make sure the cart has a selection of picture and non-fiction books.

Where they store cards and see directions for what to do next

You can see him doing each step!

After they check out they can go back to class or stay for a Cozy Corner or Skill tub.  We are working on one thing at a time so for now they go back to class but in the coming weeks they will stay in the library for 20 minutes.

Stay tuned!!!