The other topic about what to do/use for K got me to thinking, yeah, what are all your memories about K, anyway? At least as it is presented in the public schools. (or private schools, too, for that matter)

I went to K in 1961. At that time, it was a relatively new offering in our school district. Here's what I remember:

fingerpainting

using the girls bathroom which had springy, 'pop up' toilet seats that made the stool flush when you got off the seat. As there were no doors on the stalls, we had contests for who could catapult themselves the farthest distance!

taking a nap

recess

teacher reading to us. had a wonderful teacher BTW

break for milk and praying, yes, praying before drinking our milk!

learning how to tie and learning how to zip our coats

learning how to stand in a line and being quiet when teacher talked.

singing Christmas songs

K was half day. In our school district today (same one I attended) K is is full day. Back in the early 1990s you could opt for only half day, as the afternoon program was for 'enrichment'. One mother I knew chose the half day K. A public school teacher I knew commented, "I hope she's going to do some enrichment with her child in the afternoon." (reading that comment on a homeschool board elicits some chuckles, I'm sure!)

That's the bulk of my memories.

What are yours?

Susan

The year was 1980. There was a bathroom in the classroom. I remember doing #1 in my pants and left a wet spot on the floor. I think I went to school only 3x/week, all day. It was kind of bilingual (English/French). The teacher kept putting red x's on my papers because I had trouble staying on the dotted line. It was a small class; only 1 boy in the class and 6-7 girls. My mom told me that I asked her why there was a boy in my class. We sang songs in French & English. Those are probably the main points that I remember.

I remember there was a 'tooth chart'. Every time you lost a tooth, you got to hang a big smiley-faced tooth on the wall that had your name on it. I never lost a tooth in K. :( Oh, and there was a song about a puppy. And a table sandbox. Apparently I learned a lot in K. ;) (Back in 1985)

The year was 1968. I remember....

Wearing my hair in braids a lot, and my hair ribbons were made of yarn.

Learning to tie my shoes.

Sitting on the hood of my parents' station wagon and pretending to be a singer, using the car antennae as my microphone. I slipped and fell off, somehow giving myself a black eye in the process. This showed up in my K school pictures.

Naps. I think I had a braided rug of some sort. (Yes, we took naps and we were only there for half a day!)

Getting pints of chocolate milk in the lunchroom at break. I LOVED chocolate milk.

Joey Murphy falling against the heat register along the wall and burning his face.

Wishing I had Mrs. Purdon, the other K teacher that year, because she was prettier and younger than my teacher.

Also wishing I had Mrs. Purdon so that I could be in the same class with my new friend whom I'd just met that summer.

I don't remember ANYTHING "schoolish" in Kindergarten. I remember learning how to read in 1st grade.

Our school did not have Kindergarten until I was in 6th grade, so no K for me. I remember BEGGING my mother to send me to one. Now, where I even heard about such a thing, I do not remember. I was so ready to go to school, though. So instead, I had to wait until I was nearly 7 to start 1st grade.

I remember a kid about my age walking to school smoking a cigarette.

In school it was just the basics and play. I remember learning the alphabet and counting. That was when they taught sight reading without any phonics.

1980...
I remember the milk machine,
the alphabet line we lined up on,
the colored circle we sat on, and
the teacher's daily schedule for us, which included no words, only pictures.
I can still picture my teacher.
I remember listening to something about indians and buffalo on a record player. We put our ear to the floor to listen for the sound of horses' hooves.
I remember the housekeeping center.
We only went for half-day and my session was in the afternoon. I lived about two blocks from school and walked there with my best friend who lived across the street from me.

In 1956, it was rare for children to attend kindergarten. I went for two whole weeks. I was invited not to return after I kicked the teacher in the shins.

True story.

:-)