Getting sneak peek of school

This year, 160 kids enrolled in the main session of the camp for incoming kindergartners. The 10 classes have about 16-17 students each, and also had a para-teacher helping.

The camp is set up so incoming kindergartners know what to expect and how to act on the first day of school.

"This is the 10th year," Foley said. "Teachers definitely say it helps that first day."

The main camp was two-weeks long, June 13-23, and is broken into two sections: insects and farm animals. The kids work on reading, the alphabet and "sight words," which students should recognize immediately.

"We do a lot of learning how to sit and manners that will come with kindergarten," Foley said. "Developmentally, students are at different levels. Some kids know this and some kids don't."

She said the camp is made to be broad so students at all levels will learn.

"The first week was about getting ready for school," teacher Heidi Galagan said. "We've been working on numbers, ordering and counting to ten."

Students worked on things like matching words to pictures using Smart Boards, learning how to make cookies or reading a book along with their teachers.

"A lot of what we're working on are school skills, like being able to come in and sit in a chair," Galagan said.

Five-year-old Madison Schultz learned a lot about how to act.

"I learned to sit down nicely, and being good and play a lot," she said.

Another thing students learn is how to sign their name.

"I signed my name with a pencil, and then I signed my name with a marker and met new kids," Schultz said.

The kids also made many projects. Vincent Parham, 5, said his favorite project was making a corn syrup pig.

"I took a paper plate and put corn syrup on it," he said. "It looked just like a pig because the corn syrup was pink."

Parham said he is excited to start kindergarten in the fall.

"It will be very fun," he said. "I'm going to do stuff like art projects and learn about different stuff."

During the two weeks, all the "campers" took a trip to the library, which helped them learn about longer bus rides and how to take care of books. They also learned about the Summer Reading Program.

The Kindergarten Readiness Camp has changed some from when it began.

"As academics in kind have changed, expectations have become greater for kindergartners, and the program has become more rigorous," Foley said.

Galagan said students are expected to know how to read by the end of kindergarten now.

Kindergarten Sight Word Worksheets | Erudition™

The worksheets below provide the perfect opportunity to assist your child in obtaining a sight word vocabulary. Complete the worksheets in sequential order, e.g. begin with the sight words “I” and “am.” Review previously taught sight words as often as possible.

Sight Words, Kindergarten

Kindergarten Success with Sight Words (Sylvan Workbooks)

Teaching in the new kindergarten

All Aboard For Kindergarten Language Arts Student Manual

Children's reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and first grade