Pete to the Rescue!

     Well, after two and a half weeks of school, I am really getting to know my class well and their strengths and challenges are emerging.  They are VERY energetic but they are also very eager to learn.  One thing that is definitely going to be a focus for us this year is fine motor practice. Pencil grasp, cutting skills and control while writing are all over the place and are going to need some work.  Going hand in hand with this is the biggest pet peeve of many a kindergarten teacher - shoe tying.  Not one of my kids this year can tie their own shoes.  Care to guess how many shoes I tied yesterday?  I actually counted.  23!  I am not a fan of velcro shoes because I think every child should learn to tie their own shoes, but boy was I wishing for some yesterday.
     So, I decided I needed a plan to motivate the kids to learn to tie their own shoes.  Enter our current obsession - Pete the Cat!  Capitalizing on my class's love for all things Pete, I came up with Pete's Shoe Tying Club.  I'm going to send home a note from Pete inviting all of the kids to practice tying their shoe at home so they can join his club. When the kids can show me that they can tie their own shoes, they will become a card-carrying member of Pete's Club!  A certificate with their name will go up on the Pete's Club wall, they will get a membership badge and they will get to choose a new pair of fancy shoelaces.  I hope Pete will be the champion I need him to be so I can sing, "I love your tied shoes, I love your tied shoes..." If you think Pete can help you out with the Curse of the Untied Shoes, grab your kit below.
    If you have any tips to help my kiddos learn to tie their shoes, please leave a comment to help me out!
Have a great night!

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