Kindergarten Chronicles: Our Eighth Week of Wondrous Learning!

Dear Family, We hope you all had an amazing week! If you're asking us, well, we've certainly had the most wonderful time. This week was full of fun, educational, and teamwork-focused activities. Our children have learned and explored different topics across various subjects. Let's dive into the details and see how exactly our week went during.........

As a reminder, next week on Thursday (October 17) and Friday (October 18) school will be closed for fall break/teacher’s training.

Large Group

Our large group session is the most important part of our day, as it sets the tone for how our days will unfold. Prior to our small group activities, we use our large group whiteboard to practice and discuss the topics and how each one will be approached. This helps the children to fully engage with all our activities, and is a great time to discuss any initial curiosities and questions. This week, we revisited the seven continents using the globe in our class, and now we've started studying each continent in depth. We began with Africa, exploring fun facts, the largest country, and the largest city. The children also colored a map of Africa.

Literacy

This week in literacy, the class got busy working on Group 3 letters (w, q, y, x, v, j, and z). We went through them all, linking them to the Zoophonics program during our large group. The children then traced the letters and practiced rewriting them, working on their writing skills. Our second literacy activity was a hit - we read the book "Clifford" and focused on three CVC words: "big," "red," and "dog." The children then wrote these words on a blank paper, spelling them out loud.

Math

Our first math activity was fun and engaging. We prepared small pieces of numbers, printed and cut out, and placed them in mini cups. The children then used a hard paper to order the numbers from 1 to 20. This kept their brains busy, as they all chose to stay quiet and focused. Our second math activity involved simple addition using small pieces of pattern blocks. Some children used the blocks, while others preferred to use their fingers and mental math (e.g., "7 in my heart and 2 with my fingers").

Science

This week in science, we learned about living and non-living things. We first discussed the concepts, and then the children embarked on a "color the non-living thing" activity, where they identified and colored the non-living objects. Our second activity was "sorting living and non-living things," where the children used printed objects, a hard paper, and a glue stick to sort them into the correct categories and then we took it outside and hunted for living things, using a printed checklist with pictures in it. Our children enjoyed this hands-on activity, and we love to see their enthusiasm for learning about the world around them.

Art

During art this week, we explored "jewelry designs." We provided the children with beads and pipe cleaners, and they designed their own bracelets and necklaces. They had so much fun with this, and many of them made extras to give to their moms and siblings.

“I want to make two, one for my mom and one for my sister” Leayene

“I want to make for mom and dada” Hekima

Gymnastics

This week, we had a special guest trainer, "Mule," joined us for our gymnastics session, which we held outside on mats. Mule led us through basic exercises and yoga poses. The children were so excited to have a guest instructor, and we finished the session with a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" using a friend's hat.

Library

As usual, we took one of our library classes outdoors by the dollhouse and swing. We laid out a mat and placed pillows for our children to get cozy. They all made themselves comfortable and enjoyed reading in the fresh air, and we let them choose a book to have read to them.

Cooperative Game

This week, for our cooperative game, we did bike washing! The children sat in pairs and washed our school bikes. They had so much fun doing this, engaging in conversation and helping each other out, showcasing great teamwork. Afterward, they watched as the bikes were rinsed with a big water hose, singing, “Germs, germs, go away; come again another day!”

Next Week’s Schedule:

Monday – Math, Literacy

Tuesday – Literacy, science, gym

Wednesday - Library, Math

Specials:

Monday- Art

Tuesday - Gym

Reminders and notes :

• Next Wednesday Your child will be coming home with a library folder and a story book in it. Make sure to read the story together and return the folder book back the other Wednesday so your child can get a new book.

• Make sure that your child is wearing suitable clothes on Monday as we have

art class and activities get messy sometimes.

We had a truly fantastic week, and we can't wait to share more fun and learning experiences with you. Stay tuned!