Kindergarten’s Seventeenth Week- A Winter Wonderland!

Dear Family, hope you all had an amazing week! We had a blast with our winter-themed fun, and of course a multifaceted educational adventure this week. Let's take you through it!

Large Group

Our large group always sets the tone for our day- we use large group discussions as a reference point for that day’s activities, we learn new things together and also review what we’ve been up to. We always start by setting the date on our large group calendar, and then we practice the activities of the day ahead on the board. “Estimation” was our large group topic of the week as we discussed its meaning and encouraged our children to make smart guesses about the number of items in the classroom, such as chairs, tables, pencils, markers, crayons, and books. Then we placed different materials in a plastic bag on the board and let the children write their estimations. We counted the items and wrote the results. Most of their guesses were pretty close, which they were glad to see. They then took this learning outside, estimating how many leaves are on the flowers or how many holes the big slide has.

“I think we have hundreds of millions of books” -Umar

“Estimate how many fingers I have? And look 2 and 2 makes ‘W’ “ -Adelene

Literacy

This week, our literacy activities focused on an essential educational building block- reading. We provided mini phonics books for phonics reading in our first activity. Our children read them out loud, taking turns and swapping books, which allowed us to assess their reading progress. In our second literacy activity, we practiced sight words, reviewing previously learned words and introducing a few new ones to build sentence-reading skills.

“My dad reads faster like the flash” -Junior

 Math

This week in math, we learned backward counting to challenge our mathematical skills. We first practiced counting backwards in our large group, going from 20 to 1, and each day we added ten more numbers, so by the end we were able to count down from 50!

For our first activity, we practiced writing the numbers from 20 to 1 on white paper, and our children practiced saying the numbers they had written out loud. In our second math class, we did a number ordering activity where the students used number pieces and stuck them on a sheet of paper, arranging them in descending order from 20 to 1. This activity helped reinforce their understanding of backward counting.

“It’s so so so easy I do it fast” -Tang Tang

Science 

This week in science, we explored the fascinating topic of “Hibernation”. We began by defining the term and understanding its meaning. Then, in our first science class, we classified animals into two categories: hibernators and winter animals. This helped us comprehend the unique adaptations of hibernating animals.

 In our second science class, we engaged in a fun and interactive activity where we completed cut-and-paste worksheets featuring animals and their hiding places, such as logs, lairs, and caves. This hands-on exercise allowed our children to visualize and better understand the concept of hibernation.

“Do we hide too? Like the bear?” -Umar

“The lion goes where? In his bed?” -Yeabsera

Art

This week, our art activity was a delightful and seasonal celebration of winter. Although we are currently in Ethiopia, where it is not winter, we wanted to explore the season through our activities. We discussed how winter looks and feels in other parts of the world and then dove into a creative "snow making" activity using cornstarch and hair conditioner. This engaging experience brought immense excitement to our children, allowing them to express their creativity in unique ways. As they crafted snowmen, snowballs, and blew the starch to create a snowy effect, it was a truly joyful moment.

“Look my snow looks real” -Abigail

“Let’s have a snow fight?” - Mickey

Gymnastics

This week in our gymnastics class, we incorporated a winter-themed activity called "Shucking Ice". To begin, we exercised outside by jogging and skipping to warm ourselves up for the icy experience. Next, we brought out cup-sized ice packs and let the children explore them at the table before shucking. They thoroughly enjoyed breaking the ice using wooden sticks and clay bats from the art room - it was a thrilling experience! The children then picked up the broken ice pieces from the ground and threw them against the wall using their strong hands and whole body. They even played a makeshift game of hockey using their sticks and bats with the broken ice. The activity was a huge hit, and the children had an absolute blast. They loved it so much that they asked to do it again!

“This is like football but with hands” -Mickey

“But if you break the wall with the ice you get thinking time” - Abigail

Ethiopian Center

This week at our Ethiopian Center, we embarked on an exciting culinary adventure by making “Shiro”, a beloved Ethiopian traditional dish! We kicked things off with a lively discussion about how it's made and the ingredients we would be using. Our children eagerly shared their guesses and buzzed with excitement about this new experience. Afterward, we ventured outside to wash our hands thoroughly before gathering around the kitchen. There, we explored the materials and ingredients—like toy knives, chopping boards, onions, and tomatoes—that would help us in our cooking journey. Each child took turns being the chef, chopping onions and tomatoes with great enthusiasm! As the cooking begins, they stirred the pot and checked on the cooking process, all under the watchful eyes of an adult. Once the Shiro was ready, everyone washed up again and settled down to taste their creation. They shared bites with each other (gursha), embracing the Ethiopian tradition of eating together. The joy on their faces was priceless as they experienced this cultural delight, showcasing a rainbow of expressions from excitement to curiosity.

“We need more more more” -Yeabsera

“It looks spicy I don’t want to eat” -Tang Tang

“Best Shiro ever, Phi” -Adelene

“My mom makes it better”- Umar

Next week’s schedule:  

 Monday – Math, Literacy

Tuesday – Literacy, Science, Gymnastics

Wednesday - Library, Math

Thursday - Science

Friday - Cooperative game

Specials:

Monday- Art

Tuesday - Gym

Thursday - Ethiopian center/ clay

Friday - Football

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.

This is how our week went! We hope you enjoyed reading our blog. Until next time, stay safe!