Playful Learning in Pre-K

Greetings dear parents!

How was your week? We hope the week has treated you well. Here in the Pre K class, our week was busy, adventurous and of course engaging! We’re so proud of how the children gave their full focus and effort to each activity, all while having lots of fun with their friends. As a reminder, next week on Thursday (October 17) and Friday (October 18) school will be closed for staff training.

Large Group

Our large group sessions are always an absolute blast. Large group is a time when we can see the interactions between children, and is also a learning section with music, fun games and learning through discussion. This is a fantastic time for children to build their communication skills and confidence in explaining themselves! This week one of our discussions was about the Family Day event coming up on Oct 26. We used this as a learning opportunity to discuss flags, countries, what it means to be international, and how we can support each other in our multicultural community. The children also shared some wonderful insights about cultural clothing and foods. We can’t wait to see how these conversations continue to develop!

Literacy

This week in our literacy sessions, the class got crafty! Our students made their very own bookmarks. We got this idea from our large group session where we discussed the book we take home every Tuesday, and how they read their book for the whole week consistently. So from that our wonderful innovators came up with the idea of making a bookmark. The process of making the bookmark started with the materials- their favorite color paper, pencil color or crayon and decorations. Then, it was time to compose! The children were so proud of their creations, and loved the process of making it. We love that this is both a fun and educational activity, but is also practical- now the children can learn about marking their place in a book. We hope this continues to fortify their love  of reading.

Science

This week in our science session we did a "Balloon experiment"  . We used a balloon, a small plastic bottle (empty), baking soda, and vinegar. We started by helping the kids with pouring the baking soda into the balloon. We then poured vinegar. After that, we carefully stretched the opening of the balloon over the top of the bottle and finally lifted the balloon so the baking soda fell into the bottle and mixed with the vinegar. The result was that the balloons blew up. This simple experiment really amazed our little ones and it offered a fantastic way to explore the scientific method while having a blast.

Math

This week our math activity was building a city with lego! We gave the class a piece of paper, and in front of their papers there was a different number for each student. We asked them to then take a look at what number that they have and count it. For example, if they have the number 4, they're going to build something with four pieces of lego. This activity proved to be a challenge, but they absolutely loved it and gave it their all! The class requested to do it again, which we will try out with different materials. This activity is not only lively and exciting, but also helps the students with fine motor skills, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

Art

In the art section of this week the class did a group painting with the paint rollers! We took large sheets of  paper with different sizes and shapes of paint rollers. The class dipped the rollers in  different colors and painted them together in two groups. While they worked on their masterpiece, we were discussing their idea of doing art collaboratively and sharing space. The discussions and the activity itself fosters teamwork and communication. Group painting with rollers is a fantastic way for our class to explore creativity, work together, and develop their fine motor skills. This engaging activity allows children to express themselves while learning the value of teamwork.

Next week’s Schedule:

Large group

Songs: Good morning songs

Circle time calendar

Books: Curious George Rides a Bike

Small group

Monday: Science

Tuesday: Math

Our special

Monday: Ethiopian center

Tuesday: Library

 Wednesday: Art

Reminder

Every Tuesday is our library day, so we will be sending a book that your child picked from our library, which will be returned after a week on library day.

Every Wednesday is our art day so please send your child with art-appropriate clothing.

Thank you for your time!