Pre K This Week!

Dear parents,

We are delighted to share our highlights from yet another amazing week in Pre K. This week, the kids got active as ever in gymnastics, started a new project in art, got their groove on in music and movement, raised the bar in the innovation center, and so much more!

Large Group

This week’s large group was a great success. The kids continued their usual routines of circle time center, reading the whiteboard and counting the caterpillar. We also read some fun and interesting books together and discussed the topics that they covered. They are also continuing to blossom into their helper roles, and now even some kids who aren’t the daily helper remind us about clean up time and other things! We are so proud of them.

Music and Movement

The kids had so much fun in music and movement this week. We played some familiar sitting down singing songs to begin with to get into the musical zone. Then, we had some of our usual high energy movement songs, and some new ones too! The kids are showing remarkable improvements on their ability to identify and follow a rhythm, memorize choreography, and their coordination! Furthermore, we had a freestyle dance segment where they got to show off their own original moves!

Literacy

In literacy this week, the kids tried something new! First, they used multicolored pipe cleaners to make the shapes of letters. We took out the zoophonics letters and showed them an example of how to do it. Then each kid chose a letter, made it out of the pipe cleaner and we repeated this process until each kid had a chance to do 3 or more zoophonics letters. Once they were done with the pipe cleaners, kids each got a butterfly made from colored paper. They then had the chance to color and write their beginning sound on the butterfly. The butterflies turned out amazing, and we loved getting to see each kid’s unique individuality through how they chose to design theirs! They also had a chance to work in their journals. For this week’s entry, we first briefly discussed some of the things we have been studying in class regarding nature- plants, plant related things like soil and water, animals, and so on. Then, on the board the teacher drew a potted flower plant with soil inside, a leaf, and a raindrop to represent water. Then, the kids responded to the prompt: what is your favorite thing about nature that we have learned? We saw some common themes in their answer, they all wanted to draw a jungle with different animals in them. They got to work individually, and as always are so creative! This idea also led us into some new project ideas!

Makers Space

This week in the Maker’s Space, the Pre K class got to work! In previous sessions in the maker’s space, the kids planned out and sketched what they wanted to make, as related to their interests. The ideas ranged far and wide from princesses, to dinosaurs, and everything in between. First, they sketched their ideas out. Then, they partnered up with a classmate who has a similar idea to them. After that, they started to bring their ideas to life using the recycled materials available, as well as tape and glue and such. In their maker’s space session this week, the kids finalized their projects by painting to give the details that they want. We are so impressed with their creations!

Maths

In math this week, we are moving on for now from addition and focusing on a fun new topic- patterns! To refamiliarize the class on patterns, which we had touched on briefly before, we had the kids explore making different types of color patterns (like ABABAB, AABBAABBAABB, ABCABCABCABC, and so on) with our multicolored classroom materials. From wood blocks to plastic flowers, the kids made amazing patterns in so many ways! They already have a great understanding of color patterns, and we are excited to see how this area of interest develops in the coming weeks.

Gymnastics

It was an energetic and action packed session in gymnastics this week! First, we had the kids do a short flexibility warm up, doing various stretches like arm raises, toe touches, and others to get the body ready for action! Then, the first activity was a test of their strength, and they all did amazing! The task was that they are going to lay down first, not too far from 4 small plastic balls. Then, the teacher is going to cue them to go from laying up to a plank position. When they go up into the plank, the teacher rolls one of the balls under them, and keeps repeating this process until all 4 balls have been rolled to the other side. We have one volunteer to be our designated ball collecting helper, until it is their turn at which time another kid will take that spot. They loved this activity and I look forward to seeing them get a chance at it again! The next thing they did was an exercise to help them with their cartwheels. There were two identical set ups spaced out from each other with a hula hoop in the middle, and 4 dots around the hula hoop. The activity consists of the kids putting their hands in the hula hoop and jumping with both feet around the hula hoop, trying to land as close to the dots, if not on the dots, as possible. Once again, this activity was such a hit and Pre K did a wonderful job, giving their all to it!

Art

This week in art, the kids got a chance to finish something, and start something new! Last week, they worked on painting a canvas with their beginning sound letters. Before we compiled all the letters together, they drew their letter on an individual paper and decorated it in the way that they liked. This week, they finished up that canvas, adding some other fun letters like the beginning sounds of family members, the beginning sounds of their favorite color, and so on. As for their new project, we saw that they were very interested in the recycled CD/DVDs in the Maker’s Space. In order to cultivate that interest, the kids brought it over to art!