Week 30: Kindergarten Highlights!

Dear Family, I hope you all had an amazing week like we did. Our week was filled with fun, as we celebrated Family Day with you all, and the opening of the new compound has added a little extra excitement to our learning and exploration journey. This week, similarly to the previous week, we did a lot of learning and exploring. Let's take you through our week…

Large Group

Our large group time is always a lively and interactive experience. After checking the date on our calendar, we dive into the day's activities with energy and enthusiasm. Sprinkled throughout, we have fun song breaks to keep the mood upbeat. From literacy to science and math, we explore the week's topics together - whether it's the states of matter, math symbols, or pronouns. The large group setting allows us to preview the lessons ahead and get hands-on practice, setting us up for success in the day's learning journey.

“If you peel the tape the water is going to spill” -Adelene

“0 * 0 is 0 and any number times 0 is 0” -Lucas

“Eliyab is saying liquid” -Junior

Literacy

This week, we ventured into the fascinating realm of pronouns! After diving into nouns last term, it was time to expand our understanding with words like "she," "he," "it," and "they." We kicked off our discussions by engaging in a fun conversation: “What’s your pronoun?” This not only sparked interest but also helped us connect with the materials and animals around us, referring to them as “it.” In our first literacy session, we focused on discussion and then embarked on a sight word hunt through a book, aiming to spot those elusive pronouns. It was a lively and interactive way to reinforce learning! In the second session, we tackled a worksheet filled with pictures, where students identified pronouns and circled the correct ones. By the end of the week, everyone had a greater awareness of pronouns and their usage in everyday language.

“If the doll is Barbie or any girl it’s ‘it’ not she because it’s a doll” -Leayene

“When all of us together we are not he or she we are we” -Junior

“Joshua and my dad are ‘he’ and me and my mom are ‘she’” -Adelene

“When they are a lot of he and she we say ‘they’ yeah?” -Lucas

Math

This week in math, we dove into the exciting world of math symbols! After learning about these symbols in theory for the last couple of weeks, we put them into action during our large group sessions, practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even comparing numbers. To make it even more interesting, we chose the number "0" as our focal point and explored its unique properties in various mathematical operations. Our children were fascinated by how this seemingly simple number can change the outcome of calculations! In our next class, we took our learning a step further. We matched math symbols with their corresponding words on a worksheet, reinforcing our understanding of how these symbols interact with letters and numbers. It was a fantastic way to blend language and math!

“This is minus and this is plus yay I know them” -Abigail

“Why the minus not straight?” -Tang Tang

“Addition is plus” -Yeabsera

Science

This week, we embarked on an exciting journey into the states of matter! We kicked things off by singing a catchy song about solids, liquids, and gases, which set the stage for our discussions in large group sessions. Next, we went on a "matter hunt" outside, where our children eagerly explored their surroundings. They discovered a variety of items, classifying them as solids, liquids, or gases. From tree branches and flowing water to soap, backpacks, toys, and even the air blowing through their hair, they enthusiastically identified everything they encountered and placed it in the correct category. In our second science session, we continued our exploration with a fun worksheet. Each page featured a different state of matter, where our children had to identify pictures and circle the correct examples. It was a fantastic way to reinforce their understanding of the different states and keep their minds engaged!

“Breathe breathe” -Eliyab

“I found many solid things now let me find liquids” -Hekima

“You can feel the air if you shake your head” -Leayene

“Adelene’s sky toy is a solid” -Abigail

“You jacket is a solid, Phi” -Tang Tang

Art

This week in art, we launched into our 6th canvas project, and our children chose an exciting theme: a football field! Our first task was to paint the background, and everyone eagerly contributed to creating a vibrant scene. We selected blue for the sky and green for the field, capturing the essence of a beautiful game day. Our children took turns painting, working together to make sure every inch of the canvas was filled with color. Once we completed the background, we carefully set the canvas out to dry, anticipating building for what’s next. Next week, we’ll dive into sketching and painting the football itself, adding the finishing touch to our masterpiece.

“I want to draw a football” -Lucas

“Let’s paint the sky blue” -Yeabsera

“Football” -Eliyab

Ethiopian Center

This week, we had a fun and exciting session at the Ethiopian Center! We gathered with our children to discuss traditional Ethiopian snacks, and when Yeabsera mentioned "chechebesa with honey," a few of them lit up with excitement—they knew exactly what it was! We brainstormed what ingredients we would need to make chechebesa and planned for the next day's activity. The anticipation was palpable! The following day, in our ET center room, our wonderful Ethiopian Center teacher, Betselot, guided our children as they prepared and baked kita—a traditional Ethiopian pancake that’s larger in size. Our children loved working together to tear it into smaller pieces, which they placed in a bowl. They then added oil and berbere (a flavorful Ethiopian spice) and mixed everything together. Once it was ready, the delicious aroma filled the room, and it turned into a truly yummy experience! Our children couldn’t get enough—they were happily eating and sharing bites with each other, practicing the tradition of “gursha”. It was a delightful day filled with laughter, teamwork, and tasty treats!

“Next time we’re going to eat it with honey” -Yeabsera

“My mom doesn’t know how to make this” -Tang Tang

“Let’s give each other bite yeah?” -Lucas

“It’s called gursha” -Leayene

“You see Arsema, I’m strong it’s not spicy for me” -Hekima

“I love love love love love it” -Adelene

“Let’s make more” -Junior

Weekly schedule:  

Monday – Math, Literacy

Tuesday – Literacy, Science, gym

Wednesday - Library, Math

Thursday - Science

Friday - Cooperative game

Specials:

Monday- Art

Tuesday - Gym

Thursday - Ethiopian center/ clay

Friday - Football

Reminders and notes:

• Make sure that our children are wearing suitable clothes on Monday as we have art class and activities get messy sometimes.

• Every Wednesday and Thursday is library day. Our children will be bringing home a book of their choice in their library folder, so please make sure to read the book with them over the weekend. Return the folder the following Wednesday so they can get a new one.


• Every Tuesday, we have gymnastics, so please ensure that our children come dressed in comfortable and loose-fitting sports attire to facilitate their exercise.

• Every Friday, we have football, so please make sure our children wear their football jerseys if they have them, or any comfortable shorts.

Stay tuned for more exciting discoveries as we continue our kindergarten adventures!