Growing, Playing And Learning In Pre-K!

Dear parents,

We hope this blog finds you well! Here in the Pre K class, the students have been exploring, learning, and playing together and having a blast.

In preparation for this week's Demera celebration, the Pre-K class often took time during our large group sessions to practice the Ethiopian cultural song 'Abebayosh' for their performance for the parents. In addition to our student's rigorous practice, we also spent some time in our large group sessions on the calendar, caterpillars, letters, and discussed our morning messages.

Overall, this week was filled with lots of busy and fun activities. Let’s take you through some of the highlights…

Science

This week in science, the Pre-K class participated in a fun ice melting experiment! First, we discussed in class how ice forms, what makes it melt, and what happens after it melts. Then we went outside, where we approached the ice melting in a unique  way. This time, the Pre-K students experimented with salt. We provided them with ice and salt. They first felt the ice by holding it, then placed it back on the table and covered it with salt. Soon, they noticed the ice starting to melt.

After that, we also tested the ice by placing it in a little bit of hot water. With the help of the teachers, the student put the ice into the hot water, and it melted very quickly. We also placed one piece of ice in the sun and another in the shade, allowing them to observe that the ice in the sun melted much faster.

In the second session, we gave them ice with small animals inside. They tried to break the ice with hammers to retrieve the animals. While doing this activity, they recalled the previous lessons about ice melting. They had an absolute blast and were super excited!

Literacy

This week in literacy, the Pre-K class matched beginning sounds with pictures. The pictures were ones they have been learning about for the past few weeks. This time, by looking at the letters, they cut out the pictures with scissors and glued them onto the beginning sounds of the letters. This activity really helped them develop their fine motor skills while also recognizing the sounds of the letters.

Math

In math, our class did a shape hunt. First, we named the shapes by showing them to the students. Then, we hid the shapes in different places inside the classroom, and they started looking for them. After they found the shapes, they named each one. They were so excited when they discovered the shapes in their hiding places that they asked if they could play the shape hunt again!

In the next session, they created shapes using Q-tips. We provided them with glue, Q-tips, and paper so they could make different shapes by sticking them to the paper with glue. This activity helped them recognize shapes and encouraged their creativity to make something unique.

Library

One of our favorite activities in the Pre-K class is going to the library to read different books. Our students love books a lot, and we always appreciate their enthusiasm. This week, we also visited the library and read various books, both individually and together. After that, we read them a book called “The Hide-and-Scare BEAR”, which was a very engaging and lovely story. All the students were excited about the story and enjoyed it immensely. After we finished reading, the children chose a book to take home with their folders to return by the next week. Taking a book excited them and helped them become responsible for their own reading materials while developing a reading habit. We also appreciate the parents for reminding their children to return the books on the same day they took them.

Journal

Journal time in the Pre-K class is a very beloved session! Our students take a moment for themselves to think quietly and calm down. During this journal time, we play calming classical music, and they can either sit or lie down on the mat. They then draw whatever comes to their minds to express their feelings in a creative way. This journal is their own; if they want to share with the class, they can, but we won't force them if they prefer not to. This is a great way for them to cultivate self expression, drawing and writing skills, and is also a way for us to get to know what interests and inspires our students.

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Small group

Monday: - Science, Literacy

Tuesday:- Library, Math

Wednesday:- Science, Literacy

Thursday: - Math, Journal

Friday:- Music

Thursday: - Literacy

Our Special

Monday: - Ethiopian center

Tuesday:- Library

Friday:- 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 Friday is our art day so please send your child with art-appropriate clothing.

Thank you for your time!