Our Busy week in Early Preschool!

Dear Parents,

We have had a wonderful week filled with fun and engaging activities that supported the children’s learning and social growth. It was great to see them share ideas, work together, and build friendships. We look forward to another exciting week ahead! Read on to see what we were up to…

Large Group

Our large group sessions have continued to be amazing! We furthered our explorations of the color red with lots of excitement. We began by singing a cheerful good morning song, followed by a lively red color song that helped the children stay engaged and connect to our theme. After that, we read the book “You Are a Big Sister”, which the children listened to with interest and curiosity.

To make the learning more interactive, we asked the children to come up to the whiteboard and stick pictures of red items. They were so excited to find and match objects that are red, which encouraged their observation and thinking skills. Finally, we took attendance together, giving the children the chance to recognize their own names and their friends’ names.

Literacy: Journal

For this week’s journal activity, first we gave the children a paper and crayons and encouraged them to draw or write whatever they wanted. Afterwards, they shared their work with us by telling what they had drawn. It was wonderful to see how confidently they expressed themselves. For example, Mariam made the sound of a cat to represent her drawing of a cat, while Andreas explained that he had drawn a flower. Other children also came up with different creative ideas and were very proud to talk about them.

This journal activity is very important because it helps children connect their thoughts, drawings, and words together, which is the foundation of early literacy. It also gives them a chance to practice communication, build new vocabulary, and use their imagination freely. By sharing their work with others, they gain confidence, learn to listen, and develop important social skills. Journaling allows children to express their feelings and ideas in a joyful way while also preparing them for future reading and writing.

Gymnastics

Our gymnastics session was full of energy, excitement, and learning! We continued practicing the important skills of walking and jumping, which are key parts of developing balance and coordination. To begin, we set up a balance beam and encouraged the children to walk carefully across it. Some children started slowly, focusing on each step, while others showed growing confidence by walking more smoothly. This activity not only strengthened their gross motor skills but also supported their concentration, patience, and self-control as they waited for their turn and encouraged their friends.

Next, we introduced hula-hoops for a fun jumping activity. The children were invited to jump in and out of the hoops, which helped them practice leg strength, coordination, and body awareness. They were very enthusiastic, laughing and cheering as they challenged themselves to jump further or land inside the hoops.

Through both activities, the children practiced spatial awareness by understanding where their bodies were in relation to the equipment and to their friends. They also had the opportunity to build social skills, such as turn taking, sharing space, and supporting one another with claps and words of encouragement. Overall, the session not only helped them grow physically stronger but also nurtured their confidence and teamwork.

Art

For our art activity, we explored painting with the color red. We used our art exploration room and connected the activity to our “Red Color Week”. First, we helped the children put on their art smocks and showed them the red paint, asking, “What color is this?” The children were excited to answer and recognize the color. After that, we let them freely paint on their papers, experimenting with strokes and shapes. To make it even more engaging, we played the “Red Color” song, which they happily sang along to while painting.

This activity was a wonderful way for the children to strengthen their fine motor skills as they used brushes and hands to paint. It also supported their color recognition and vocabulary development by repeating and practicing the word “red” in different ways. Beyond that, it encouraged creativity, self-expression, and joy in exploring art materials. The children were very proud of their work and enjoyed the process of painting while making connections to our weekly theme.

Science

For our science activity, we continued exploring the color red. First, we prepared art smocks and helped the children put them on—Andreas even helped his friend Leul. Afterwards, we gave them water in a basin and added food coloring. The children were very curious and excited, guessing what color it might be—some said green, blue, or pink. When we mixed the food color into the water, their excitement grew even more. Some students identified it as red, while others guessed pink, which led to a fun discussion.

To extend the learning, we played the song “Meet the Color Red”, and the children eagerly sang along while continuing to mix and explore the water. They were very engaged, using both their observation skills and vocabulary to describe what they saw. At one point, Andreas noticed a quote on the wall and asked, “Is this red?”—even though it was actually pink. This showed how focused he was on recognizing and connecting colors to his environment.

This activity was not only fun but also important for developing early science skills. It encouraged children to observe, predict, test, and compare outcomes, while also strengthening their understanding of colors in a playful and meaningful way.

Music

As usual, this week's music session was full of life! We started with familiar songs such as “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “The Wheels on the Bus”. Since it was the Ethiopian New Year's Eve, we celebrated with joyful dances to traditional holiday songs. The children had so much fun, and the excitement of the celebration made the session even more special.

Next Week’s Schedule:

     Small Group

Monday Gymnastics

Tuesday Literacy

Wednesday Music

Thursday Math

Friday Science

     Work Time

Tuesday -Art

Thursday -Library

Friday- Ethiopian Center once in two week

Reminders:

• Every Wednesday is art day, so please send your child with art appropriate clothing.

• Every Monday is 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.

Have a nice weekend!