Our Joyful Week of Learning in Preschool

Elsabet and Ekram
Sep 19, 2025
3 min read

Dear Parents,

We have had a wonderful week in our Preschool class! The students were busy, happy, and full of excitement as they learned and explored through different activities. It is always a joy to see their curiosity grow and their confidence shine each day. Here are some of the highlights from our week…

Large Group

Large group time was a delight this week as usual! This session is an opportunity for us to see the social interplay between the children in the class, to get to know each other and bond, and to prepare and orient ourselves for the school day. One key component of a large group session is circle time. Every morning in circle time, we start by greeting each other with a cheerful “good morning”. Then, we talk about how the children are feeling and what they had for breakfast. We also practice the days of the week, talk about the weather, sing, and take attendance. The students are always eager to participate and showcase their independence, sticking their own pictures up on the attendance board and going through the days of the week and weather. This routine helps the children feel involved in the daily routine, confident, and ready to learn.

Science

This week, the class had a blast with a hands-on adventure- making playdough! First, we talked about what ingredients we might need. Some children said flour, oil, water, and food coloring. Then we went outside and started mixing flour and water with our hands. We added oil and food coloring, and the children were so excited to see the colors appear! It was a messy but fun activity, and many children were proud of their playdough and wanted to take it home. This activity helped them learn teamwork, creativity, and exposed them to the process of engaging with sensory input and discussing their observations. We can’t wait for our next science experiment!

Math

In this week’s math session, we focused on a very important shape that is seen throughout the world- circles. We brought circle-shaped items like bowls, plates, and cups. The children named each item and then played a game where we hid them. They searched, found the items, and sorted them correctly. The game was both lively and helpful in guiding the students to practice recognizing shapes, sorting, and using their memory.

Ethiopian Center

At the Ethiopian Center this week, the children enjoyed exploring the various cultural materials and resources available. Some wore traditional clothes, while others pretended to make shiro and coffee. Everyone had fun helping each other and talking together. It was a beautiful time of learning about culture through play.

Art

In art, we explored shapes through stamping. First, we talked about different shapes like hearts, circles, triangles, stars, and rectangles. Then, the children used stamps, paint, and paper to make colorful designs. They enjoyed creating their own patterns, and this activity helped with shape recognition, creativity, and fine motor skills.

Literacy

In our recent literacy session, we embarked upon an exciting adventure, exploring the world of Zoo-phonics letters from A to H. The Zoo Phonics are a set of animal characters, each associated to the sound that a letter makes- for example, Gordo the Gorilla is "G". This engaging method helped our students not only learn letter sounds but also connect them with playful motions, making the learning experience both memorable and fun.

Throughout the session, the children eagerly participated in activities that reinforced their understanding of phonetics. We introduced each letter with its corresponding animal sound and action, which allowed the students to engage both physically and mentally. One of the highlights was helping students identify the beginning sounds of their own names. This personal connection made the learning process even more meaningful. The joy on their faces when they recognized the sound that starts their name was truly rewarding.

After exploring each letter, we asked the students, “Who is this? What sound does it make?” They all joined in enthusiastically and had a wonderful time. It was a lively and effective way to build early literacy skills while keeping the learning joyful!