Water Park Wonderland: Celebrating the 35th Week of Kindergarten!

Dear Family, What a wild and wonderful week we've had here in Kindergarten! Can you believe we're already in the 35th week of our adventure? Time is flying, but the fun just keeps on coming. Read on to hear all about our water-filled escapades and the other exciting learning we packed into this jam-packed week.……..

Large Group

This week in our large group sessions, we revisited the four seasons, this time with a bit more detail. We began by naming the four different seasons and discussing their unique characteristics, including the types of weather they bring. Next, we classified the twelve months based on the seasons they belong to. We drew a large circle on the board, labeling each season at the top and listing the three corresponding months underneath in lines. Even though we (the teachers) wrote the months during the first two large group sessions, our children helped create the circle chart on the board for the rest of the week. They worked together to write the months of the year inside the lines, learning how to spell each one correctly. Afterward, our children had the opportunity to draw what happens in each season, paying amazing attention to detail. We were pleasantly surprised by how much they remembered about each of the seasons!

“I am a spring girl but my mom is a fall girl” -Leayene

“Lucas and I are winters, yay” -Adelene

“Spring starts in March and on May it ends” -Lucas

“”So we should start with March when we say the months not January” -Umar

“Yeah like March, April, May, June, July……….” -Abigel

Literacy

This week, we dove into the world of articles, focusing on "a" and "an." In our first session, we discussed how to use these articles, explaining that "an" is used before words that begin with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) and "a" is used before consonants. We had fun saying a word and having our children sort the articles together, calling out "a" or "an" at the same time. To make it practical, they received a worksheet where they read sentences and identified which articles corresponded to each question. In our second session, we made it even more engaging! We gave our children white paper and pencils and took turns saying words. They wrote down the words along with the appropriate article. It was so much fun to see them trying to find a vowel word so they could use "an”.

“So we say an Adelene and an Abigel yeah?” -Junior

“Noooo not for people names Jr. animal names only” -Adelene

“Are you kidding me? We don’t have more words with an no more” -Lucas

“Octopus” -Tang Tang

“Also ostrich” -Yeabsera

“Also Umar (giggles) no I’m kidding don’t write my name” -Umar

Math

This week, we continued our focus on multiplying by 2, and our children are really mastering it while enjoying the calculations. To reinforce their skills, we used both the board and worksheets to practice even more. They are becoming quite confident in their abilities! They’ve learned a helpful trick: when multiplying any number by 2, it’s simply the same as doubling that number. This means they can think of it as addition instead, which makes it much easier for them. For example, if they need to calculate 4 times 2, they can quickly add 4 + 4 to arrive at 8. To make our sessions more interactive, we incorporated games and group activities. During one activity, our children worked in pairs to create their own multiplication problems and challenged each other to solve them.

“What’s 2x2 Lucas? Faster” -Junior

“It’s 4 and that’s so easy” -Leayene

“I know 4x4 is 8” -Umar

“No don’t say the answer you can only ask” -Adelene

“2x9 is 9+9” -Abigel

“6x2 is also 6+6” -Tang Tang

Art

This week, we started our 8th art project! After a lot of planning, discussions, and practice, we finally decided how to implement our seasonal canvas. This project is unique and loved by our children as the canvas is round and different from the others. First, we divided the round canvas into four sections, one for each season, and began working on the edges. Our children chose colors to represent each season: a rainbow for spring, green for summer, a mix of red, orange, and yellow for autumn, and a white base for winter. We let the canvas dry and will continue working on it in our next art class on Monday. We're excited to take our time creating this beautiful masterpiece!

“The trees are so green in summer” -Yeabsera

“Winter has to be white because it’s icy and snowy” -Adelene

“Let’s draw rainbow for spring” -Abigel

“Let’s also draw a giant sun for summer” -Lucas

“And kids having fun also in summer” -Leayene

“After a month it’s going to be summer and we’re going to Dubai” -Umar

Cooperative Game: LE Cheer spirit posters

As our football match with the ICS team approaches, we wanted to create a cheer board for our school during our cooperative game session. We used a white fabric and wrote "Good Luck" on it in block capital letters so that our children could paint inside the letters. Next, we invited all the kindergartners and preschoolers to write their names with Sharpies in the white spaces and draw footballs and decorations to get everyone into the football spirit. This activity made them so excited and happy as they wished themselves good luck while writing their names.

We can’t wait for the match, and we appreciate your support!

“We’re champions already” -Junior

“Are the girls gonna hold this in ICS?” -Umar

“Let’s stand here so the infants and toddlers won’t touch the paint” -Leayene

“Yeah let’s all cover our cheer board” -Adelene

“Look Eliyab also wrote his name” -Abigel

“I’m going to be a goal keeper that day okay because I’m the best” -Lucas

“My name is bigger” -Tang Tang

Water Fun Activities

This week, we had an incredible water-themed party that turned our school into a mini water park! Our children had an absolute blast as we set up various fun activities. We started the day by making refreshing lemonade together, which got everyone excited. Right after that, we moved to our unique version of Duck Duck Goose. This time, the "ducks" had to balance a cup full of water. If they were chosen, they got splashed with water, adding an extra layer of fun to the game!

Next, we transformed our school slide into a water slide! With the help of water pipes, we poured water from the top of the slide, allowing our children to slide down onto the grass. We also had two pools set up in the sand area - one filled with water and small beach balls, and another play pool. Our children enjoyed tossing the balls around and splashing in the pools. To add to the fun, we organized a sandbox activity where they could dig and build in the sand, creating their own little beach paradise. After all the excitement, our children enjoyed a well-deserved nap, followed by the lemonade they had made, along with refreshing watermelon and cookies. It was an amazing day filled with smiles and unforgettable memories!

“Look me and Lucas have the same swim suit” -Junior

“I’m cold I want to sit in the sun” -Tang Tang

“This is my swim ring and this is Abigel’s it’s not for school” -Lucas

“My water gun is the biggest and the strongest” -Hekima

“Mommy water” -Eliyab

“I want to relax here forever don’t call me” -Umar

“I want to be in the sand and make a castle” -Adelene

“The slide looks like a real slide like the water park one” -Abigel

“I wish we can always do this. Best day ever” -Leayene

Next week’s 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.

Here's to more fun and creativity as we continue to make unforgettable memories together!