Week 16: A Bright and Busy Kindergarten Week!

Dear Family,

We had such a fun and exciting week in Kindergarten! From learning about the sun, to creating ice art and exploring new books, our children were busy, curious, and full of energy. Read on to enjoy all the details of our week…

Large Group

Our usual large group routine went beautifully; we are at day 71 of school already! We’re getting closer to our 100 Days of School Celebration, and the excitement shows every time we update our caterpillar. On Monday, our children shared about their weekends (with all the dramatic storytelling only kinders can bring). Each day of the week, they helped set the date, counted together, and added the next number to our growing class caterpillar.

Our weekly book was “The Show and Tell Frog,” which couldn’t have been more perfect since our learners will have their own show and tell this coming Tuesday for Literacy. The story sparked so much curiosity, and they already started planning what special item they want to bring. Outside of our usual routine, our weekly lesson focused on the solar system. Because our school is building a Space Center, we introduced the planets and zoomed in on learning about the sun; its warmth, its light, and why it’s so important. Our children participated eagerly, sharing what they knew, asking curious questions, and showing so much excitement as they began connecting this new knowledge to the space themed projects around our school.


“I had a bad weekend”- Liyat

“I got a new bike”- Samuel

“I go to tiny town; I saw police station, hospital,ice cream truck, even it has supermarket and cafe, a house, a salon, farm, it has exercising place and it even has a plane” -Leul

“Leul, Is there someone in jail if there is a police station there?” -Liyat

“Solar means sun” -Leul

“The sun is hot very hot” -Ismael

“And then, Venus after Mercury” -Yemariam

“I will bring my big dinosaur for show and tell” -Samuel

“Sammy snake” -Nai

Literacy

Literacy this week was hands on and filled with proud moments. For our first session, our children chose “I Can Read” CVC books and settled either on the class mat or by the reading area to dive into their stories. They practiced sounding out each letter, blending the sounds together, and reading short words all on their own. The room was full of little voices whisper reading and big smiles each time they figured out a new word. In the next session, they used their very own handmade literacy books; books they folded, stapled, and decorated themselves in past weeks, to write words and short sentences from the stories they read earlier. This gave them a sense of ownership and responsibility, turning them into real authors as they proudly copied words, built sentences, and expressed their learning in the books they created.



“I read this too when I finish this?” -Ismael

“This says Little Einsteins kindergarten” -Leul

“I want to finish all the words in one page” -Liyat

“You like mine?” -Samuel

“This is Yemariam’s book” -Yemariam

“Betselot book, look!” -Betselot


Math

This week in math, our children explored addition in a hands on, playful, and confidence boosting way. For our first session, we introduced the plus symbol during large group and talked about how it helps us “put numbers together to make a bigger number.” Once they understood the idea, the fun truly began! Our children picked number cards, placed the + sign in the middle, and then used popsicle sticks, small counters, blocks, or other classroom material they preferred to build each number on both sides. After setting up their little math models, they joyfully counted everything all together to find the total. In the second session, each child received a worksheet suited to their level, and they applied the same strategies independently. They recognized the numbers, imagined the objects they would add, and completed their sheets with so much confidence.



“I finish this so let me go there with Leul?” -Ismael

“ 4+4 is 8, I know that with my mom. When my mom teach me” -Leul

“I count all and it’s 7” -Samuel

“This is right?” -Betselot

“If I draw sticks for 8 the paper will be finished” -Liyat

“Book” -Nai

Science

This week’s science was all about discovering the three states of matter in the most hands on way! In our first session, we sat together and talked about solids, liquids, and gases; what they are, how they feel, and where we find them in our everyday lives. Our children shared ideas, acted things out, and got so excited guessing which items belong to which state. For the second session, we took that excitement outside for a Matter Hunt! The moment we stepped out, our children spread out like tiny scientists on a mission. They quickly spotted solids everywhere; stones, toys, blocks, and even the playground equipment. For liquids, they proudly showed us the water in their bottles, water flowing from the tap, sanitizers, soaps, and paint. One of them even squeezed a wipe and showed it has liquid inside which made everyone cheer. Then came the trickiest one; gas, but they nailed it too! They blew air from their mouths and felt the wind, and they even watched water vapor steam up from the kitchen teapot to show how gases can be seen in action.


“Look, the board and the calendar and the markers everything we see in class is solid but inside our bottle there’s liquid” -Liyat

“The sanitizer outside even the wipes is liquid, see it holds water” -Leul

“This stone is solid even the shovels” -Samuel

“Phi, see solid solid solid” -Yemariam (pointing at the paint, glue, and sanitizer in the art room)

“Solid” -Betselot (pointing at scissors)

“Gas look my gas” -Ismael (blowing out air)

Art

This week’s art session was a cool one; literally! Our children enjoyed ice painting in the infants and toddlers compound, and it was the perfect creative follow up to our science exploration of the states of matter. They were thrilled to see how frozen liquid (solid ice) could melt and glide across the paper to make beautiful colors and patterns. Each child chose their favorite colored ice cubes, grabbed the popsicle sticks attached to them, and got right to work. They experimented with pressure, speed, and angles, discovering how the ice changed from solid to liquid as they painted. It was messy, colorful, sensory, and wonderfully scientific art and science coming together in the most fun way!

Cooperative Game:

We headed outside by the infants and toddlers area for a colorful hands on activity; dying our elbow macaroni for next Monday’s art session! Our children worked in pairs, first exploring the texture of the macaroni with their hands, then choosing their favorite colors to mix and create their own vibrant pasta pieces. They absolutely enjoyed watching the colors spread. The excitement grew even more knowing these dyed macaroni pieces will become their very own handmade necklaces next week!

“I want green” -Yemariam

“Look at my hand, it’s blue” -Ismael

“Can we cook this and eat it?” -Liyat

“Food colors are okay for food, we’re not going to be sick if we accidentally taste it” -Leul

“Yellow” -Nai

“My hand won’t be clean until Monday” -Samuel

“Red” -Betselot (showing off her hands)

Next week’s schedule:

Monday – Math, Literacy

Tuesday – Literacy, Science

Wednesday -Library, Math

Thursday - Science, Music

Friday - Library

Specials:

Monday- Art

Tuesday - Gym

Thursday - Ethiopian center/ clay


Reminders and notes:

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

• Every Wednesday and Friday 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. Please 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.

Stay tuned for more of our little explorers’ adventures next week!