Week 34: Curious Kinders on the Move!

Hello Family, Happy Friday!

How was your week? If you ask us, we would say… spontaneous! This week, we took much of our learning outdoors, turning our lessons into fun, active experiences. Not to give everything away, let’s take you through each session and relive the week together…

Large Group

Our usual large group routines went well this week, starting with sharing about our weekends and connecting with one another. Throughout the week, we explored short and long vowels in an imaginative way. Using our large group board, we practiced reading words together and learned to tell the difference between short and long vowel sounds. We described short vowels as “shy and quick,” while long vowels were “confident and say their name”. This playful approach helped our children easily understand the concept. We placed different words on the board, and our children took turns coming up to read one word with a short vowel and one with a long vowel. They especially enjoyed the storytelling part; where the “little shy vowels” and the “big confident vowels” came to life. It brought lots of laughter and made learning even more memorable!

“With Betselot I play basketball and I play trampoline and I eat pizza and cake. I’m playing my toys and I read a book with my mommy and I call her my mommy” -Yemariam

“I played football I go to meda football (football field) and when I ask them for 17 jersey they said there’s no so I get number 15” -Ismael

“I go to a party inside the embassy and I got tattoo with my mom and dad and Alex and it was night time. I eat chocolate, ice cream and I also eat another ice cream and I rode a horse” -Samuel

“Yesterday my cousin came and we broke the water gun Leul gave me. And after they go home I watched TV for a long time and then the hair salon girl came and did my hair and she also let me watch more TV cause it was hurting me” -Liyat

“Last time, I was going for Lubono’s birthday again and Lubono is my age now he turned 5 and then We played catching game with two other people. And we caught them turn by turn so it was catching and fighting and it was night time and I go home.” -Kian

“I woke up and after that I watched TV and ate pizza. Sunday morning I woke up and had more pizza and after that I went to a party in some else’s house and it was the most fun party ever and when it was night time I went back home and slept” -Solomon

“On Saturday I watched TV (hot wheels) and in the afternoon I wanted to call my dad to ask him to give me a cake delivery. On Sunday it was my real birthday but I didn’t celebrate it but my daddy took me to a clay and canvas place and I ate pizza, burger, and two ice creams and I met some kids and I teach them how to make a car” -Leul

“There was my mom’s party and there was so much candy. First I get a new hair cut and the party started and we had fun and after that it was night time and everybody left and there was only few people and me and my family fixed the mess cause it was so messy. In the morning I went to my friend’s house and I had a play date and ate hot pizza.” -Yadon

“With Yemariam we play football and then mommy said eat cake” -Betselot

Literacy

This week, our literacy focus was on special adjectives called articles; “a” and “an.” We began by reviewing the alphabet together and identifying the vowels. Then, we introduced a fun and simple rule: “an” likes to go with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), while “a” goes with the other letters (consonants). To make it even easier to understand, we explained it like this:

“‘An’ is smooth and gentle, so it likes words that start with vowel sounds, like an apple or an elephant. ‘A’ is strong and quick, so it goes with words like a ball or a cat.” Our Kinders loved trying it out and saying examples aloud! After practicing together on the board, they worked on different worksheets based on their levels to strengthen their understanding in a fun way.

“An elephant” -Samuel

“If you hear an ‘O’ or ‘i’ sound it always starts with an like an ink” -Leul

“An invisible transformer” -Solomon

“An apron” -Kian

“A tiger” -Yemariam

“A unicorn princess” -Liyat

“An Antartica :) “ -Yadon

“A football” -Ismael

Math

“What comes after 100?” was the big and exciting question our kinders explored this week! We began by sitting together on the mat and counting all the way to 100 to refresh our number knowledge. Using the board, we then practiced filling in missing numbers by placing number cards in the correct spots. In our next session, we made learning more active and fun by dividing the class into two groups. One group worked on a worksheet while the other went outside to write numbers on the ground using chalk. Their friends then joined in to write the next number in the sequence. Once both groups finished, they switched places and repeated the activity. This approach helped our children understand what number comes next with confidence. We’re excited to build on this next week as we begin exploring what comes ‘before’ a number and practice solving missing number problems with ease!

“I have a tricky one, what comes after 109?” -Solomon

“This is too easy for me like my hot wheels birthday cake” -Leul

“50 comes after 49” -Kian

“After 100 it’s 101” -Yadon

“39, 40, 41, and to 50” -Ismael

“I can write with chalk and pencil” -Samuel

“After 79 it’s 80” -Yemariam

“It’s like counting numbers” -Liyat

Science

Have you ever wondered what earthworms really look like? This week, we didn’t just wonder; we explored and learned all about them! We discovered some amazing facts about earthworms. Did you know they have five hearts? They don’t have eyes, but they can still sense light and dark. Earthworms breathe through their skin, which is why they need to stay moist. They eat soil and tiny bits of plants, helping break them down. This makes them very important because they help keep the soil healthy for plants to grow! After learning together, we took our curiosity outside for a real life experience. We went on an earthworm hunt in the garden, and we were lucky to find two big worms and one small one! This gave our children the chance to observe them closely and connect what they learned in class to the real world. It was an exciting and memorable way to learn; our little scientists were amazed!

“If I don’t have eye I can’t see. I don’t think I will sense light like them” -Liyat

“If we don’t have back bones we would also be slimy creatures like them” -Solomon

“They make tunnels so water and sun goes into the soil and our plants will grow” -Kian

“They have one thousand hearts because they have 5 hearts” -Yadon

“They breathe with their skin” -Samuel

“They don’t like sunlight so if we keep them a lot in the day light they might die” -Lubono

Art

Building on our previous silhouette art explorations, our Kinders took their creativity to the next level this week by creating their very own dinosaur silhouette art on canvas. Using the skills they practiced before; cutting, placing, and painting around shapes; they carefully brought their ideas to life on a real canvas. It was exciting to see how confidently they applied what they had learned from their earlier silhouette activities. The results were bold, colorful, and full of personality! Our children were proud to see their artwork come together, turning their practice into beautiful final pieces.

“I want to paint green down down like grass” -Samuel

“But me and Samuel wants our spikes back” -Solomon

“No spike! We’re making a T-Rex with no spikes” -Lubono

“But T-Rexes have spikes like tiny spikes” -Kian

“I want to paint it a lot of yellow and little red so it don’t become orange” -Yadon

Gymnastics

This week’s gymnastics session was extra special; calming and full of fun! We began by heading outside to prepare our very own post sport smoothie. Visiting the infants and toddlers’ side of the compound, our kinders took part in every step; from washing the fruits, peeling and chopping them, to placing everything into the blender and adding ingredients like milk and a little sugar. While waiting for our smoothie, we moved onto a relaxing yoga session on the grass. With their individual mats, our children started with gentle breathing exercises, followed by simple stretches and easy movements. It was a peaceful and refreshing moment for everyone. Afterward, we returned to watch our smoothie being blended, and the best part; everyone got to enjoy the delicious drink they helped make! It was a joyful experience that combined movement, teamwork, and a healthy treat.

“This is not even a smoothie. This is the second God! It’s so yummy” -Solomon

“The best smoothie ever like ever ever ever” -Yadon

“We should make this again and again and again everyday” -Leul

“It tastes like the one time my aunty made me at home but a little different” -Kian

“I know how to do Yoga cause I have a ballet class with Nai” -Liyat

“Best juice yummy juice” -Yemariam

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.

• Every Friday, we have football, so please make sure our children wear their football jerseys if they have them, or any comfortable shorts.

It was a week full of fun, learning, and happy moments; see you next week!