Week 39: Joyful Learning Through Play in Kindergarten!

Dear Family,

How have you all been? As we approach the end of the school year, we’ve been having a blast exploring, experimenting, learning, and recalling. With nearly 40 weeks behind us, let’s dive into the details of our exciting activities!

Large Group

This week, we continued our exploration of three-digit numbers. Our children took turns calling out any three-digit number they could think of, while one of them wrote it on the board. After doing an amazing job with reading last week, they continued to impress us with their writing skills! We are so proud of their progress in both reading and writing numbers, which will undoubtedly benefit them in the upcoming academic season.

“One hundred and sixty three” -Abigail

“Five hundred and thirty, see I give you the hard one” -Lucas

“I would say four hundred and twenty four” -Adelene

“I can write everyone’s and I’ll read it all after” -Leayene

Literacy

Our literacy sessions have been a delightful mix of fun and learning. This week, we introduced the concept of compound words. We gathered on the mat to combine various items from our classroom, creating new vocabulary together. Our students thoroughly enjoyed this activity! To reinforce their understanding, we completed worksheets where they read and combined words to form new ones. In our next session, they matched pictures to create words and successfully spelled them out independently, enhancing their understanding and writing skills.

“Pencil case, pencil-case” -Umar

“Like paw patrol? Paw-patrol?” -Hekima

“I’ll draw the words in the back okay” -Lucas

“What’s a catfish? cat the same like fish?”- Tang Tang  

Math

In math, we dove into the world of model-making! Having learned about three-dimensional shapes throughout the year, we took a hands-on approach to create some popular shapes: cylinders, cubes, and cuboids. In our first math class, we provided sturdy paper and asked our children how they could make a cylinder. They shared various ideas, discussed them, and began modeling their shapes. It was fantastic to see them rolling and gluing the paper to create their own DIY cylinders. In the next class, they selected shapes from our wooden blocks, traced their sides, and cut them out to assemble cubes and cuboids. This collaborative experience sparked creativity and teamwork!

“I want to make a cylinder so quick and surprise you guys” -Leayene  

“I’m doing my best to make a perfect cube” -Lucas

“I’ll make a cuboid with 6 pieces” -Umar

“My dad makes the best cube okay guys he’s the best” -Junior

“Lucas is doing his best Faya, I can stay here and help him” -Adelene

Science

This week, we revisited the states of matter to see how much our young scientists remembered. We started with a review, discussing examples and singing a catchy song to reinforce their knowledge. To further strengthen their understanding, we incorporated worksheets where they identified and classified different states of matter based on their findings. Our children had a great time with this activity!

“Arsema, I need help” -Junior

“But it’s easy” -Tang Tang

“I can help you but don’t copy from me okay” -Lucas

“Fire is gas” -Hekima

Art

When we asked our children about their favorite art activity from the year, they unanimously chose magnet painting! We recalled how it’s done and headed outside to the new compound for the activity. Each child received paper and magnet coins, which they placed on the paper. We added various paints, and with magnet wands held from underneath, they began to create beautiful art by moving the coins and mixing the colors. It was such a joyful moment for all!

“It won’t work on a hard paper” -Leayene

“I want 6 coins like Hekima” -Abigail

“Paint paint” -Eliyab

“Sit down” -Yichen

“Look at my painting it looks like a map” -Umar

Water Football

Tuesday’s football session was nothing short of exhilarating! We planned a water football match while wearing our school jerseys. We set up a large white mat on the grass, soaked it with water, and added soap for extra slipperiness. Once everything was ready, our children took off their shoes and dove in, barefoot, divided into two teams. To kick off the fun, we splashed them with water, and the excitement escalated as the game began. They slid, fell, and laughed, enjoying every moment while exercising and bonding as a team.

“I’m not sick anymore so I can play football with water” -Adelene

“Now my team will win cause my team is so strong” -Junior

“I’ll be a goal keeper cause it’s too slippery” -Leayene

“I love this game I want to do it everyday” -Abigail

“No water on my hair” -Tang Tang

“Can we also be here for quite time” -Umar

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:

• 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 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. 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.

Here’s to more adventures ahead!