Pre-Primary 6

February News

 In February, we will continue learning the alphabet, almost reaching the end! We will be learning about cultural awareness and friendship. We will discuss good friendships and learn about the different traditions celebrated in different cultures. This month we will be traveling to Asia! The book of the month will be Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni.

January Recap

January was full of fun activities! We used the weather as a great learning advantage. We introduced the new season (Winter) to the students and discussed the type of animals that hibernate during this time. They were also surprised to learn how these animals' body temperatures dropped, and their metabolism changed, slowing everything in their body down. Our book of the month was The Mitten by Jan Brett. It described some winter animals going into a mitten as a signal of hibernation such as a mole, a rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a bear, and a mouse. Students were intrigued to learn what hibernation means and what animals do to prepare for it. 

As we continue our alphabet journey, we have achieved up to the letter Q. We engage in daily interactive singing, physical movement, and/or real-life comparison to expand our knowledge of the letter of the week and the number. We also traveled to Antarctica and learned the features within the continent. Students learned why the continent is white and what animals enjoy living in the snow.

Students were introduced to a great composer who still today has made a huge impact on music, Beethoven. They completed a coloring sheet and listened to his famous symphonies. In art, we did the famous Van Gogh painting (The Starry Night) on aluminum foil and painted our own art piece. For cooking, students created their own cheerios necklaces all by themselves! They felt accomplished and proud of their work!

December Recap

December was full of fun and amazing activities! Students learned about all the celebrations around the world. We learned about the difference between Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. Students had a fun time discovering the similarities and differences in each celebration. We compared a menorah with a kinara. A menorah holds nine candles and on the other hand, a Kinara holds seven candles. Students were fully intrigued to find out more celebrations, like Christmas, existed around the world. Our book of the month was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. 

Students continue practicing their alphabet letters and numbers. We are currently on letter N and number 13! We engage in daily interactive singing, physical movement, and/or real-life comparison to expand our knowledge of the letter of the week and the number. For the letter “M” students made a monkey using their handprint with brown paint. For letter “N” students glued down numbers on a letter “N” outline.

In addition to our Christmas celebration, students also made their own little Christmas tree using stickers and pom poms to decorate it. For cooking, we made Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. We used celery stick, cream cheese, raisins, and pretzels. We also practiced our Christmas songs to put on an amazing performance for the parents!

November Recap

In November our theme was virtues and values. We discussed a lot on how to be a good friend and what kindness is. We emphasized this topic through our book of the month Fill a Bucket Empathy Program. We used the bucket concept in our daily routines by teaching students to be friendly and “bucket filling” towards other friends or family. We were also introduced to the composer of the month, George Gershwin, a pianist who showed his talent at a young age and composed his first song at the age of fifteen. Students were able to identify what instruments were played in his songs.

This month we focused on the letters I-K. For each letter we created a craft. For example, the letter “Ii” we made an ice cream using students’ handprints to represent the ice cream balls. For the letter “Jj” we made a jellyfish. Students glued down the letter “J” and glued tissue paper to the tentacles. Students also learned about the continent, state, and country they live in. We have also been listening and paying our respects to the flag of America by listening to the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance. Students colored the United States and practiced coloring each state a different color.

Since Thanksgiving is in November, students used their handprints to create the feathers of the turkey on our door. Students also created their own turkeys by doting yellow and orange paint on half a paper plate and placing the turkey's body in the middle.

The children also got to dress their turkeys which were so much fun! We loved seeing what the children created, we had a fun time seeing what the children created. Together the children also helped decorate the door and windows. They created little turkeys with their hands and finger painted to create thankful trees. Art has been so much fun and thought out I love to see how each piece comes out. We also created a thankful tree from an activity we did all together. The children talked about what they are thankful for, and we wrote it on a petal and the tree is currently in our classroom. We also talked about our peace table which we have in our classroom, it includes a book and a rose which is an invitation a child can use to invite another friend to go sit with them at the peace table to resolve a conflict maybe. The children had an awesome end to the month, and we ended on a strong note. The children have been doing great at pushing in chairs, using words to resolve conflicts or get help, (using the peace table).

October Recap

October was spooktacular! Students enjoyed learning all about the changes in our new season, Fall, and what is celebrated in October. With the season of Fall at this time students created their own leaves with their handprints. We used orange, red, and yellow paint in resemblance to fall. We also created our own leaf hunt around the whole playground. Students had the opportunity to pick out dry leaves or leaves that recently fell from the tree. Our book of the month was Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger.

Students had the opportunity to keep practicing their alphabet. This month we focused on letters E-H. We listen to interactive songs emphasizing phonics and relating them to objects in the world. Students also practice through art focusing on each letter and a recap every morning. 

We discussed the solar system and the planets. We learned on which planet we live on and the features it contains in comparison to the other planets. We also talked about the importance of the moon and the sun orbiting around the planets. Students matched cards of each planet including the sun and the moon. 

During our music period students colored “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint Saens. As we listened to the great composer, we described what we heard and explained how it made us feel throughout the songs. Students created their own Picasso art! They placed the eyes, nose, and mouth on their pumpkin's art. We also made an artwork that says “Boo!” This art made them reflect on Halloween. 

September Recap

As we started off the academic year students had the opportunity to establish a scheduled routine that allows them to learn the foundation of the classroom and learn the structure of the classroom. During circle time, we talked about ‘What do we do at school?’ We provided examples on how to properly pick up our work and clean up after ourselves. Students learned how to use a dustpan, a broom and how to wipe down their tables as a practical life activity. We also discussed how to use our words with other friends and with teachers when struggling to succeed in an activity. The book of the month was The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. In relation to the book of the month students made their own kissing hand by placing a heart shaped paper on the palm of the hand representing mommy or daddy's kiss.

We also discussed our letters of the week beginning with the letter a. Students practiced dotting the uppercase and lowercase letters a, b, c and d. In expansion to recognizing and learning the letters of the alphabet we made additional crafts for each letter. Students also painted their very own school buses. Along with painting our school buses, students were able to make a connection with the song “Wheels on the Bus.”

We also introduced our seven continents. We learned our continent's song and associated what animals live on which continent. Students also learned what continent we live in and what animals originate from North America. Students were introduced to Andy Warhol who is well known for his pop art. He used many shades of pop colors in his artwork. Students made their own work of pop art with their handprints making bright colors pop. As we finished September off, we continued practicing our letters of the alphabet by singing songs and making art projects. 

Summer 2024 Recap

This summer Pre-Primary 6 had so much fun! With the summer heat, our friends were able to enjoy water days at school and popsicle days on Fridays. They also were able to experience visits from the science expert, Elsa, and the police! Children had some hands-on experience inside the police cars. They sang along with Elsa and ‘Let it Go’! Some friends had the opportunity to be the science expert’s helper. The children were fascinated to observe the different reactions cold ice had to different settings.

Each week of summer we had a different theme to discuss. The first week was all about Party in the USA. We made our own shooting stars and had a fun time making art projects that were all about fireworks! We discussed what the Fourth of July means to the USA, where we live. Students also made their own American flag using their handprint and painted red stripes.

The second week we discussed Underwater Adventure. All our friends worked together to create their own sea and the creatures who live in the sea. We collaborated by painting an egg carton and placing fish (stickers) and seashells inside. We also looked at different animals that live under the sea.

The third week we talked about outer space. We used each child's name to create their own rocket ships and had “flames” coming out the bottom ready for blast off! Students were fascinated to learn about astronauts and what their duty is.

The fourth week we looked at volcanoes! Our class enjoyed this week of fun crafts and experiments. We created our own volcano using water, vinegar, and baking soda ready for explosion. Students got to experience a live interaction of how a volcano erupts.

The fifth week we went Down to the Farm. We learned what type of animals live on a farm and what each animal sounds like. We also made corn on the cob. We painted corn and corn leaves creating their own crop. They even experienced how to milk a cow!

The sixth week we all went camping. This was a fun week as we were able to share our own personal experiences of camping and what items we might need to take to have a successful camping experience. We made delicious s’mores using graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate rice Krispies.

The seventh week our friends were amused by Things that Fly. We made paper airplanes and practiced throwing them outside and then we discussed different types of transportation that are used for flying. The last week of summer we discuss the Olympics. We talked about the different sports that are played during this time and made our own mini-Olympic course.