During the first week of school we learned about: Ground Rules
Learning to greet others.
Learning to have conservations.
Learning to speak to others.
Learning to listen to others.
Learning to respond to others.
Learning to say please and thank you to others.
Learning to observe others.
Learning to respectfully interrupt.
Learning from others.
Learning to open door for someone else.
Learning to recognize situations in which to help others.
Passing in front of another respectfully.
Learning how to say excuse me
Fabric box: in this work the children match the fabrics by touch.
Our words are like toothpaste: once we say something it is very hard to take back.
Number rods: in this work the children are matching the symbol and quantities.
Before you speak think and be smart. It is hard to fix a wrinkled heart.
Trinomial cube: in this work the child matches the pieces by color, the result is a cube.
United States puzzle: in this work the child is identifying and matching the states to their correct location.
This week we are focused on Community Helpers
The students will learn about police officers, fire fighters, mail carriers, soldiers, bakers, farmers, doctors, and teachers throughout the week. They will not only learn about these community helpers; they will also be able to explain in detail why each one is very important to our lives. If you are interested in coming in to talk about your career to the students please email me at cowens@thesmarterkids.com
This week kindergarten students are focused on learning about the continents, its location and fun facts about each continent. In these pictures they are creating their own continent map.
Kindergarten students are also practicing writing cursive letters.
The children are identifying and labeling the continents together.
A look into next week: Directions
Recap of Continents/Review of three countries in each Continent and fun facts!
We had a great first week back to school! This week our class had so much fun getting to know each other and learning about the rules of our classroom (grace and courtesy lessons). The children became familiar with our schedule, classroom, animals, the building and how to be respectful to one another. We are looking forward to a great year ahead!
Working with beginning Language material (matching).
Discovering g the similarities between the Continent Puzzle Map and Continent Globe from the Cultural Subjects area.
From our Sensorial area matching the correct place for the Knobless Cylinder.
Creating words with the Movable Alphabet from the Language area.
A Peek into Next Week: Next week will continue to focus on familiarizing ourselves with the classroom materials and how to work on them, learning ground rules, introducing classroom chores and more!
REMINDER: There is NO SCHOOL on Monday for Labor Day!
We had a great first week back to school! This week our class had so much fun getting to know each other and learning about the rules of our classroom. The children became familiar with our chores, Grace and courtesy lessons, and how to be respectful to one another. We are looking forward to a great year ahead!
During our line time I gave a lesson on how to interrupt other’s in the correct way. The direct purpose of this lesson is to teach the children Grace and courtesy in the classroom.
This week each child learned their chore for the week. By giving our children chores inside the classroom it helps build a lasting sense of mastery and self – reliance. It also increases concentration and independence.
This week I gave a few lessons on how we place our works on our math the correct way. This shows the importance of how we treat our works and the space around us. This prepares them for independence and also teaches them organizational skills.
A Peek into Next Week: Next week will be all about friendship. We will focus on what friendship is, how we treat our friends, and singing new songs about friendship.
REMINDER: There is NO SCHOOL on Monday for Labor Day!
The first two weeks in a Montessori Elementary Classroom are typically spent sharing time between working and team building. As many of you have seen in your own children, the Second Plane of Development (ages 6-12) is a time of great interest in social interaction. Dr. Montessori recognized this time as a crucial period for learning how to interact with others personally and professionally, and believed this should be valued and nurtured just as much as academic development. This first week we have explored Montessori’s Great Lessons about the coming of the universe, life, humans, and language. We have reviewed some of our skills from last year, have had returning students explain new Elementary work to first year students, and have learned how to communicate as a team!
This student is working to read numbers on our Checkerboard. The Checkerboard is a Montessori Math Material that allows students to multiply up to a nine-digit multiplicand by up to a four-digit multiplier. Each square on the Checkerboard represents a certain place value. After this student is comfortable reading numbers into the hundred millions, he will beginning multiplying using our Montessori Bead Bars. The Checkerboard will allow him to practice his multiplication facts and feel confident in place value before abstractly multiplying on paper.
Montessori designed the Great Lessons to capture the imagination of the Elementary child. These lessons give a broad introduction to the concepts students will study in detail throughout their time in Elementary. We begin with the largest idea (the universe) and move into stories about the beginning of language and numbers. It is a right of passage for Upper Elementary students to take part in presenting this information to their younger peers.
These students are demonstrating a playground conflict. Students split into three groups and shared the right and wrong way to handle different situations in the classroom, on the playground, or at home. We practiced using our Conflict Resolution Card which helps students independently work through disagreements at school by using “I-Messages” and coming up with a solution together. Using student skits and teacher modeling is a large part of introducing and reminding students of rules and routines.
One of our team building activities was called “Perimeter Pass.” Students had to pass a ball, using only their legs, to the child on their right. Once a child passed the ball, they had to run to the end of the line to wait for their next turn. Students had to communicate to the person next to them in order to be successful. These activities build community and leadership skills that are necessary at school and at home. Our students made it completely around the gym!
A Peek into Next Week
Next week we will be finishing up our Great Lessons and learning about their supplementary lessons like “The Story of Geometry,” which discusses how the rope stretchers of Ancient Egypt used right-angled triangles to section off property around the Nile. We will be diving into new lessons and Reading Group. Students will also have their Spelling Assessment.
Reminder: There is NO SCHOOL Monday for Labor Day.
We wrapped up the year with a lot of great projects. The students have worked hard all year and continued that hard work this month to present research to each other. We worked on number lines, learned about the layers of soil and science stations in Antarctica, performed for our grandparents, and ate lunch prepared by our classmates on a budget.
Our students practiced their piano, recorder, and Latin skills in preparation for Grandparents Day! Our students that take lessons, played a few songs on the piano for all of the grandparents. All students played songs on the recorder in groups. To showcase their Latin skills, they shared information about the Solar System and Roman Numerals and performed some short skits about gods and goddesses. Students then presented classroom materials to their grandparents and explained what they work on during the day. Thank you to all the grandparents that were able to make it! The students love sharing their knowledge.
Three of our students learned about budgeting this month. They practiced keeping track of spending with an allowance and determined the difference in what things we need and what things we want. To put this skill to use, our students made a grocery list and traveled to the store to purchase supplies to make lunch for their classmates. These students planned so well that they came in over $10 under budget! The day after their trip, these students prepared macaroni and cheese, grapes, carrots, gummies, and ice cream for their classmates. All students enjoyed having a meal made by their friends.
Our first-year students have been learning about Simple Machines for the last several weeks. After learning about them and practicing with our classroom material, they prepared to build their own machine. Each student needed to draw a sketch and make a list of supplies before building their machine. They collected supplies and got to work building. When their machines were built, they made Science Experiment Cards that listed the supplies, procedures, what would be observed, the explanation, and the cleanup process. The first-year students presented these machines to the class in small groups, then had them available for practice.
While our first years were studying Simple Machines, our second, third, and fourth year students learned the geographic features of the Earth. These students put their knowledge together to create an imaginary island using at least 10 of the features they had studied. After drawing the outline of their island, students colored and labeled the features based on a theme (Elements, Universal Studios, etc.). Some of these students traced their island on graph paper and cut it apart until they had formed a rectangle. From this new rectangle, they were able to find a base and height for the area of their island. Other students answered questions about their island, its inhabitants, and its climate. One student wrote the history of her island and wrote an anthem with a friend. I hope all of you took the time to check out this great work.
Field Day was an exciting end-of-the-year adventure. We attended Ms. Courtney’s talent show, played board games, card games, group games and video games with the best gaming mouse for cs go. We were able to enjoy the weather by eating lunch outside. After lunch, we had a boys v. girls water balloon and water gun fight. We went down the water slide with Ms. Courtney’s friends! After our fun in the water, we came in to have treats and enjoy a movie.
Thank you for such a great year. Have a relaxing summer! See you in August!
Another school year is under my belt and another wave of students rolled through my classroom. Insert <<heavy sigh>>. I could be the gruff, grumpy old man and say “Ahhhh, I am so used to having students come into my life and then leave my life. It happens!” Never shed a tear. Never feel sad. When I started teaching I thought it would be easier as time went on. Actually, it is just the opposite. It does gets more difficult saying good bye to my students and their families. I include families because the Absorbent Minds Montessori School experience is truly a family experience. Not only is it important to get to know the child but getting to know the family. Not only is it important its really fun. I love talking to parents, grandparents, babysitters, nannies, au pairs; I don’t think this is a big secret. So, in about three months I will teach a whole new wave of students and talk to my new chatting victims(aka parents), hehehe!
Line Time Lessons:
We started out May by learning about food chains. The animal doing the hunting is the predator and the animal being eaten is the prey. The animal doing the eating is higher on the food chain. This was a fun and interesting unit for our students. We talked about many different examples together.
We blew into learning the characteristics of the four seasons. Winter is cold, Spring it rains a lot, Summer is hot, and fall it gets cooler.
Our little astronauts rocketed through our solar system. We learned about our planets, solar system, astronauts, our sun and moon. We revisited our lessons a few months ago and discovered many of the planets were named after Roman Gods.
I told my students I wanted them to have a fun Summer but I want them to be safe. We spent our last week reviewing safety. We went over wearing a helmet when riding a bike, stay by their safe side adult when in public, and always wear a life jacket when on the water.
Alumni Reader:
Mila reading to our class!
Cultural Subjects:
A parent in Ms. Kristen’s classroom playing bag pipes for our students!
Academic Enrichment:
The beginning of May we looked at the preposition. I explained the the preposition is a “where word” not a “werewolf”. The we got really excited about the Interjection. Interjections added a bit more to the sentence by showing excitement. Either this excitement is a little or a lot of emotion. We came to the end of the sentence and learned about the period, question mark, and explanation mark. Then we learned when to capitalize words. “I” not eye, proper nouns, and words at the beginning of a sentence.
Science Enrichment:
This past month during Science class the Kids enjoyed about 4 different experiments but their favorite one was on the last day of school!
COKE GEYSER;
This is done by using 1 bottle of Diet Coke and 1 pack of Mentos.
When Mr. John dropped candy Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke the Coke shot up into the air and dropped down the side of the bottle. Why? because a bottle of soda is filled with Carbon Dioxide.
The Mentos fall to the bottom, forming lots of bubbles. When this gas is released it forces the liquid up and out in a GIANT exploding geyser of sticky soda. The Children loved watching this and screeched with delight.
Music Enrichment:
In music class during the month of May, Ms. Lisa reviewed many of the concepts that she taught throughout the year. This month the please and thank you song was played and our students love it and the movements to the song. The bells were used and much fun was had! We also sang the forgiveness song. The children talked about the meaning of forgiveness and sign language was introduced as part of the song. The instruments used were the rhythm sticks. The life lessons learned were so terrific. She reviewed what staccato and legato mean, sang about having a choice for your behavior, sang about being kind, sang about telling the truth. Ms. Lisa also taught us a new song this month called Let the Sun Shine In! Diligence was also a characteristic talked about through music and movement. The instruments used were the triangles, tambourines and the maracas. Music and the important values taught is so much fun at AMMS!
Art Enrichment
This past month in art was inspired by spring. Ms. Michele had the students make paper flower sculptures. The students made a circle out of a strip of paper for the middle, and then made tear drop shapes for the petals. They could use a pattern with the colors, use warm colors, or cool colors. The flowers turned out beautiful with all the different patterns and colors the students used. The next spring inspired artwork came from butterflies. The students learned about symmetry and how to paint a butterfly with symmetry since butterflies are identical on each side. Ms. Michele had them paint with watercolors. The third week we painted Vincent Van Gogh inspired flowers in a vase. The students learned about his painting technique. Vincent painted with short squiggly paint strokes because he wanted it to seem like is art was moving and alive. Ms. Michele placed vases with flowers in the middle of the table, and had the students draw on paper first, and then she showed them how to paint like Van Gough, and had them return to their seats to paint. The paintings turned out looking just like Van Gogh’s painting called Sunflowers.
To end a wonderful year filled with art, Ms. Michele had a Claude Monet inspired artwork planned for the young artists. They looked at his painting called Bridge Over Pond of Water Lilies. They learned about Impressionism, which is what style Claude Monet used. Impressionism is the use of dabs or small brush strokes of unmixed colors to simulate the actual reflection of light. The students did a wonderful job of recreating the outdoor scene, and I can say I was quite “impressed”, pun intended. Thank you Ms. Michele for all of your hard work this year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer!
May was such a busy month! Our class learned about insects and jumped into a space shuttle and flew into outer space. Our class also had fun learning about plant life cycles and had a blast during Grandparents Day and at our field trip to the zoo!
The first week was all about the different life cycles. The first life cycle we talked about was about frogs. We formed a chart that showed the different stages in their life. I also made a new three part card work with objects to go a long with the cards. We then learned all about the butterfly. With this lesson I brought in a butterfly kit so that the children were able to see the whole cycle of a butterfly. The children were so fascinated by this. Next to the caterpillars we placed a basket full of journals so that the children were able to chart what they see on a daily basis. We then discussed the life cycle of a plant. For the children to get a better understanding of this lesson the children grew their own beans in zip lock bags so that they were also able to see all of the changes. The children loved watching the plant go from seed, to sprout, to growing a stem with roots, to the full plant! We then had fun learning the life cycle of a chick. The children made a small booklet that showed each of the phases of a chicks life. It’s so important to have hand on things that go along with the lesson. I feel as though it clicks with the children when they can actually see what is read to them in a book.
We then focused on outer space. During this time we learned about the solar system, stars and constellations, galaxies, the eight planets, the sun and moon, the space shuttle, and the first man who walked on the moon. Wow, what a busy couple of weeks! We first stared out by creating a web of the solar system. Throughout our space lesson the children added the information they have learned onto the web. During our lesson, the children learned about the eight planets since the 9th planet is now a dwarf planet. They learned the order of the planets and neat little facts about each one. They loved learning about Jupiter and its famous hurricane like storm. They thought it was pretty cool that Mars is called the “red planet” due to the red dirt, dust and sky. We also learned about how there are thousands of different galaxies and how the spiral shape is the most common type. The children also learned about night and day. For this activity I had one child stand in the middle of the circle and pretend they were the sun. I then had another child pretend to be the earth. I explained to them that the Earth takes 365 days to orbit around the sun, but as it’s orbiting it is also rotating. The kids loved this activity!! During this time we talked about what stars are, the lunar eclipse, the different constellations, and about observatories. We then talked about Neil Armstrong and how if they went to the moon they would still see his footprint. Near the end of our outer space lesson the children learned about life in space, gravity, and astronauts. I showed a video of a launch and what it is like for astronauts up in space. The children loved it!!
The third week we focused on grandparents. I thought this would be a good way to have lessons with them since it was our grandparents week at our school! Everyday we read a different book on grandparents. We had fun telling them all the different ways you can say grandma and grandpa in the different countries. The children also enjoyed making charts about why their grandparent is so special to them. For example, Levi said “ They make my favorite food!” Brooklyn said “ When I go and visit them they buy me toys.” And Alitza said “ My grandma makes me smile.” We also made a chart about how Grandparents can be, what they have, and what they are. It was such a special week that week. Thank you to all of the grandparents that came and spent time with us! For the grandparents who want to keep a young and fresh looking skin, leonardmillermd.com has a certified doctor specializing in mini facelift in Boston, MA. To schedule a consultation, call (617) 735-8735.
With the last two weeks remaining, the children had a blast learning about different insects. The children discovered that insects have six legs but spiders and other arachnids have 8 legs. We also created a web together that was all about dragon flies. We read such a detailed book about them and the children had to tell me fact that they learned. Throughout the week we talked about Bees and why they are important, and why we need them. We also had fun learning about ladybugs and making a fun craft!
I can’t believe how fast the school year has gone by. I have truly enjoyed watching my kiddos grow throughout the year. I will miss them so very much. Also, thank you to all of my families, for everything that you have done this year. I wish the best of luck to those families who are going to new schools and look forward to seeing everyone else next school year! Have a great summer!!!
Academic Enrichment | Kindergarten Mr. John
The beginning of May we looked at the preposition. I explained the the preposition is a “where word” not a “werewolf”. The we got really excited about the Interjection. Interjections added a bit more to the sentence by showing excitement. Either this excitement is a little or a lot of emotion. We came to the end of the sentence and learned about the period, question mark, and explanation mark. Then we learned when to capitalize words. “I” not eye, proper nouns, and words at the beginning of a sentence. Handwriting Enrichment Ms. Kristen
Our Handwriting Lessons this month focused on learning about different types of poetry. We focused on writing acrostic poems, couplets, haikus, and shape poems. I loved how creative the children have become with their writing! The topics ranged from poems about their best friends to penguins, to basketball. We also had journal prompts such as, ” What animal are you excited to see at the zoo?” and ” What did you do over Memorial Day Weekend?”. I have been amazed with how the children have progressed from the beginning of the year to this point! They have become amazing writers!
Reading Group | Kindergarten Ms. Kate
During the month of May our reading group had a lot of fun! We focused on the story called Feraj And The Magic Lute. I loved this story because each lesson was something different that O thought really stood out to all of the children. The first activity we read through the story and talked about any of the words they weren’t certain about. They then had to complete the picture about where the bag of gold was hidden. We then went over the My Questions and lead a wonderful discussion on all of their questions. Having group discussions really make the children think, be creative, and get a better understanding of the story.
Later on that month the children had the most fun acting out the different parts of the story. The children then came together and formed a group creative writing lesson. The children came up with a song about the magical lute. They brainstormed all of their ideas and we charted them on paper. Lastly, the children made a treasure map of where the gold could be hidden in our school! What a fun month!! I truly enjoyed teaching this bunch of amazing kiddos this year!
Science Enrichment: This past month during Science class the Kids enjoyed about 4 different experiments but their favorite one was on the last day of school!
COKE GEYSER;
This is done by using 1 bottle of Diet Coke and 1 pack of Mentos.
When Mr. John dropped candy Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke the Coke shot up into the air and dropped down the side of the bottle. Why? because a bottle of soda is filled with Carbon Dioxide.
The Mentos fall to the bottom, forming lots of bubbles. When this gas is released it forces the liquid up and out in a GIANT exploding geyser of sticky soda. The Children loved watching this and screeched with delight.
Art Enrichment
This past month in art was inspired by spring. Ms. Michele had the students make paper flower sculptures. The students made a circle out of a strip of paper for the middle, and then made tear drop shapes for the petals. They could use a pattern with the colors, use warm colors, or cool colors. The flowers turned out beautiful with all the different patterns and colors the students used. The next spring inspired artwork came from butterflies. The students learned about symmetry and how to paint a butterfly with symmetry since butterflies are identical on each side. Ms. Michele had them paint with watercolors. The third week we painted Vincent Van Gogh inspired flowers in a vase. The students learned about his painting technique. Vincent painted with short squiggly paint strokes because he wanted it to seem like is art was moving and alive. Ms. Michele placed vases with flowers in the middle of the table, and had the students draw on paper first, and then she showed them how to paint like Van Gough, and had them return to their seats to paint. The paintings turned out looking just like Van Gogh’s painting called Sunflowers.
To end a wonderful year filled with art, Ms. Michele had a Claude Monet inspired artwork planned for the young artists. They looked at his painting called Bridge Over Pond of Water Lilies. They learned about Impressionism, which is what style Claude Monet used. Impressionism is the use of dabs or small brush strokes of unmixed colors to simulate the actual reflection of light. The students did a wonderful job of recreating the outdoor scene, and I can say I was quite “impressed”, pun intended. Thank you Ms. Michele for all of your hard work this year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer!
Music Enrichment In music class during the month of May, Ms. Lisa reviewed many of the concepts that she taught throughout the year. This month the please and thank you song was played and our students love it and the movements to the song. The bells were used and much fun was had! We also sang the forgiveness song. The children talked about the meaning of forgiveness and sign language was introduced as part of the song. The instruments used were the rhythm sticks. The life lessons learned were so terrific. She reviewed what staccato and legato mean, sang about having a choice for your behavior, sang about being kind, sang about telling the truth. Ms. Lisa also taught us a new song this month called Let the Sun Shine In! Diligence was also a characteristic talked about through music and movement. The instruments used were the triangles, tambourines and the maracas. Music and the important values taught is so much fun at AMMS!
We started off May talking about the Solar System. The children learned the positions of the planets and their relative sizes and distances. They had a blast using 3D models of the sun and planets to put in order. We talked about how the sun is the biggest star and why it is so important. We discussed the different phases of the moon and made a classroom book of the phases during group lesson.
The second week of May we talked about dinosaurs and what their habitats were like then the children compared and ordered the size of the different dinosaurs feet. They learned different physical attributes of dinosaurs and their names. The children demonstrated an understanding of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.
The third week of May we talked about transportation the children quickly developed an understanding that transportation means to carry things from one place to another. We named all the different methods of transportation like plane, car, boat, bike, horse, train, bus, subway, helicopter etc. The children also had a blast making their own stoplight and playing red light green light.
The children really enjoyed the last week of May when we talked about sports. The children used their gross motor skills to march, skip, gallop etc. They learned how to engage in imaginative and creative play indoors and outdoors involving their friends. We played a lot of games that involved team effort and good sportsmanship or video games that involve competition as csgo, and they could get help from mycsgoboosting.com.
The first week of June we focused on summer games, activities, and experiments the children could do at home. We also talked a lot about summer safety rules while playing outside and playing with or in water. The children also practiced A LOT and setup for the talent show.
I hope everyone has a fabulous summer and I can’t wait to see all the smiling faces in the fall!
Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
In kindergarten lesson we finished our work with grammar. We went over how interjections help a sentence show more emotions, and we went over when to use a . ? ! We then reviewed when we capitalize words in a sentence. We capitalize the beginning word of a sentence, proper nouns and “I”.
Reading Group | Kindergarten By: Ms. Faith
In May, we finished a story about Timothy Town Mouse. It’s about a country mouse, Tommy who accidentally gets delivered with produce to a house in the city. He meets Timothy and his friends who live very differently than he does. Tommy gets home sick and doesn’t feel well from eating people’s scraps that have fallen on the floor. Timothy helps Tommy go back home, but is upset that Tommy didn’t want to stay. Timothy ends up visiting Tommy in the country, and doesn’t end up liking the country either. Even though the two mice are different and prefer different ways of living, they remain friends. After the readings, the kindergartners were able to act out a scene from the story, draw pictures of where they prefer to live, in the country or the city, and discussed why it’s ok to be friends with someone who likes different things than you. This was a great lesson for them to learn as they are getting ready to go into first grade and will be meeting new friends.
The next section we read together was poems called Companions. The poems were about friendship. We read about an adventure with Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, and a young child and his shadow. One of the kindergartners favorite activities from this section was from the poem about the boy and his shadow. The poem talked about the shadow always being there and how sometimes it was big and sometimes it was tiny. So, we went outside and looked at our shadows on the sidewalk. They moved around and saw how their shadows might change or stay the same. Then, they had to draw how they like their shadow; either big, small, or not there at all. The kindergartners grew a lot with their comprehension skills and reading skills over the school year with the reading group. They were able to read the underlined portions on their own or with little help. Thank you parents for your support with reading with your child on the weekends and helping them grow as young readers.
Science Enrichment
In science we made balloon rockets using string, straws and balloons. The children loved watching the rockets move across the string. They learned that to make an object move one way, a force has to work in the opposite direction.
During grandparents day the grandparents did an experiment with their grandchildren blowing a balloon up using baking soda, vinegar and a water bottle. The children and grandparents learned that there is a chemical reaction between the base {baking soda} and the acid {vinegar}. When the two ingredients mix together a gas is produced known as carbon dioxide or CO2. As the gas tries to leave the water bottle, it goes up into the balloon inflating it.
Our last science experiment of the year was unpoppable bubbles using corn syrup, water and dish soap. An unpoppable bubble is amazing because most bubbles usually burst when they come in contact with just about anything. Most bubble’s worst enemies are oil, dirt, and gravity. A “super” bubble or unpoppable bubble will bounce off of a surface if the surface is free of oil or dirt particles that would normally cause a break in the thin soap film of the bubble.
Art Enrichment By: Ms. Faith
This past month in art was inspired by spring. Ms. Michele had the students make paper flower sculptures. The students made a circle out of a strip of paper for the middle, and then made tear drop shapes for the petals. They could use a pattern with the colors, use warm colors, or cool colors. The flowers turned out beautiful with all the different patterns and colors the students used. The next spring inspired artwork came from butterflies. The students learned about symmetry and how to paint a butterfly with symmetry since butterflies are identical on each side. Ms. Michele had them paint with watercolors. The third week we painted Vincent Van Gogh inspired flowers in a vase. The students learned about his painting technique. Vincent painted with short squiggly paint strokes because he wanted it to seem like is art was moving and alive. Ms. Michele placed vases with flowers in the middle of the table, and had the students draw on paper first, and then she showed them how to paint like Van Gough, and had them return to their seats to paint. The paintings turned out looking just like Van Gogh’s painting called Sunflowers.
To end a wonderful year filled with art, Ms. Michele had a Claude Monet inspired artwork planned for the young artists. They looked at his painting called Bridge Over Pond of Water Lilies. They learned about Impressionism, which is what style Claude Monet used. Impressionism is the use of dabs or small brush strokes of unmixed colors to simulate the actual reflection of light. The students did a wonderful job of recreating the outdoor scene, and I can say I was quite “impressed”, pun intended. Thank you Ms. Michele for all of your hard work this year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer!
Music Enrichment By: Ms. Faith
In music class during the month of May, Ms. Lisa reviewed many of the concepts that she taught throughout the year. She reviewed what staccato and legato mean, sang about having a choice for your behavior, sang about being kind, sang about telling the truth. We sang about saying please and thank you, and sang about forgiveness. We used different instruments like bells, tambourines, and maracas. Ms. Lisa taught the students a new song called Let the Sun Shine In, which brought back memories for me, because my mom sang it to me when I was their age, and while we sang the song the students learned movement with scarves. To end the last music class for the year, Ms. Lisa played the game Cat and Mouse with the group since this is always a favorite. Thank you Ms. Lisa for another great year full of music and fun!
Bonjour! Spring is finally here! I love seeing the warm sunshine and the colorful flowers in bloom! This month has been super busy getting ready for the International Festival and learning about all of the different continents and countries. The children also enjoyed our guest speakers from different backgrounds and cultures.
The first week I introduced the seven continents to the children by showing them our continents puzzle. We discussed the four main countries in North America, which are The United States of America, Mexico, Canada, and Greenland. The children also learned about our flag, which consists of 13 horizontal stripes, which are red, white, and blue and represent the first colonies and states in the union. The flag also has 50 stars, which represent the 50 states in the Union. The children also learned about Christopher Columbus, the climate, and cultures of North America.
The second week we focused on three countries from Europe. We learned about Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. First I Introduced our map of Europe to the children. I then showed them were Italy takes place . We then talked about their flag and what each of the colors represented. Green means hope or the hills, white means faith or mountains, and red represents charity or for the bloody wars. We then colored our own flag. The next day we talked about all the different kinds of food that come from Italy. We talked about the famous pizza and the history behind it. We then had so much fun creating our own pizza out of construction paper, scissors, glue, and marker’s. We then enjoyed learning about Germany. I started out by showing the children where Germany was located in Europe. I then showed them the flag and went over what each color represents and then they were able color their own flag of Germany. The next country we talked about (which is one of my favorites) was the Netherlands. I showed them a short video on the world famous tulips and windmills. We then created our own tulip made out of different colored tissue paper.
The third week we went over the two countries Spain and France. I showed them where both countries were located on the map and what each of their flags looked like and what they represented. Both Ms. Ame and I showed them short clips about the Eiffel Tower, French food, and the importance of family. The children loved learning about the different traditions they celebrated, festivals they have, and the different languages that they speak. We had fun coloring an Eiffel tower, learning about snails that they eat. It was such a fun week! Throughout the week we also had fun learning about Ireland and why we celebrate St. Patrick’s day, and the meaning of the shamrock. We also lead a discussion on the country Belgium and made a beautiful windmill for our International Festival!
Our last week was all about Farms. We first discussed why it is extremely important that we have farmer’s. We read a short book then we lead a group discussion about all the things that they learned from our book. I loved that they really payed attention and were able to talk amongst each other about farmer’s and what they do. The next day we reviewed all about farmer’s. We then moved on to the machine’s that they would find on the farm. As a group we talked about what each machine did and how it helped the farm, animals ,and crops. Throughout the week we did different activities that talked about the different typed of farms you can find such as, crop farms, poultry farms, dairy farms, and grain farms. Ms. Ame had a blast with them talking about the different animals you would find on the farm, then the kids constructed a barn out of colored popsicle sticks, and glue. Lastly, we discussed the food we get from the different animals and farms, and where they go to. We had such a busy but fantastic month! I’m so very proud of how hard the children worked and their songs and lines!!!
Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten with Mr. John
We started out the month by looking at the pronoun. We learned the pronoun takes the place of the noun and at times makes our lives a bit easier. I stressed NEVER call a person “it” because it is rude. Moving forward we discovered the adjective. The adjective describes nouns but we did not leave out the verb(what describes the verb?) an adverb of course. That is it’s main job but it can also describe adjectives and other adverbs. We closed out April with learning about the conjunction. It serves as a bridge for two separate sentences bringing together these two sentences as one.
Ask our Kindergarten Students about adjectives and adverbs!
Handwriting Enrichment with Ms. Kristen
This month in handwriting, we have continued to focus on forming complete sentences. The Kindergaten students also enjoyed correcting my capitalization “mistakes” in example sentences. We continued journaling together. Our kindergarten students continue to impress me with their handwriting and creativity!
Reading Group | Kindergarten with Ms. Kate
For the month of April we focused on a poem called Seashell. This poem came from Spain and is spoken by someone who has been given a seashell. We had fun talking about what happens if you hold up a huge seashell… you can hear the light sounds of the ocean. We first read the poem in English and then lead a short discussion on what they think it meant to them. We also went over any vocabulary words they weren’t sure of the meaning. Next, I read the poem in Spanish. Seashell in Spanish is “ Caracola” After the poem was read, the children then drew a picture of themselves walking on the bottom of the sea and what they think it would look like. The children then stood up and shared their drawings with one another. I can see such a difference in their confidence with standing up and sharing in front of their peers. We then had such a fun time acting out our drawings! It was such a fun poem! Music Enrichment by Ms. Faith
In April, Ms. Lisa focused on singing songs about our character. The students sang and did motions to songs about telling the truth, about cooperating, saying please and thank you, and about being kind. The students participated in partner dances, and even learned a new song from Africa called Roll and Rock. Ms. Lisa always incorporates gross motor movement into her lessons. She sang Have You Ever Seen a Lassy, and the students picked a movement, such as skipping, galloping, and hoping to move around during the song. Another activity Ms. Lisa had for the students was to review what Staccato and Legato mean. Staccato notes are short and jumpy, whereas Legato notes are smooth and long. The students were given a castanet and a scarf to walk around in a circle while listening to a song. When the music played Staccato notes, the students played their castanet and ran on their tiptoes. When the music played Legato notes, the students moved in slow flowing motions with their scarves. Thank you Ms. Lisa for sharing all of your instruments for us to learn!
Science Enrichment by Ms. Kathleen
Our favorite science experiment from the month of April was the Tea Bag Hot Air Balloon! These are some of the questions Mr. John and the scientists asked themselves: What will happen when you set an empty, unused teabag on fire?
We had many hypothesis given by our students! Mr. John cut open the unused tea bag and dumped out the tea. Then he made the tea bag into a cylinder. Next, he put the cylinder shaped tea bag on a kitchen plate and set fire to it. As the tea bag burns, it floats up into the air. WHY? When the tea bag burns down it gets lighter and the air around the flame gets hotter. Hot air rises and once the burnt tea bag is light enough it gets carried up with the hot air. All the children giggled with delight during this experiment and asked Mr. John to do it again. This is one of our most favorite experiments of the school year! Art Enrichment by Ms. Faith
Ms. Michele had students finish their wooden frames that they painted one color, or monochromatic. To finish their frames, they picked out objects and painted them the complimentary color of the color they chose for their frames. Once the paint was dry, the students glued it on the frame to create an abstract piece of art.
The next week, Ms. Michele introduced Pablo Picasso to the students. Pablo Picasso is known for his Cubism art works. He wanted to draw facial features from different angles and that is why the features on his people look different. To create their own Cubism inspired art works, Ms. Michele printed out pictures of facial features for the students to cut out and glue onto faces. Some of them had two noses, an eye looking sideways, and an eye looking forward. The students let their creativity flow, and created some great Picasso style faces.
To close up the month of April, Ms. Michele reviewed the color wheel with the class. They reviewed warm and cool colors, primary colors, secondary colors, and complimentary colors. The young artists drew an owl using different shapes, and they had to use primary and secondary colors to fill in the shapes. After the owls were finished, the students drew details on their pages like a branch for the owl to sit on, or the moon in the background. We always look forward to what Ms. Michele has planned for art each month. Thank you for your hard work Ms. Michele!
