Dear KG1 families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope that you were able to enjoy time together as families, wherever you spent it. It was lovely to see the children happy and excited to be back in school, catching up with their friends and reacquainting themselves with their classroom and outdoor play areas. We are also delighted to welcome our new student, Gaspard, and his family to KG1 and know you will also join us in welcoming them to our ABIS community.
After the long break from school, we are spending this week and next reconnecting as a class. We are revisiting our essential agreements and focusing on the importance of working together to create a happy, fun, and safe environment for everyone. With this in mind, this week, the children were invited to create their own mini artwork. By first using marker pens on coffee filter paper and then painting over the pen marks with water, they each produced a beautiful ‘rainbow’ effect. Once all the individual pieces were combined on a display board, they formed one striking, large work of art. We reflected on how each piece is lovely on its own, but together they create something even more impressive. We also introduced a fun challenge that required teamwork to succeed. The children used a specially designed grabber-type tool made from pipe-cleaners and an elastic band. Each child held one of the two handles made of pipe-cleaners and together, they stretched and released the elastic band to operate the tool. Working as a team, they picked up cups using the elastic band and carefully stacked one on top of another. This was more difficult than it sounds, and required coordination, collaboration and focus. It was also fun!
In mathematics the children were engaged in matching games, counting and number recognition activities and in developing an understanding of shape and space through exploration and play with magnetic shape tiles to construct ‘buildings’ for small bear counters. (See the photographs below.)
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend,
Kristina, Rahma and Buthaina
