We hope everyone enjoyed the school break with their children at home. After the week’s holiday, all the children seemed very happy to see their friends again and to take part enthusiastically in a variety of activities. Thank you very much to the many of you who were able to attend the parent-teacher conference; it was an important opportunity for us to talk about your child’s progress so far, and how they have settled in to KG1.
Today’s photographs show the children busy finger-painting their names — hard at work and play! We began the day by looking at a slideshow where each new slide displayed a name. Together, the children tried to work out whose name it might be. If they were unsure, we offered a clue by saying the sound of the first letter, asking, for example, “Whose name begins with the /s/ sound?” Once they guessed, the picture appeared on the screen so they could see if they were correct. Afterwards, the children were invited to find their own name from a selection of two to four names. Once they identified it (with help if needed), they had great fun finger-painting inside the outline of each letter, using a range of bright colours.
As we wrap up our first unit of inquiry, Who We Are, for now (we will revisit it periodically throughout the year), we reflected once more on how our actions can affect our friends. We explored this idea through the theme of what our hands can do. After reading Hands Are Not for Hitting, a book that highlights the many helpful, kind, and important things hands can do, the children were invited to sort pictures of actions into two groups: good choices (which have a positive impact on others, such as helping someone or holding hands with a friend) and not-good choices (which may affect others in a negative way, such as pushing someone or throwing rubbish on the floor). Later in the week, we read another book, Helping Hands, and afterwards asked the children to brainstorm ways they could use their hands in class to help or support others. To document their ideas, each child traced and decorated one of their hands and suggested a way they like to use their “helping hands” for the adult to write down. These thoughtful creations are now displayed in the classroom as a reminder to us all.
Wishing you all a good weekend,
The KG1 Team
