Back into the swing of things

 The preschoolers returned to school after a wonderful Golden Week break. To celebrate the special memories made during their family and fun-filled holidays, the preschoolers shared some photos of the special memories they made with their friends and families. 

The preschoolers were eager to tend their plant babies and were very excited to see the growth and changes since we were last at school. The rainy days helped our plants get the necessary nutrients and energy.

This week we started looking at the different homes that animals and plants find themselves in. Different animals have different needs, but they all need a home where there is food, water, shelter, space and the right climate/weather. They all agreed that it is not a good idea for polar bears to live on a farm, or that a squirrel lives in the ocean. The preschoolers learned that the name of different animal homes or environments are called, habitats. 

We will continue inquiring into different habitats next week and begin preparation for our assembly presentation!

One of our busy bees, Kylie, celebrated her birthday with us! Happy Birthday, Kylie!

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona

World Book Day and Sleepover

The 23rd of April marks the celebration of the wonder that books and reading brings to us all! Preschool celebrated World Book Day with great delight!

The preschoolers came to school dressed in one of their favourite book characters. We had appearances from the Easter bunny, Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series and the Wimpy Kid, Greg Heffley to name a few!

What an honour it was to have the talented Japanese author and illustrator, Mr Satoshi Kitamura as a guest for this special day! He writes wonderful picture book stories, and illustrates funny and whimsical images to bring his writing to life. He shared with us some of his illustrations. He told us a story about Lionel the rockstar lion through pictures. The preschoolers got to use their imagination for an engaging creative activity. 

The students were treated to a reading by the German Consul General of Osaka Kobe, Ms Melanie Saxinger. She read the well-loved Swedish and German tale of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, which the students thoroughly enjoyed!

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23 April was also the day set aside for one of the most anticipated events for the preschoolers, the Lower Primary Sleepover! This was the preschooler's first time attending our annual sleepover. They arrived at school buzzing with excitement ready for the evening of fun! 

The preschoolers went home with a mixture of excitement and tiredness, which are signs of a memorable sleepover. What a fun night we had together!
 

Have a wonderful Golden Week holiday period, everyone!

Ms Theona

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Planting new life

This week, the preschoolers continued to inquire into our unit about living things. 

They completed their animal group characteristics sheet and proudly presented their findings to their classmates. 

It was fascinating for them to see the differences and similarities between the animal groups. While some of the preschoolers already had knowledge of certain characteristics, there were a few facts that became new knowledge for them.

We then turned our attention to another living thing category, plants. The students discussed what plants, trees and flowers need to survive. They were incredibly knowledgeable about this topic, going so far as to share the different materials that their parents add to their plants at home. Materials such as coffee granules, eggshells, and "small white things" which is called perlite. A few students even shared that bird poop is good for plants! This obviously garnered quite a few gasps and giggles.

The preschoolers discovered that the term for all of these materials is natural fertilizer and that they help make the soil even more healthy for the plants. 

It is amazing to see how observant the preschoolers are in their homes, and that they take part in gardening activities with their parents.

We went on to discuss the life cycle of a plant, how it starts as a seed and grown into a plant.

Of course we had to plant some seeds to see the plant life cycle happen in real time!

The students worked in groups to plant flower seeds and came up with unique names for their plants. They used soil to give their seeds a healthy home to grow in. They made sure that they left enough space in between the planted seeds, so that they have room to grow. They gave their  planted seeds water and placed them in the sunlight. We placed them outside on the balcony to make sure that they get enough air. 

The preschoolers are proud 'plant parents' and have been very good with watering their 'babies' everyday!

As. our plant babies grow, the preschoolers will observe the changes and growth. There is so much learning that awaits us!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona

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