N E W S  &  L E S S O N S  F R O M  M S.  V I C T O R I A ’ S  C L A S S

Issue: January 4 - January 15, 2021

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Dear Parents,

We celebrated Holidays around the World the children enjoyed various activities for each country. The first country we started the Holiday season was with Israel. The children enjoyed the story about Hanukkah and the significance of the Menorah. We gave the students latkes to experience an important tradition of Hanukkah. The student’s favorite activity about Hanukkah was making dreidels. The second country we visited was Mexico. We discussed Mexico’s tradition of The Miracle of the Poinsettia. Mexicans believe that the beautiful plant brings a blessing that will last all year. Children made their very own paper poinsettia and also learned that Feliz Navidad means Merry Christmas in Spanish. In Mexico children celebrate Los Posades by breaking a pinata. The children were so pleased to pull a string on the pinata to receive a few treats. The children were so excited for the Pinata activity and the joyful looks were very heartwarming. The third country we visited was Germany. In the German tradition children leave their shoes out in the hopes of receiving small gifts on the morning of December 6th. We gave each student a small gift and they placed it in their rest shoes inside their cubby, to experience this wonderful German tradition. It was so touching hearing their little sweet laughs as they placed their gift in their shoes. Another tradition in Germany is decorating gingerbread houses so we gave each child a gingerbread cookie to enjoy. Our fourth country we visited was Italy. We located Italy on the map and gave each child a Flag of Italy. We explained to the children that Buon Natale means Merry Christmas in Italian. The children had an Italian cake called Panettone which is a sponge like cake and a cup of hot chocolate. We discussed the legend of La Bafana, an old lady that brings children candy and gifts on January 6th. She fills up the children’s socking with treats. The fifth country we visited was Africa. We explained to the children that in Africa they celebrate Kwanza, which is a weeklong celebration, starting on December 26th. We introduced the children to the Kinara and explained the importance of the kinara colors and the seven principles that it represents. The children made a kinara for our celebration and placed it in their suitcase. Our last country we visited was the United States. We located the United States on the map and each child colored the flag on their mini-informational packet to place in their suitcase. We spoke about the importance of Santa Clause and each child talked about their gifts that they will like to receive for Christmas. We had a Christmas party, listened to Christmas music and had delicious cupcakes. The children had such an amazing experience learning about the different traditions from around the world. Being exposed to the cultural appreciation and awareness of traditions from other countries helps develop a strong foundation of belonging and acceptance.

Just a reminder, please take the weather into consideration when you dress your child for the day. As the weather gets colder, your child will need hat, gloves, and mittens. We would appreciate you labeling each item of clothing.

Warm Regards,

Ms. Victoria, Ms. Francine and Ms. Nancy

Our Theme: Antarctica

Art:

Marble Painting

Paper Bag Eskimos

Cultural Arts/Geography:

Antarctica Unit- locating Antarctica on the map, showing children photos of Antarctica

Each day we will read a fun fact about Antarctica

Antarctica 3 part cards

Reading: Antarctica by: Mel Friedman

Language:

Sandpaper letters & objects [n], [i]

Picture Word Cards- Learning to read written words, increasing the reading vocabulary, help the children practice decoding the written word

Reading: The Mitten by: Jan Brett – Children will make their own paper bag mitten

Focusing on sequencing & predicting within a story

Classification: Parts of a penguin

Math:

Counting with Penguins 1-10

Tracing Numbers 1-10

Greater than, less than- Growth toward abstraction in the process of understanding the value of greater and less than, learning the names and functions of the signs >, and <

Continuing short chains Presentation #1- Recognizing patterns in our numeral system, preparation for the concept of area

Practical Life:

Suds Whipping Station- learning to use an egg beater and developing sequential work patterns

Grating Soap- Coordination, order, concentration

Scrubbing a Penguin- Concentration, coordination and independence

Table Scrubbing- Extended concentration, independence, and completion of cycle of an activity

Science:

Science Experiment: How do Arctic animals stay warm in icy water?

Antarctica Habitat Diorama

Sensorial:

Pink Tower using a blindfold

Brown Stair Extension

Bubble Wrap/ walking on ice- develops coordination, dexterity and muscle strength