P1 September 15 Blog
Developing Conversational Skills:
One of the most frequent questions we are asked is “What is my child doing in class? I ask them about their day and they say ‘nothing’ or ‘I played’”. At this stage in their life, most children do not have enough language skills to give a detailed account of their activities during the day. It is also difficult for children to visualize and remember details of the classroom or the playground once they are in a different environment such as home.
One way to get greater detail from your children is to ask them more specific questions about their time at school. Did you go to the Outdoor Classroom today? What did you see while you were there? Can you tell me about a job (an activity) that you did with Ms. Gayle (the Outdoor Classroom teacher)?
The August blog described Sensorial materials in the classroom. Asking your child if they worked with something specific such as the Pink Tower, the Brown Stairs, the Color Tablets or the Knobbed Cylinders. It takes time for the students to learn the names of the materials in the classroom. Talking about specific materials not only helps develop conversation skills but helps your child become more familiar with the classroom environment.
You could also ask your child about the friend they are sitting with for the week. We encourage the children to have conversations with each other during snack and lunch in order to develop friendships and build our classroom community.
Click on the link below to view some of the students working in P1. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-iaq8Kvva7ToQffVFh38HTbiyn6E15mO?usp=sharing
The Kindergartners had their first chapter book party of the year! We finished reading Freckle Juice by Judy Blume, a story about a young boy who wants freckles and buys a ‘secret recipe’ for freckle juice. Our next chapter book is a favorite of Ms. Melissa’s called Pumpkin, Ginger and Spice by Margaret G. Otto.
Spanish vocabulary that we are learning this month:
Food
Apple – manzana
Grapes – uvas
Pineapple – pina
Banana – platano
Pear – pera
Eggs – huevo
Milk – leche
Cheese – queso
Beans – frijoles
P1 Poems and Songs for the September
Pizza, Pizza
Pizza, pizza, it’s a treat
Pizza, pizza, fun to eat
Ooey-gooey cheese so yummy
Crunchy crust goes in my tummy
Pizza, pizza, it’s a treat
Pizza, pizza, fun to eat!
Apple Tree
Away up high in the apple tree
Two red apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
And down they came and, mmm, were they good!
Fire Truck Song (sung to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel”)
Down the street the engine goes
The firemen fight the fire
Up the ladder with the hose
Out goes the fire!