FROM MORAH RAIZEL
We did it! We finished all of our preparation for Pesach! Whew! It was a lot of work. The children are proud of their accomplishments and are excited to bring home their special pesach projects. We have learned the story, the preparation for Pesach, and all about the Seder.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe, and kosher Pesach!
Shabbat Shalom,
This week, we worked on the sound for /K/. We talked about how K seems to be doing someone else's job... /C/. We do not get into the rules about when K should be used because that is not a PK/TK conversation, and those rules still have contradictions. We just learned that K makes the sound in words like king, koala, kangaroo, key and kite. It is a fun letter to write and it gave us an excuse to play with kinetic sand, keys, and make kites.
We made koalas hanging on a tree with beautiful backgrounds for our books. The children painted their environment and cut and designed the tree for their koala. Then, they painted, cut and assembled their K to make the koala. They came out very cute.
We also made kangaroos with a pouch and the children were able to fill their pouch with things that start with K. I made the activity a little more challenging by giving them pictures of things that do and do not start with K. Everyone was able to choose the correct items on their own. Because we have such a creative group, some children decided to use the items that do not start with K in their picture. You might notice a moon in their sky or see that their kangaroo is eating grapes or using an umbrella. Some children decided to tape the (not K) pictures on the back and write the beginning letter under the picture, while one child took the challenge to write the whole word. It was so nice to see the children engaged in the activity and I loved watching it happen organically. They are really becoming independent and confident with their work. We finished the week with our word match.
For creative writing, we talked about what we love about spring. There were so many great ideas and everyone was able to stay on point. They did beautiful illustrations and everyone wrote their words. No more tracing in TK. They are really feeling confident and willing to challenge themselves. Their pictures came out bright, detailed and unique to each child.
We also made kites to welcome in Spring. The weather was so nice this week, and the children have been loving to run around outside, so we needed to make kites. We got really lucky because the wind started to pick up just enough, right when we went out in the afternoon. They were so happy. It was a nice moment we all got to share together.
For literature, we read Koala Lou by Mem Fox. This is a beautifully illustrated story about a young koala who competes for her mother's heart when a new sibling is on the way. She learns that families come in all sizes and that there is no second place in a mother's eyes. This is a touching story for young siblings and growing families. The children really connected with this classic story . We also learned that koalas are not bears as they are commonly called. They are actually marsupials.
I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Pesach and restful break. I look forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks.
