January 29- February 2, 2018
Room 8 began the week by introducing “Mat Man.” As we briefly explained in last week’s newsletter, we introduced a new program to the children called Handwriting Without Tears. This program is used at Wise in the elementary school grades and at many other elementary schools to teach children the basics of handwriting. We are implementing this program in Pre-K to instill the vocabulary and concepts before it becomes a staple piece of the curriculum. We started the introduction by reading the “Mat Man” books to the class. Ask your child, “How do you draw Mat Man?” The children showed great interest in drawing this new figure! They began drawing the little figure by choosing a middle shape. Some drew a circle, while others drew a square or rectangle. Then, they added arms, legs, shoes, and a circular head for the face. We have enjoyed seeing the children draw Mat Man or Mat Girl throughout the week at any chance they got. In light of Tu B’Shevat, we focused on the importance of nature. On Tuesday, we gave the children a blank piece of paper and a pencil. We walked outside to the garden in front of the new Katz Pavilion. Then, we asked, “What do you see around you?” It took the kids a few minutes to understand that they had the freedom to draw anything that they saw around them. At first, most stayed in one place and stared at the same plants or scenery for about 5-10 minutes. We reminded the children that they could draw anything they saw in the whole area including trees, plants, grass, or anything! The children slowly became more comfortable with the exercise and began moving around the garden to take in all of the nature. They quickly began filling their blank pages with drawings of leaves, trees, bushes and flowers. Then, Paisley grabbed a leaf off the ground and decided to trace it. Skyler ran around the garden to a spot in the shade, where she laid down on the concrete bench. She gazed at the tree above her and began to draw what she saw. We were amazed at how well the children responded to this exercise. They were so enthralled by this activity that when we asked if they were ready to go, they all shouted, “NO! We need more time!” After 45 minutes of drawing outside, this exercise made the children think in a different way from a typical art lesson. Enhancing creativity through various art projects is essential to the growth of children. This particular exercise encouraged the children to problem solve and think critically. Instead of drawing whatever comes to mind when you think of a tree or a flower, the children had to actually use their sense of site to observe their surroundings. They were able to experience more shapes, colors, and sizes than simply looking at a tree that one of the teachers drew as an example. The children absorbed an incredible amount of new information from this one activity, as well as, gained confidence from creating something unique. We cannot wait to try this exercise again in a new location around the school and see how the children evolve their art and this experience. Thank you to Rabbi Yoshi for making our week all the more sweet! He brought in Donut Holes for all the children in the EC for a job well done at our last Fire Drill. They were delicious! Thank you to Paisley’s family for joining us for Shabbat on Friday. We enjoyed singing songs and reciting the prayers with you all. We are looking forward to Father’s and Grandfather’s Week next week, and hope to see you all there! Shabbat Family Schedule: 2/9- Carter 2/16- Ella 2/23- Neda 3/2- Skyler 3/9- Owen 3/16- Ayla 3/23- Kora Reminders: 1. 2/3- Tot Shabbat AND Wise School Gala 2. 2/5-2/9- Father and Grandfather’s Week – events TBA 3. 2/9- All School Shabbat for Father’s and Grandfather’s – 11am in ZH 4. 2/12-2/16- EC Picture Week (Room 8 classroom picture day TBA) 5. 2/19- No school President’s Day 6. 2/20- No school PD Day 7. 2/23- Beit Issie Farmers Market
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Pre-K Room 8Mari Greifer Archives
March 2020
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