We jumped into the week with our very first Pre-K Celebration rehearsal. We practiced each song we will be performing with Maestro, and we learned where we will be standing on the bleachers. The entire Pre-K did an incredible job especially for our first rehearsal! We were so impressed by their cohesiveness and ability to focus for the entirety of the rehearsal. We have a few more weeks to practice, and we are certain you will all be blown away by their performance.
Room 8 continued with the conversation of travel after celebrating Israel’s birthday last week. Since last week was so busy, we did not have enough time to discuss the items that you need to travel to Israel. We focused on one very important piece needed to travel outside of the country, if not the most important item, the passport. We showed the children a faux paper passport booklet that resembles a real one. Each passport has a picture, name, date of birth, and an area for stamps. The children were excited to receive their very own passport, and some even thought it was the real deal and they had to bring it to the airport with them. After enjoying the globe piece of our Israel discussion, we wanted to incorporate it back into another lesson. Each child had the opportunity to take a closer look at the globe. Then, they pointed to one country, learned the name, and received a stamp for their place of choice. Ask your child where they want to visit! Their passport will go into their end-of-the-year journal. The children also learned a new skill this week in Room 8. We introduced the concept of mazes, another type of puzzle. The ability to complete a maze, whether it is on paper or a physical walking maze, helps children develop a huge variety of traits that help in all areas of life including social/emotional, physical, and mental. First, solving mazes helps learn patience, persistence, and teamwork. Each child had to sit with printable maze and take their time to find their way out the other side. In the end, finishing the maze gives them a sense of confidence and boosts their self-esteem. That feeling of “I did it!” proves that they can be successful. In addition, it improves their physical abilities like fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. To successfully maneuver through a maze on paper, we must use small movements with our pencil to make sure we draw a straight line through the narrow walls of the maze. Each time we do a maze the children are able to run into the black lines less and less. This skill, in turn, helps to perfect our penmanship and ability to write clearly and legibly. Lastly, solving mazes is just another activity to boost our problem-solving skills. They learn to plan, brainstorm, and visualize how they can find a route out of the maze. These skills help to improve a child’s cognitive thought process. We work to improve our cognitive abilities every day because it sets us up for independence and success in the future. Unfortunately, due to ERB testing, we were not able to have P.E. with Coach Danny this week. But instead of missing out on the fun, we conducted our own version of P.E. in our classroom. From crab-walk competitions to jumping jacks to push-ups, the children got in a great workout. They even got to play musical chairs, which is their absolute favorite! We cannot believe this year is coming to an end so soon, but we plan on savoring every moment of the next 3 weeks! We will start by celebrating Lag BaOmer next Tuesday. Please send your child with a beach towel for Tuesdays celebration. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Shabbat Shalom! Mari & Aaliyah Reminders:
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Pre-K Room 8Mari Greifer Archives
March 2020
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