Dear Monkey Class Families,
It’s hard to believe how quickly the past two weeks have flown by in our classroom! Every day, I am amazed by how the Monkey class children are becoming more confident communicators and thinkers, sharing their thoughts and ideas throughout their time at school. This week, I’d like to share some highlights from our recent exploration and learning at school.
Sharing the Planet
Over the last two weeks, we revisited elements of nature and delved into the world of planting. We saved our pumpkin seeds from Halloween, and during our discussions, the children eagerly shared what plants need to grow—water and sunlight! One of our friends humorously referred to soil as “the dirty stuff,” but once we got planting, they confidently used the word soil.
Currently, the children are taking turns watering our plants, and we are thrilled to see some little sprouts already emerging! In the coming weeks, we will explore planting other seeds, especially those found in the fruits we eat. If your child mentions bringing seeds to school, feel free to send them along, and we can plant them together!
We also decided to refresh our classroom environment with some space-themed items and books. The children quickly became curious about different planets, asking a flurry of questions. Many have already shared their favourite planets and the reasons behind their choices. Our space exploration will continue in the coming weeks as we learn more about each planet and its unique characteristics. The children love our planet song and request to hear it every day!
After spending weeks collecting all the amazing questions and curiosities the children had about the natural world, it was time to dive into action! We discovered that many of their questions were alike, so we created various exciting research topics. Each child got to pick a topic they were interested in learning more about and exploring further. In the upcoming week, we will work together in small groups to research and unravel the mysteries behind our questions, welcoming any new ones that pop up along the way. If you’d like to see the questions and topics we’re exploring, please click
here.
* Please note that we try to keep the children’s questions as close to their original voice as possible. While you may notice some grammatical errors, it’s important to support their learning by repeating their thoughts correctly, rather than correcting them outright. This helps them develop their communication skills naturally.
Self-management skills
Self-management skills play a vital role in the K1 classroom, empowering young learners to take ownership of their actions, emotions, and behaviours. These skills provide children with valuable tools to regulate themselves, make positive choices, and actively participate in the learning process. In our Monkey class, we continually practice these skills as a group and as individuals. This practice encourages self-reflection and fosters a supportive community where we help one another. It's also an opportunity for us to celebrate our daily achievements, no matter how big or small. To make it easier for children to understand their progress, we use a traffic light system and have multiple circle times discussions to reflect. Throughout the year, we will continue working on these skills, showcasing our growth. It's important to remember that our abilities can change over time. To help children assess their progress, we use the following language: Red (Stop) - I need help. Yellow (Get Ready) - I'm am learning to do it by myself. Green (Go) - I can do it by myself!
I've included an image below to show you where each class has ranked themselves as a collective group. It's interesting to see the similarities in our progress between the morning and afternoon sessions.
Essential Agreements
We have created Essential Agreements that outline how we can all feel happy and safe at school. These agreements serve as our classroom rules, ensuring that every child has a voice and understands the promises we make to one another. As we developed these agreements, we found it valuable to explore two IB Learner Profile attributes: caring and principled. Here is a quick look at the agreements, which the children will start signing today using their fingerprint. We are also working on a more visual display for our classroom using the children's own photos.
Number Exploration
I have noticed an increased interest in numbers among the children. Many continue enjoy role-playing as ‘Bus Mothers,’ walking around and asking who needs to go on their bus. To support this interest, we added number stickers to our mark-making area, which has helped the children identify numbers while also enhancing their fine motor skills. It’s wonderful to see them tracing numbers and even attempting to draw them independently. With this newfound enthusiasm, we plan to incorporate more number opportunities and games in the coming weeks.
Google Photos & Spotify Playlist
As always, we encourage you to stay connected with us through Google Albums and Spotify, where we share glimpses of our classroom adventures
Parent Storyteller
Thank you so much to our recent parent storyteller this is a highlight of the children's week and we can't wait to see more of you throughout the year. I have also created a
Parent Storyteller Google Album. I will upload photos throughout the year so parents are able to download the photos should they wish to.
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend ahead. Until next time, take care!
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