Our 4AM preschool class has been busy exploring their world with their five senses and learning about the world beyond our Medfield community as we engage in activities reflected in diverse celebrations.
Five Senses
Over the past few weeks, the children learned that we have five senses- sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. They first learned about our sense of sight and completed several activities in which their sight was needed. Students played a game where they made imprints of objects in playdoh and then asked a friend to guess the object. They also played a game where several objects were placed on a tray. While one friend hid their eyes, the other removed an object. The object was to guess which object had been removed.
We also discussed what it might be like not to be able to use your sense of sight. Students were introduced to braille writing as a way to read when one cannot see the words. After reading the book Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena in which a blind man uses his sense of hearing to determine what is happening in his surroundings, we did the same. We also discussed how some people who are blind may use a cane or a dog to help them navigate their surroundings.
Next, students engaged in activities around their sense of touch. We discussed how we touch things with our hands or skin. The sensations are felt by our nerves and these nerves send messages to our brain. Students practiced touching different surfaces, created a touch collage with a variety of textures, tried to guess the contents inside touch balloons and played a game where they tried to guess what item from a visual list was inside different boxes. The children also practiced orally using adjectives to describe objects. Using a touch box, students put their hand inside and felt for an object. They then described the object for the class to guess.
We also read the story Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. In this story, there are seven blind mice who run into a strange object. Each mouse feels a part of the object and thinks it is something different. The last mouse runs along the entire object and realizes that it is an elephant.
We had a wonderful time with our sense of hearing, especially making and playing with instruments. After reading, The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, the children embarked on their own listening walk around the school. We heard music, singing, doors closing, pencils tapping, feet shuffling, children laughing and more. The children were surprised by how many sounds they could hear when they sat still and focused only on this sense.
The students also played a game where they were given an egg shaker with something inside. They had to find the partner with the matching sound for their egg only by shaking and listening. At our science center, students shook different boxes of items to determine which items were inside. They then matched the boxes to visual pictures. We integrated sound into our daily activities by adding instruments to our songs and playing "Guess the Sound" games.
Students played different instruments and had an instrument parade.
Students learned about their sense of smell as well. At the science center, they sat and sniffed smelling bottles with different items such as chocolate, coffee, oranges, flowers, garlic and more. They sniffed to determine the item that matched a picture. Students also sniffed common items and determined smells they like and those that they don't like. We read the book, Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup.
Determining what is in a container based on how it smells.
Celebrations Around the World
Also during this time, we have been learning about different family traditions and celebrations. We have been highlighting several ideas for each holiday so that they can be compared and contrasted:
-What is the meaning or purpose of the holiday?
-Who celebrates?
-How many days does it last?
-What foods are eaten?
-What activities are done during the celebration?
-Are there special items or symbols?
-Are there special decorations?
Since Diwali recently passed, we started with this celebration of the Hindu New Year. Miss Padmaja shared her experiences with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It lasts for five days and during that time families do many different activities. They clean their house, make diyas and rangoli, eat delicious foods and treats, wear traditional Indian clothing, gather with family, exchange gifts and watch fireworks. Miss Padmaja brought in some examples of a diya (oil lamp) and rangoli. The children had the opportunity to make diyas out of clay and rangoli sand paintings. We also listened to Diwali music and the students engaged in math and literacy activities centered around the celebration.
Students made beautiful sand rangoli art.
Miss Padmaja taught the children how to make diya oil lamps out of clay. The children rolled and shaped the dough, painted them after they dried and added glitter.
Miss Padmaja also read the students a story called Binny's Diwali by Thrity Umrigar.
Next, on the first day of Hanukkah, students learned about the Jewish festival of lights. We began with a brief history of how some people had taken an important Jewish temple and destroyed what was inside. We talked about how the Jewish people must have felt and made a slight comparison to how it feels when someone takes your toy. Then I explained that the Jewish people got their temple back and again we talked about how they might have felt, similar to when you have your toy returned. The Jewish people had a celebration, but they only had enough oil to light their menorah for one night. However, a miracle occurred when it stayed lit for eight! We discussed the meaning of miracle and the reason why Hanukkah lasts for eight nights. As a class we looked at a real menorah, counted it's candles and discussed how it would be lit over the next few weeks. We also talked about the Dreidel game and looked at the Hebrew symbols on dreidels. We will play the game tomorrow. Finally, we discussed traditional food eaten during Hanukkah such as latkes, gelt and jelly donuts. Comparisons were made between Hanukkah and Diwali.
Students practiced cutting, gluing and counting skills as they made their own Menorah.
Math and Literacy
As always math and literacy skills are embedded within our theme lessons, during read aloud or as part of our circle routine. We continue to practice counting and number recognition. Students have learned and are practicing writing the numbers 1 and 2. Students are matching quantities to numbers and making comparisons using the words more or less. We also are reviewing attributes of shapes.
While reading, we continue to identify different story elements such as beginning, middle and end, characters and setting. The children are discussing characters and the changes that they make throughout the story. Students are also working on phonological awareness skills by identifying beginning sounds, syllabicating words and producing rhymes.
