PK3.3 News - Pets
25th - 29th April 2016
Happy 4th Birthday Rodrigo
This week we wish Rodrigo a very happy 4th birthday!
Rodrigo's Mom Pilar, his sister Jiménea and cousin Ignacio all joined us Monday to wish him the happiest of 4th birthdays! We shared birthday songs and an ENORMOUS chocolate cake!! Happy Birthday Rodrigo!
What do pets eat?
This week we have been learning about what pets eat. During our morning circle times we have been discussing questions such as;
- What do pets eat?
- How do pets eat?
- Do you think our pet is a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore?
- What things would we see in a pet store?
We looked at different types of animal food and talked about how an animal would it eat. What type of teeth they had (if any!) and how many times a day do animals eat.
Using the words CARNIVORE, HERBIVORE and OMNIVORE with picture examples, the children were able to identify which animals eat just meat, which eat just seeds and plants and which were OMNIVORES who eat both.
This week Ms Jeanette forgot how to count to 10. Ohh no!! Luckily PK3 are super smart and came to the rescue. Working together they rearranged my numbers until they were back in order and we counted 1 -10 again, just to check!
We used the numbers to chart how many times we thought Waffles ate each day. Afterwards we left paper and a pencil next to her cage so the children could mark each time they saw her eat. Would you believe on Friday she ate a whopping 21 times!! :)
As a group we also agreed our rules for keeping Waffles the Hamster safe and happy. The children have been taking turns each day to check on Waffles and give her food or water if she needs it. And the occasional carrot or piece of broccoli!
They are also remembering to use their classroom voices if she is sleeping and to look with their eyes, not their hands! We have such a kind and caring class.
In small groups this week we have been :
- exploring patterning with wiggly worms and colorful beads. PK have been creating wonderful patterns with 2 or 3 choices of color and extending it all the way to the end of their worms.
- creating pets using manipulatives such as play dough, felt, googly eyes and pipe cleaners. We have had chickens, ducks, fish and spiders to name but a few.
- identifying and building numbers 1 to 10 using snap cubes. Extending number skills and strengthening those tiny hand muscles.
Letter hunt
Armed with a bag of alphabet letters and labels from pet food products PK3 rose to the challenge of identifying, writing and finding different letters as they pulled them from the bag.
Recognizing environmental print is one of the beginning stages of literacy development. Children get excited as they "read" the print around them. When they begin to understand that letters and symbols have meaning it builds their confidence and they begin to feel like successful "readers" , motivating them to read more. You can encourage your children by asking them to "read" the print they see around them when you are at the supermarket, the cinema, or even when reading the cereal box at breakfast!
In the garden this week.........
......PK3 have been tasting our homegrown papaya from our PK Papaya tree. They love working in our garden with Ms Sharon so much and it is so nice to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor and try everything they grow there.
It was also time to harvest some ripe green peppers, as well as weed and water the flowerbeds.
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN READING THIS WEEK?
Dog Treats
On Thursday I invited the children to join me in making a healthy dog treat together. We talked about how a recipe tells us how to prepare the food and how much we need of each ingredient. We examined the ingredients, checking for smell, texture and in some cases taste!
It's great to get the children involved in preparing food. They really enjoyed the responsibility of grating the carrot and counted out all the ingredients to make sure we had everything. They used wonderfully descriptive words such as sticky, gooey and gluey as they rolled the mixture into balls.
Unfortunately I only managed to send some treats home as my own dog Bailey enjoyed as they were cooling from the oven!! I hope your dog enjoyed them too!!
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Pink Shirt Day: Wednesday 4th May
ISP will once again be celebrating Pink Shirt Day in Panama on Wednesday May 4th. This is an initiative that started in Canada and is now celebrated internationally. It's objective is to unite people against bullying and bullying behaviors. Last year, a former ISP student, Rosa Parks, helped to launch Pink Shirt Day in Panama by creating an NGO (non-governmental organization) that will serve to educate school communities in Panama about bullying. Her organization is working with a team of psychologists that volunteer and meet with various members of the school community to educate them on this pertinent topic.
Please send your children wearing something PINK on Wednesday as we unite to stop bullying.
PK ART SHOW - FRIDAY 6TH MAY
The Music Man: Thursday 5th and Friday 6th May
We are very excited for the upcoming Elementary School Musical; The Music Man. All of the students and teachers have put their heart and souls into this production and we can't wait to share it with the ISP community! We are hoping that you can make the show on Thursday May 5th at 4:30pm or Friday May 6th at 6pm.
Student tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased from the main office starting April 25, and the elementary office from May 2. Adult tickets are $10. Tickets will also be available on the door each night.