Early Childhood Curriculum Update
November/December 2018
Mott Class - Preschool
Thankfulness was much of our focus in November. Understanding the idea of gratitude can be a tall order for preschoolers. Books like Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson helped us realize the importance of good friends and good food.
With an abundance of apples filling our refrigerator, we tried our hands at making apple crisp. Each student made an individual crisp in a mug. Chopping and seasoning apples and mixing a crumb topping filled the room with delicious smells. Warm apple crisp on a chilly fall afternoon – perfect!
In preparation for our shared Thanksgiving meal with the Rustin class we read Garden Safari Vegetable Soup by Marianne Welsh. We identified a variety of fruits and vegetables that would be the ingredients in our fruit salad and vegetable soup. Busy hands peeled and chopped, but snowy weather caused our feast to be canceled.
December was a busy time in the Mott class as we prepared for our show as well as the holidays. Our theme for the Early Childhood Show was Winter Songs. Discussions in class centered on the signs of winter: clothes we wear, colder temperatures, animals preparing for winter, and less daylight.
We learned three new songs: “Mittens on My Hand,” “Snow is Falling,” and “Snowy Pokey” as well as choreography with props. Our rehearsals were filled with fun and laughter. Our performance, the first ever for some of the Mott students, was a huge hit. The Big Room was packed with a loving, appreciative audience.
For the remainder of December, we focused on preparing gifts as well as our Wishes for the World. We talked about why we give gifts to people we love. A favorite story was Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas by Jan Waldron. An angel pig visits a pig family and shows them the true meaning of Christmas. The book was a good segue into talks about wishes for the world.
Our final day of December ended with a delicious shared meal of vegetable soup, fruit salad, and fresh bread prepared by the Mott and Rustin Classes. Sharing a meal with friends was a lovely way to end 2018.
Rustin Class - Kindergarten
The Rustin Class has been studying what makes a city, how a city is planned and developed and what things are specific to a city (such as subways). We researched books about cities and went downtown in Quakertown to take notes about a city. We drew a lot of pictures with tall buildings and people and lots of cars. During our study of the city, we noticed that non-fiction books we used had “cut-aways” in the photos. We learned that a cut-away is a picture of the inside of an item and have been drawing cut-aways in our notes.
The Rustin Class was responsible for the pretzel sale this month. We sold all 150 pretzels, raising over $100, which we donated to various organizations helping people and animals affected by the California Wildfires.
About UFS
Email: frontoffice@unitedfriendsschool.org
Website: unitedfriendsschool.org
Location: 1018 West Broad St Quakertown PA 18951
Phone: 215-538-1733
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Twitter: @quakerschool