October 15, 2016
Apples, scarecrows, spiders oh my! Fall is in the air with the enticing aroma
of warm applesauce wafting through the halls of RAE. Where is it coming from? Kindergarten
of course! We have studied our five
senses and are using a multi-sensory approach to build our schema about
fall. We began introducing the concept
of schema (i.e., what you already know) by creating a yarn web right in the
center of our circle time with the children anchoring the web points with various
fall pictures. We learned that we can
increase our schema by reading books, having conversations with others and
being involved in new experiences.
These web like connections in their brains are improved when the
children have conversations and experiences during station time where the
children can sharpen their academic and social skills while having fun!
Kindergarten also had a
lot of fun during our recent fall festival!
We counted with spider rings, made pumpkin shapes using pattern blocks,
played pumpkin bingo with letters and sounds, did spider spelling word puzzles,
took scarecrow pictures, and made a spooky snack to highlight a few
activities. Parent volunteers came to
help us out and a good time was had by all.
I recently attended a workshop at Rice
University on the importance of play. It was refreshing to have scientific
research to confirm what RAE kinder teachers already hold as a precious part of
early childhood education. Play
promotes flexible thinking, social skills, higher cognitive function,
vocabulary, and enhances executive function.
Future employers are not only looking for employees with academic
abilities, but the ability to have flexible thinking and to get along with others. We are preparing them for their future when
we allow them to play.
By the way, there was a sighting of Debby Johnson and Jennifer
Perez rolling pumpkins down the hall last Friday, delivering the goods for our
next kindergarten adventure! Thank you
ladies!
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