This month's theme is "Fall"
Last month’s theme, Ready for school, got all the children excited for learning at school. We focused on reading and writing, both in English and Chinese. Due to the poor air quality, we spent the majority of the time indoors, encouraging children to be creative and have fun inside the classrooms. We played lots of class games, learned and memorized some Chinese poems, practiced writing names after learning about phonetics, and performed scientific experiments.
Our learning through play will continue to progress throughout our daily activities. The children will continue to build on new skills daily; please continue encouraging them to practice these skills at home. This month, we encourage parents to build a reading routine with their child(ren) at home. At school, we instill strong reading habits to the children by reading stories multiple times a day. At home, they should demonstrate this habit with parents before bedtime. This is a habit we encourage all children to build on in and outside of the classroom to be fluent and successful readers.
October is a season of change. We see it in the weather and in the color of the leaves. This month, we will explore items related to the fall season: leaves, pinecones, pumpkins, Halloween, etc. and perform activities with these given items. We will sing songs and read books about Halloween and fall. We will carve and paint pumpkins, encouraging children to explore the characteristics of a pumpkin (texture, weight, etc.)
ENRICHMENTS FOR THE MONTH:
- Read and memorize Chinese poems –“Direction” (认方向), “The Garden” (花园), “In the Park” (公园里), and “Looking for a Friend” (找朋友), then present them in front of everyone (practice public speaking).
- Learn and Write Chinese Characters: numbers 11-20, body parts (continue).
OCTOBER EVENT:
We will be having a Halloween costume parade on school campus on Wednesday, October 28. Please have your kid(s) dress up in a costume!
- Please make sure the costume doesn’t have any fake weapons and it isn’t too scary looking for younger kids
- We will watch a Halloween movie in the afternoon, please send an extra set of comfy clothes.
WEEKLY LESSON PLAN FOR THE MONTH:
THEME: FALL
WEEK | MATH/SHAPE | LITERACY | STEM/SCIENT | SOCIAL EMOTION |
1: Fall leaves | Sorting leaves by shapes, sizes, colors… | Why do fall leaves change color? | Sink and float experiment: acorn, pinecone, pumpkin, stone and leave | Identity of self in relation to others: (Express simple ideas about self and connection to others) |
2: Pinecones (A symbol of Fall) | Comparing sizes/shapes/ weights | What are pine cones good for?/What is the main function of a pine cone? | Can I grow a tree from a pine cone? | Social and Emotional understanding: (Identify own or others’ feelings) |
3: Pumpkins exploration
| Shape, color, texture of pumpkins. | Compound words: scarecrow, haystack, cornfield, cornbread, farmhouse, pinecone… | Which weighs more? /Explore the inside of the pumpkin. | Relationships and social interactions with familiar adults/peers: (Sharing ideas or experiences, solving simple problems, cooperative play with peers, taking turns) |
4: Halloween
| Sorting objects Counting & quantities (50-100 in English and Chinese) | Books/songs about Halloween
Fall Bingo Games | How plants “drink” water? | Symbolic and sociodramatic play: (Engage in pretend play sequences) |
Thank you,
Golden Bay Preschool