This week was filled with celebrations, teamwork, responsibility, and learning about how we can care for and help one another in our classroom community. We began the week by celebrating the birthdays of our friends who were born in July. Two of our Savanna friends celebrated their 5th birthdays. The highlight of the party was Ms. Fronie’s balloon experiment, where she demonstrated how to inflate a balloon using vinegar and baking soda. As the balloons grew bigger, different balloon characters appeared, and the children excitedly called out the names of their favorite characters, creating a joyful and lively atmosphere. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to celebrate friendship and make happy memories together.
As part of our Unit of Inquiry (UOI), we explored how we can be helpful to our teachers and friends in the classroom. During our discussions, the children shared many thoughtful ideas about helping others, such as wiping tables before lunch, listening carefully, and having a quiet nap. We then discussed different helper roles in the classroom, including Lunch/Snack Helpers, Circle Time Helpers, Workstation Helpers, and Lesson Helpers. After learning about these responsibilities, the children eagerly began carrying out their roles. Our Circle Time Helpers confidently led the morning dance, helped with the calendar activity, and worked together to support the class. It was wonderful to see the children developing responsibility, independence, and teamwork skills.
To deepen their understanding of cooperation, the children participated in a problem-solving activity during UOI. They were divided into two groups: Problem Makers and Problem Solvers. This activity encouraged them to work together, communicate effectively, and think of solutions as a team. During our reflection, the children shared insightful thoughts about why teamwork is important. Some of their responses included:“We help with cleaning up.”“Helping is caring.”“If only one person is working, he/she will get tired.”“If we all help, we can finish cleaning up faster.”The children demonstrated a growing understanding that working together helps everyone succeed and creates a caring classroom community. They concluded the lesson by promising to be caring, helpful, and responsible every day.
In our Phonics lessons, we continued practicing reading short vowel /a/ CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. This week, we focused on the -am word family, including words such as jam, ham, dam, ram, Sam, and yam. The children enthusiastically practiced blending sounds and reading the words aloud. To make learning more engaging, we incorporated movement into our lessons, and the children enjoyed reading while stomping, clapping, and jumping like Super Mario. Their energy and excitement made phonics practice both fun and memorable!We also enjoyed plenty of opportunities for fun and creativity this week.
Overall, this week’s learning helped the children understand that everyone has a role to play in our classroom community. Through celebrations, helper responsibilities, problem-solving activities, and phonics, the children learned that being caring, helping others, and working together are important ways to support one another and create a happy classroom. We are proud of the kindness, cooperation, and responsibility our Savanna friends demonstrated this week and look forward to another exciting week of learning together! 🌟😊
