November got off to an exciting start as we welcomed two new members to our Waterfall family: our new international facilitator, Ms. Farima, and a lovely new learner!Ms. Farima entered the classroom looking a little nervous at first, but it didn’t take long for her to join the children. She began asking questions such as, “What’s your name?” and “What are you playing?” and quickly started building connections with everyone. Before long, she was happily playing alongside the children!During her first lesson, we started with our morning meeting, where everyone practiced saying each other’s names and introducing themselves. We then looked at pictures of faces showing different expressions and talked about how our facial expressions can communicate our feelings. The children used their favorite colors to decorate the faces in their own creative ways. It was a fun activity that gave us another opportunity to explore how we express our feelings!
Playing Together with Friends!
During outdoor play, we have noticed that the children’s desire to play together is growing stronger. They want to use the same equipment, play with the same toys, or enjoy the same spaces. Sometimes, this can lead to disagreements when everyone has different ideas or wants the same thing.What has been wonderful to see is that the children are increasingly trying to resolve these situations themselves. We hear expressions such as “Later!”, “No, thank you,” and “Let’s play together!” as they learn to communicate their feelings and find ways to play together. We are amazed by how much progress they are making!Of course, there are still times when children find it difficult to share their belongings or personal space. However, when they manage to understand each other and enjoy playing together, their happy and excited expressions say it all!Rather than immediately providing another toy or stepping in to solve every disagreement, we want to give the children time and space to think, communicate, and work things out together, while offering support when needed.
UOI – Express Our Feelings
In our UOI, we explored the connection between colors and emotions through the story The Color Monster, which we read in both Japanese and English.We talked about how different feelings can be represented by colors and explored the kinds of situations that might make us feel certain emotions.For this activity, each child created their own original monster by choosing and coloring their favorite colors. We then asked, “When do you feel this way?”Some children found it a little difficult to imagine specific situations connected to certain emotions, while others simply answered, “I’m always happy!” We also heard some lovely answers based on their own experiences, such as “When I see my daddy,” “When someone buys me a snack,” and “When I open the front door.”Many children especially wanted to express feelings such as happiness and love. As a result, we created a wonderful collection of colorful and adorable monsters!We are planning to give the children an opportunity to introduce their monsters to the class and share their ideas. After that, we will display their creations in the hallway. We hope you enjoy seeing them!
Getting Ready for the December Winter Show!
Starting next week, we will gradually begin preparing for our December Winter Show.Through reading lots of storybooks and enjoying pretend play, we will explore how the characters might feel and how we can express those feelings through our roles.We would love for you to continue this exploration at home, too! When reading a story together, try asking questions such as, “How do you think this character is feeling right now?” or “Why do you think they feel that way?”Sharing your own thoughts, such as “I think they might feel this way because…” can also encourage children to consider different perspectives and broaden their thinking.Rather than focusing only on finding the right answer, let’s enjoy discovering different feelings, ideas, and ways of thinking together!With our new members joining the Waterfall family, our classroom is becoming even more lively and full of energy. We look forward to another month of discoveries, meaningful connections, and wonderful growth together!
↑This is one of WF’s favorite seasonal songs♪
