What a wonderful week we’ve had in Savanna Class! We started the week with a memorable sweet potato harvesting experience at one of our Savanna family’s farm. The children enjoyed digging in the soil, discovering sweet potatoes of different shapes and sizes, and celebrating each find together. A big thank-you to the family for this special experience!
We also began our Unit 3 inquiry, Celebrations! Through a provocation featuring real objects and pictures related to different celebrations, such as jack-o’-lanterns, Christmas trees, cakes, Halloween treat bags, and osechi (traditional Japanese New Year’s food), the children explored what these items might have in common. They shared their observations, made predictions, and connected the objects to their own experiences. We were delighted to see how many celebrations the children could identify just by looking at the objects and pictures! By the end of the activity, one child successfully guessed our new unit’s central topic, saying, “I think it’s about celebrations because those are the things we use when we celebrate something.” What a wonderful connection!
To encourage curiosity and critical thinking, the children participated in our “Notice, Wonder & Think” activity, sharing what they noticed, what they wondered about, and what they thought they already knew about celebrations. We also explored their prior knowledge by sorting celebration picture cards onto a calendar according to when they thought each celebration takes place. As they shared their ideas and predictions, we gained valuable insights into what they already know and what they are curious to discover about celebrations in Japan.
The Savanna students got creative as they made their own jack-o’-lanterns in preparation for our Halloween party! They carefully cut orange paper strips and created eyes, noses, and mouths to give their pumpkins unique expressions. Through this hands-on activity, the children practiced their scissor skills, creativity, and fine motor coordination. We loved seeing their different designs come to life! 🧡👻
To wrap up the week, we enjoyed a fun visit to the park with our RF friends, playing on the play structures and enjoying exciting games of tag together. Back in the classroom, we watched stories about different celebrations and shared ideas for our upcoming Winter Show. The children enthusiastically contributed their thoughts, listened to one another, and worked together to come up with a wonderful idea! 🤫✨ We’ll keep it a secret for now!
We look forward to more exciting discoveries as we continue exploring Celebrations. Have a wonderful weekend, Savanna families! ❤️
