Newsletter Kindergarden October 2020

Triggering Activity

The triggering activity is the first activity carried out in all our inquiry units. Its purpose is to develop the curiosity using the prior knowledge from the student in a creative way. Later the students arrive to a reflection that is used to look for and design the experiences that will allow learning.

Our students from K1 and K2 began this first school month with the transdisciplinary theme “Who We Are”, where they worked with central ideas such as: “By belonging to different groups, we acquire responsibilities that help their functioning.” and ¨Human beings seek to meet their physical needs.” Where interdependence between people and the environment is acknowledging, evaluating the world and recognizing their responsibilities before it and themselves.

Our K3 students began with “Where we are in place and time” and its central idea “Travel contributes to our personal stories.” Students learn to critically appreciate the stories, values, and ways of life of their peers and other people.

Cambridge, our new English program

In English we started working with the new Cambridge program, that begins every unit with “The Big Question”. This great question will be the main idea of the theme that will be developed in each of these units. The units have an approximate duration of one month during this term, areas such as vocabulary, concepts, language and oral presentation are covered, among others.

This is The Big Question of each grade on which this first unit is based on:

K1- What can we see at school? K2- What do you like about school? K3- What do we do at school?

Children and music: Knowing the instrument families       

LIN Samantha Vázquez Gallegos.

Music is always wonderful for children’s development. It helps them in many ways, bringing great benefits and advantages, including being much more creative.

Once the students have fallen in love with an instrument or with their own voice, they will try to experiment to the maximum with it, actively strengthening her own creativity, an area that is important in their development.

But how could you fall in love with the instrument of your dreams if you only know a few? Here is the importance of showing children all the possibilities there are when it comes to instruments. They not only know the instrument families, but also the way they are related, and where they were born; as well as the music they could play with them, giving them infinite possibilities when it comes to choosing. They know the sounds and color of each one, they begin to identify them and know the materials with which they were built. The children play, listen and learn, but they also have fun and enjoy strings, winds, and percussions’ family, and not only with the flute lady, the guitar lady or the piano man, who are super important, but not the only ones in the musical universe.

Remembering September

Independence Day

To celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, Miss Kari from our English team and Miss Carmen from the library prepared a fun puppet show for us, Miss Raque supported us by making the beautiful puppets and the stage. The information they shared with us was very interesting, we really enjoyed it while we learned.

Psychopedagogy

The importance of working fine motor skills.

Fine motor skills are those movements of the body that require more dexterity, precision and ability than any other type of movement, since it requires greater mastery and control, especially eye-hand-fingers. The development of a fine grip is what will later facilitate, writing. It is important to work on these skills from an early age to have perfect control in adolescence and adulthood.

At home, fine motor skills can be stimulated according to the child’s age with tasks such as:

1 year: form towers with large cubes, press sound toys, turn the pages of a large thick-page book.

2 years: squeezing stress balls, opening and closing pressure containers, rolling objects, pushing and moving objects.

3 years: transfer seeds of different sizes to stimulate grip with fingers, open and close screw cap containers.

4 years: place clothespins on a cardboard, fill with play doh paths traced on a sheet.

5 years: use pencils and watercolors, press droppers to transfer liquids drop by drop, make figures with play doh.

Working on fine motor skills at an early age can help a good motor development and, this way, avoid problems when it is time to reach the development of writing.

Face COVID-19 with a good diet at home

Today, more than ever, we must lead an active life not only to reduce the severity of an infection, but also to prevent diseases seen at increasingly early ages as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, that damage the body and our quality of life.

Facing COVID19 pandemic, it is very important to protect our children and teenagers by eating a healthy diet at home, keeping them healthy and active, and with a strong immune system.

Including a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

Vegetables and fruits should be the protagonists at each meal, whether cooked or raw.

Eat citrus fruits like oranges and strawberries; berries and red fruits, with a high level of vitamin C and flavonoids; or yellow, orange and green leafy vegetables, which provide beta-carotene, a relevant antioxidant in skin and mucous immunity.

Prioritize some foods

• whole grains and lean meats, great contributors of B vitamins and amino acids to build the components of the immune system, as well as iron and zinc, deficiencies of which can depress the immune system.

• yogurt and fermented milk drinks, which through their microorganisms not only improve our intestinal immunity but also increase our resistance to these infections and have a healthy microbiota.

• dried fruits, which in addition to zinc contain antioxidants such as selenium and vitamin E. And finally, some mushrooms and garlic have also been attributed antiviral and antibacterial effects.

Adjusting in case of being sick.

If we get sick at home, we must maintain a soft and nutritious diet, prioritizing fruit and vegetables while maintaining proper hydration. Chicken soup and omega-3 fats from fish can help relieve some symptoms such as a sore throat and in recovery from flu or catarrhal states.

Prepare menus with an ideal combination.

You must keep proper proportions on your food plate to make healthy dishes: including one serving of raw vegetables every day, adding vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts to maintain a sufficient protein intake and also alternate with meat and other products of animal origin.

Restrict high-calorie and low-nutrient ingredients.

Special days in October