Plum Garden Kindergarten News December 3-18

Plum Garden Kindergarten – December 3 – 18

The Plum Garden bi-weekly subject planners are listed below:

Language: We will review all of the vocabulary in lesson one and two. We will continue to focus on simple sentence structures. The children will play Chinese Scrabble to practice their phrase and sentence exercises. We will learn lesson three “长大 Grow up”. We will learn 下 (down), 三 (three), 鱼 (fish), 河 (river), 大 (big), 光 (light), (middle), 在 (in, on, at, by). The children will learn related vocabularies from our weekly inquiries: Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas

Math: We will continue to learn numbers from everyday calendar activities. In these few weeks, the children will learn “more” and “less” and “longer” and “shorter”. They will learn how to compare more or less objects. We will learn how to estimate the object’s quantity and length and also how to measure length. The children will recognize and count with numbers 1-20, write numbers 1-20, and understand math vocabulary used in correspondence with measuring activities to learn various ways things can be measured.

Art: We will use play dough to make a candleholder and a paper dreidel for Chanukah, we will weave a place mat for Kwanzaa, and the children will make Christmas cards for their classmates and family members. We will use paper plates to make a Christmas tree and we will also make a Christmas stocking.

Social Studies and PSE: We will discover holiday celebrations in different cultures. We will inquire into Chanukah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, and Christmas. We will discuss about how Jewish people celebrate Chanukah, how African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa, and how everybody celebrates Christmas. We will learn about the traditional Chanukah and Kwanzaa games and foods. By the end of the unit, the children will be able to answer these questions: What traditional symbols represent Christmas? What are the differences and similar between the Hanukkah menorah and the Kwanzaa kinara? Why are the seven principles of Kwanzaa so important for African Americans and what do they stand for? What are their meanings? We will also learn about the Winter Solstice and why Chinese people eat rice balls during this time.

Science: We will continue to observe our Jade plant.

Geography: We will learn the origins of Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas through stories.

P.E: Its jump rope time—we will learn how to jump like a grasshopper. The children will learn how to jump over a stationary rope several times in succession, using forward, back, and side-to-side patterns of movement. The children will learn how to use their locomotor skills in this exercise.

Cooking: On the last day, we will make red bean and rice ball soup (Tangyuan 汤圆) to celebrate the Winter Solstice before we leave for winter break. We will need two volunteers for this cooking project. Please let me know if you are interested in helping. The cooking class will be starting at 1pm. We will enjoy Tangyuan during the multicultural party.

Singing: We will sing “光明节的陀螺转转转 / dreidel and 圣诞老公公来了 / Santa is coming.”

谢谢，
Kai Laoshi