This week in PE.......

This week in PE / Health / Wellness

The past 2 weeks have been moving fast as Lower School Physical Education has moved through many topics.  We have worked on everything from jump rope all the way up to working on our basketball skills.  In health we have gone over the what makes individuals unique in a positive way talking about different things that we may do that others may not.

In physical education in grades 1 and 2 we put a focus on our cardiovascular systems and worked on our jump roping skills.  We worked on a build up of different skills that brought us to the point of jumping rope individually and as a group.  In grades 3 and 4 we had been working on our football skills which culminated in small sided flag football games.  We then moved forward into basketball this past week and have started working on skills such as dribbling, passing, layups, and shooting the basketball.

As it pertained to health we set a focus in sportsmanship as well as uniqueness this past week.  In kindergarten we have been putting a focus on what respect means and how to know we are showing respect towards ourself and others.  In grades 1 and 2 we continue to focus in on how to interact with each other in positive ways.  In grades 3 and 4 we jumped into what makes us special and unique, focusing in on the positives.

It has been an exciting couple of weeks.  We look forward to a exciting last week before break and wish everyone a happy new year.

Mariposa Monarca en primer (1º) grado / Monarch Butterfly in first (1st) grade)

To integrate with their social studies unit on México and the journey of the monarch butterflies, the first graders have been learning the Spanish vocabulary for the metamorphosis stages of a butterfly and its characteristics. Through read alouds and flashcards, we began by learning the words for the life cycle and playing many games to help reinforce the vocabulary learned.

huevo – egg

oruga – caterpillar

crisálida – chrysalis

mariposa monarca – monarch butterfly

algondoncillo - milkweed

We then learned the terms for the characteristics of the mariposa.

cabeza – head

tórax – thorax

abdomen - abdomen

ojos compuestos – compound eyes

probóscides – proboscis

antenas - antennae

patas – legs

alas – wings

The first graders had a fabulous time playing many rounds of matamoscas (fly swatters), Bingo, ¿Qué falta? (What’s missing?), and Nombra la parte (Name/Label the part). 

These games were just a few of the fun ways that got everyone practicing their memory skills as well as using their hands, improving fine motor skills and vocabulary. And, to provide the opportunity for gross-motor movement the students were introduced to a song and were invited to dance as they watched the video in English and in Spanish. The song is titled, “Going Down to Mexico” by Lucas Miller and the Spanish version is sung by Sue Young, Rumbo a México.

ENGLISH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_1xC_nTDCY 

Monarch Butterfly Song: migration to Mexico & life cycle

SPANISH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqa8-kVwO4M

Canción de la mariposa monarca: Sue Young sings Spanish version of Lucas Miller’s monarch song

Kindergarten and Third Grade Meeting Partners

There is a  unique kind of learning that happens when we pair older and younger students together.   The older students encounter a new level of responsibility, as they are given the task of guiding the younger students through activities and Meeting For Worship.  The third graders develop greater reflective ability, as they assess their own actions in the new light of modeling behavior for their younger partners.  The kindergartners are essentially star struck by "the big kids." and they bask in the attention and connection.  The kindergartners feel a deeper sense of safety and belonging in the school community, and the happiness they feel is evident in the way that they greet their partners in the hall, in the classroom, and on the playground.  When children feel more securely connected to their school community, they are better able to learn and thrive.  The third graders got to model their reading skills for the kindergartners earlier this week, as they read books to the students before going to Meeting For Worship.  We have found that engaging the children in quiet activities before the journey to the meetinghouse settles them in a way that makes the experience more comfortable and meaningful.

Looking Ahead: January Adult Book Club Selection

Join us for our next Lower School Book Club for adults led by Ann Botel-Barnard, our Language Arts Specialist. We are excited to come together to share a love for a great story! This book is on Maureen Corrigan’s (NPR) list of best books from 2019.

Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger

Location: Lower School Library from 8-9am

Date: January 24, 2020

Enjoy a light breakfast and great conversation as we discuss what we loved about the book, what we had questions about and what we could connect to. Feel free to join us even if you have not read the entire book. You will still have a lot to contribute and the discussion will enhance your reading of the book. You are welcome to bring adult friends and relatives that are also interested in discussing this book. RSVP: abotel-barnard@abingtonfriends.net

Sharing Encouragement and Holding Others in Light

This week classes and extended day students took time to share encouragement and hold others in the light of community by making cards for Pickleberry Pie, which is a public charity that brings the healing power of music to children who are seriously ill or have special needs, through a national network of musicians. 

Each month Pickleberry Pie sends musicians and entertainers into hospitals around the country to sing for kids and their families, bringing comfort, relief and joy during a difficult time. When you’re in the hospital it’s wonderful to know that someone else cares. The card making activity is simple, yet powerful. Writing positive messages to kids who are undergoing treatment makes everyone feel better, both the giver and the recipient.

Identidad y la ropa en primera infancia / Identity and Clothes in Early Childhood

Identity and belonging are about children developing a positive sense of who they are, and feeling that they are valued and respected as part of a family and a community. In Spanish class, opportunities and activities are provided to help nurture these concepts so that each student can feel that they have a place and a right to belong here at AFS.

A most recent activity offered is one I call the “Identity Persona Project”. To start the conversation, we began by discussing the many ways we are all igual y diferente (same and different). We all have a cuerpo (body) but the shapes, sizes, and shades are different. That is true for our ojos (eyes), pelo (hair), piel (skin) and other attributes. To guide our conversations, we read various books.

We then focused our attention on something we all share the same yet our choices are different; the clothes we wear. The young learners were introduced to the Spanish words that describe basic items worn to cover our body; ropa. To help with vocabulary retention, many games were played.

Vocabulary:

ropa – clothes

camisa de mangas largas - long sleeves shirt

camisa – shirt

vestido - dress

saya- skirt

pantalones - pants

pantalones corto - shorts

zapatos - shoes

botas - boots

tenis – tennis shoes / sneakers

To culminate the study, our talented art teacher, Amanda, and I combined EC’s art and español classes. Each student was given the opportunity to “dress” their own Wonderfoam Body©, “Identity Persona”, that come in multicultural colors.

A highlight of the project was pairing the students with their 2^nd grade buddies.  After picking the foam shaped body they felt came closest to their piel tone, the students were invited to dress their persona with their choice of ropa. As the students designed their attire from a variety of fabric prints, they were encouraged to apply their new vocabulary by stating what piece of garment they were constructing. Putting their fine motor skills to work, the students traced stencils unto fabric pieces and then cut them out.

Los Cardenales are done with their project and soon Los Catbirds will have their chance. Once all are done, the amazing work of our youngest learners and their second grade buddies will be displayed on the wall next to the LS library. Stay tuned. I guarantee, it will be a spectacular display of the array of Identity Personas in our EC classrooms!