Hello wonderful families!

Our tree study continued this week, filled with curiosity, questions, and joyful discoveries. We are so fortunate to have beautiful trees right outside our school, giving us endless opportunities for learning and wonder.

Becoming Dendrologists!

This week we learned a big new word: dendrologist! A scientist who studies trees! The children proudly took on this role. With magnifying glasses, they observed branches, roots, and leaves more closely. They were asked guiding questions to help them think about what branches are, where they come from, and what a tree would look like without them.

Together we discovered that branches are like the tree’s arms. They hold leaves to catch sunlight and make food, and they carry flowers, fruits, and seeds so the tree can grow. Branches also give homes to birds, squirrels, and bugs. The children even connected this idea to their own bodies, inspired by the book Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari, which helped them imagine themselves standing tall and branching out like a tree.

Back in the classroom, the children drew trunks on paper, then glued brown lunch bags onto them to create textured bark. Then they painted the trunks in the colors of their choice, since tree trunks are not always just brown. This hands-on activity deepened their understanding of what we observed outside.

Learning rich vocabulary like dendrologist is something that makes our school special. Even at a young age, the children are excited to use scientific words, which builds their confidence and shows how capable they are of exploring big ideas.

Looking Closely at Trunks and Roots

We reviewed that the inside of the tree is called the trunk, and the outside is called the bark. The children were fascinated to notice how different each tree looks. With crayons and paper, they made rubbings of the bark and discovered the unique patterns and textures hidden in the trunks around our school.

As they worked, the children touched the trees and noticed how the bark felt. They were asked to compare rough and smooth textures and to think about why bark might feel different from one tree to another. Their natural curiosity turned into an important sensory exploration.

Roots and Stability

We discussed the role of roots in providing trees with stability. For our test, the children created trees with pipe cleaners to represent roots. We compared one tree with long, strong roots to one with short roots and placed them in the same container of sand. During the “shake test,” the children predicted which tree would stay standing. They were amazed to see the tree with long roots remain tall while the short-rooted tree toppled over, leading to engaging discussions about the importance of roots.

Learning About Leaves

Our leaf explorations continued as we discussed their job: to catch sunlight so the tree can produce food. The children were asked to think about how trees get their food, and then they studied leaves with magnifying glasses, noticing veins, colors, and patterns that make each one unique.

As a class, we set up a science experiment where a green leaf was placed in a container of clean water and left in the sunlight. The children were asked to predict what might happen. After a while, they noticed tiny bubbles forming in the water. The children learned that these bubbles showed the leaf was alive, breathing, and making food with the help of the sun. To compare, we placed a dry leaf in another container of water, and no bubbles formed. The children concluded that the green leaf was alive and working, while the dry leaf no longer had that important job.

Math Through Trees, Sticks, and Patterns

Exploring trees gave us many opportunities to practice math in playful ways.

The children used their arms to “measure” tree trunks. Some could hug a tree all on their own, but for larger trees, two or more friends had to join hands. After each measurement, the children were asked to predict whether another tree would need the same number of children or more. We also measured another tree using our palms stretched out horizontally around the trunk. Then the children were asked to consider what would happen if they turned their palms vertically—would it take the same number of children, or would the number change? They loved making predictions and testing them out.

This activity gave us the chance to learn a big new math word: circumference. Practicing this vocabulary while exploring measurement in such hands-on ways made math both meaningful and fun.

We collected sticks, and the children sorted them into two groups: straight and curved. This gave them a chance to practice comparing, sorting, and learning the new math word curves. They measured sticks using connected links. They predicted how many links long a stick might be, then counted carefully and recorded the numbers. This gave them meaningful practice in number writing and recognition.

We even went on a leaf hunt, where each child collected leaves. They were asked to count how many they had and then color a picture of a leaf with the matching number. This playful activity supported number recognition and helped the children connect numbers with visuals.

The children worked with twigs and leaves to create patterns. They focused on making an AB pattern, such as twig–leaf, twig–leaf. They enjoyed building their repeating sequences and explaining their patterns to their classmates.

Literacy and Playful Learning

In literacy, we learned the letter E and modeled it with Play-Doh, which gave the children extra practice with letter formation and fine motor skills. We also shared Secret Stories, making literacy fun, imaginative, and memorable.

Every morning, children who want to share come to tell me a story. I write down their words, and later in the day, we act out the stories together as a class. Like every week, the children’s stories this week were unique and full of imagination. Many children eagerly asked to share their stories, showing excitement and joy at the chance to see their ideas come to life with their friends. This activity helps them see themselves as both authors and performers, building their confidence and creativity.

We read several books this week that connected beautifully to our learning. “Be a Tree! “by Maria Gianferrari inspired the children to imagine their own bodies as trees, helping them connect branches and arms in a very personal way. “Leaf Man” by Lois Ehlert inspired the children to imagine leaves taking on different shapes and forms.  We also read “Worry Worry Whale and the Classroom Jitters” by Deborah Diesen, which reminded the children that it is okay to have worries and that school is a safe place to share and learn together. And of course, the children were delighted by “The Gruffalo”, which sparked joy and imagination during story time.

Art Inspired by Nature

In art, the children’s creativity bloomed. They painted real branches with colors they chose themselves, then decorated them with pom-poms and cotton balls and other materials. These beautiful creations now brighten our classroom and remind us of the trees we are studying.

Another project this week was a process art activity with clay. The children rolled out clay, pressed a leaf into it, and then carefully removed the leaf so the imprint was left inside. We shaped the clay into a bowl so that each bowl would hold the mark of a leaf. We placed the bowls to dry, and the children couldn’t wait and went to check the next day if their bowls had dried so they could finish. Next week, they will have the joy of painting their unique creations.

Wonder and Curiosity
Throughout the week, the children’s ideas guided our learning. They explored by hugging trees and measuring trunks, their curiosity making each discovery special. As budding dendrologists, they are building knowledge and a love of learning that grows like the trees we study.
I can’t wait to see what next week will bring!

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello wonderful families!

This week, we began a new investigation, “All About Trees”. The children’s curiosity, observations, and creativity guided our learning.

We started the week with a walk to the nearby zipline park to explore the trees in our community. Along the way, we asked our Question of the Day: “What do you know about trees?” The children shared ideas like “trees have apples,” “trees are tall,” and “trees have colorful leaves.” Their thoughts guided our observations as we looked closely at the shapes, colors, and sizes of the trees around us.

On another day, we observed the trees just outside our school and talked about the parts of a tree that we know. The children were especially excited to discover one tree behind the school that was even taller than the building—it truly impressed them!

Back in the classroom, we worked together to make a large poster of a tree. The children named the parts: roots, trunk, and branches, and together we labeled the poster. Later, each child drew their own tree in their journal and labeled at least one part of their drawing.

 

Our investigation naturally led to a focus on math learning. The children sorted leaves into two groups: flat leaves and needle leaves, and then created a chart to see which kind we had more of. In pairs, they measured tree trunks in the schoolyard using yarn, then compared lengths on a classroom chart to discover which tree was the largest. The children also measured their collected leaves with connected cubes, which helped them practice one-to-one correspondence and comparing lengths. Math came alive as part of our tree study.

We also played board games and matching card games that encouraged the children to notice patterns and make connections. These playful activities, inspired by Piaget’s ideas about learning through play, help children build early logical thinking and problem-solving skills. We will continue using these games and ideas throughout the year as part of our math learning.

From our walk to the park, the children had collected leaves. We used them in the classroom for crayon rubbings, and they were amazed as the leaf patterns appeared on their paper. At the start of the activity, they carefully peeled the wrappers off their crayons, giving them extra fine motor practice before creating their art. 

Later in the week, we created a large cardboard tree together. Using combs, brushes, and various textured tools, the children painted and decorated it in bright, imaginative ways, resulting in an experience full of color, texture, and self-expression.

The children also made their own mini trees using sticks and leaves. They started by using modeling paste as a base, pressing the sticks into it, and then gluing leaves onto the sticks with a glue gun. The kids were especially excited to use the glue gun, which gave them a sense of responsibility and independence. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for such simple activities, wearing protective goggles and making funny faces at each other as they worked.

After hearing in the morning announcements that it was National Play-Doh Day, we celebrated with our first STEAM activity! The children made their own play dough by measuring and adding the ingredients. This helped them practice measuring and sequencing while also building confidence and enjoying the fun of creating something themselves. Afterwards, they enjoyed playing with their play dough and even formed the letters of the alphabet, giving them extra practice with letter recognition.

Our literacy learning connected beautifully to our tree study. We read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, a colorful, playful story that the children loved. We also enjoyed two more books about trees: “Pablo’s Tree” by Pat Mora and “A Tree is Nice” by Janice May Udry, which helped the children think about how trees give us beauty, shade, and memories.

This week we also celebrated International DOT Day! We read “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, which inspired us to believe in ourselves and “make our mark.” The children each created their own individual dot artwork using markers and crayons. As a group project, they used different round materials to stamp circles onto a large sheet of paper. The result was a colorful, unique masterpiece that we will proudly display in our classroom.

In addition, we practiced tracing letters and clapping out the syllables in words, then used cube connectors to build syllable towers. A rainbow matching activity gave the children practice with letter recognition and visual matching as they paired uppercase and lowercase letters across colorful rainbows.

Throughout the week, the children’s voices and ideas shaped our learning. Their curiosity and joy made the start of our tree investigation very special. I can’t wait to see what we will discover next!

Love,

Ms.Yana

Hello wonderful families!

As we close another week, we are excited to look back on the highlights of growing together. Our focus this week continued to be “All About Me,” especially exploring families, homes, friendships, dreams, and goals.

Exploring Families and Homes

Children shared about their families and created beautiful art projects to show who lives in their homes. Using craft sticks, they built little houses and drew their families inside.

We also made families out of modeling paste, decorating them with small sticks, straws, and other materials to add details.

Later, with Lego blocks of different sizes, the children dipped them in paint and stamped them on paper to design colorful houses.

Another special project was preparing the pages for our family photo albums. The children decorated large sheets of paper using creative household tools like spoons, forks, knives, and spatulas dipped in paint. The textures and patterns they created were unique and beautiful.

One of our favorite moments this week was reading “A House Is a House for Me” by Mary Ann Hoberman. The children loved thinking about what makes their own houses special. For our question of the day, they answered: “What color is your home?” Then, in their journals, they drew and wrote about their houses, adding sweet personal touches that showed how proud they are of their families and homes.

Building Big Ideas in Math

This week, the children worked in pairs to explore classroom objects, count them, and share their thinking with the group. It was amazing to see how differently each child approached the same problem, reminding us that every perspective matters. We will continue working this way, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration in math.

We connected math to our “home” theme by going on a shape hunt. We sorted through squares, rectangles, and triangles to create homes. We even made a graph to show how many windows and doors our homes had, comparing which ones had more or fewer.

 Friendship and Kindness

Another special moment this week was our question of the day: “What makes a good friend?” The children gave such heartwarming answers. They said a good friend is someone who is kind, helpful, says “I love you,” and gives hugs.

To celebrate friendship, we also created partner portraits. Two friends sat across from each other with a clear sheet in front of their faces, and using markers, they drew their friend’s portrait right on the transparent surface. It was such a joyful activity, filled with laughter and creativity!

We also made friendship bracelets with beads for the children to share with friends. This meaningful activity celebrated kindness and helped strengthen their fine motor skills, essential for future writing.

 

Literacy Fun

We had a wonderful time building literacy skills through games and teamwork. In pairs, after singing the alphabet song, one child from Kindergarten said a letter, made the sound, and gave a word that began with it. Their Pre-K buddy joined in by repeating the sound and acting out the word. The whole class cheered for each pair:)

We enjoyed playing a special version of Musical Chairs where every chair had a letter. Each time the music stopped, a child was chosen to hold up the letter and say its name with encouragement and help from their friends. Everyone celebrated the letter together, making literacy active, joyful, and musical!

Every morning, our amazing director, Ms. Maria, encourages us to learn something new. This week she told us what the word “dilemma” means and inspired us to draw two of our favorite things. In this way, the children learned what the word dilemma really means through creativity and self-expression.

Celebrating Me

We ended the week with a very special reflection: “What makes you special?” After reading the book “I Like Myself” by Karen Beaumont, the children wrote in their journals about what they love most about themselves. We also finished our family albums by decorating the pages and adding family photos. A beautiful keepsake of each child’s uniqueness and family.

Books We Read

“A House Is a House for Me” by Mary Ann Hoberman sparked discussions about various types of homes.
“The Family Book” by Todd Parr celebrates the diverse range of family types and emphasizes that love is what truly makes a family special.
“I Like Myself” by Karen Beaumont was perfect for our Celebration of Me, reminding us to love and value who we are.
“The Magical Yet” by Angela DiTerlizzi encouraged us to think about goals and the power of perseverance.
“When I Grow Up” by Leo Lionni inspired us to dream about the future and imagine what we can do.
“The Marvelous Now” by Angela DiTerlizzi encouraged us to appreciate the present moment and discover joy in the here and now.

It’s been a week full of heart, imagination, and new learning. I can’t wait to continue growing together next week!

Love,

Ms. Yana

Hello, wonderful families,

Happy Friday! We’ve just wrapped up another exciting week together, and I’m so happy to share a few highlights from our days in Pre-K and Kindergarten. Our focus this week was all about feelings, friendships, and self-expression—lots of creativity, storytelling, and joyful play!

Exploring Our Feelings.

We continued to learn about our emotions through stories and activities. We read “The Color Monster” by Anna Llenas and “Glad Monster, Sad Monster”, which sparked great conversations about how we feel. Each day, our “Question of the Day” helped children reflect—like “How do you feel today?” or “Can you show me your happy face?” Children expressed their emotions through drawings, loose-parts creations, and even “emotion jars” filled with colorful water and materials. At the end of the week, we mixed everything into our very own “Emotions Soup”—a big hit!

Journals

This week, we began our classroom journals! Each child drew their self-portrait and wrote about it. They also journaled about their favorite food (pizza was definitely the most popular choice!). Each day after that, the children added new drawings, and I supported them by helping write down their words and stories. Some children even began writing their own words to go along with their pictures, showing the very first steps of early writing.

Math with Emotions

Math connected beautifully to our feelings theme. We created graphs to show how many children were feeling happy, calm, sad, or excited each day. Together, we counted, compared, and discussed which feelings were the most and least common. We also graphed favorite colors and foods, combining math with storytelling.

We explored emotions through shapes and symmetry. Using shape manipulatives, children designed different facial expressions—happy smiles, surprised eyes, and even silly looks—using circles, triangles, and ovals. This gave them the chance to see how shapes can work together to show feelings.

Another project tied math to art through symmetry: each child received half of their photo, then completed the missing half with their own drawing. This activity provided a playful way for them to explore balance and proportions.

Creative Projects & Play.

Monster Puppets & Masks: This week, the children created their very own monster puppets using lunch bags. They decorated and colored them to match the feelings they wanted to show—happy, sad, silly, or even angry!

On another day, we made face masks, using different materials to design a variety of expressions.
When our masks were finished, the children used them in a group story they created together. It was such a fun way to combine imagination and teamwork, and the children loved bringing their characters to life!

All About Me Masterpieces: This week, the children created their own masterpieces celebrating who they are! Using fun materials like bubble wrap, aluminum foil, and textured tools, they painted colorful backgrounds. Then we added their portraits along with the answers from the family questionnaires you filled out during the first week. The result was a beautiful collection of artworks that highlight each child’s favorite things, their families, and their unique personalities.

Loose Parts Faces: After reading the book” Faces” by David Goodman and Joe Miller, we were inspired to explore unusual and creative ways of making faces. The children received face-shaped papers and used loose parts—stones, small shells, beads, screws, and other found objects—to design expressive faces. This playful activity encouraged imagination, problem-solving, and creativity, as the children discovered new relationships between everyday objects and the feelings or ideas they wanted to show.

Friendship Café: We got inspired by the book “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson and talked about what makes a good friend. Then, the kids set up their own Friendship Café, serving each other pretend treats. I even got a coffee and a croissant—lucky me 🙂

On Friday, we had so much fun using our monster puppets! The children acted out stories together, and it was a joyful way to end the week!

This week, we also began our “Secret Stories.” These are playful little secrets that help us learn the alphabet and sounds. Of course, we know that children always share their secrets with their parents—so I encourage you to ask your child to tell you about them! These are happy secrets to share 😉

Outdoor Adventures!

Of course, no week would be complete without time on our playground and trips to the nearby zipline park. Movement and play outdoors continue to be joyful parts of our day.

Other Books We Read.

In addition to “The Color Monster” and “Glad Monster, Sad Monster”, we also enjoyed a few more wonderful stories this week:

• “If You’re Happy and You Know It” by Jane Cabrera – A playful book of rhymes and songs that got us singing, clapping, and moving. Learning rhymes and songs helps children develop rhythm, memory, and language skills while also building joy and confidence through music.
  
• “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson – A thoughtful story that opened up conversations about friendship, courage, and what makes each of us special.
  
• “If Not for You” by Bob Dylan – A lyrical story that highlights love, gratitude, and the importance of the people we care about.
  

It’s been such a rich and joyful week of exploring feelings, building friendships, and expressing ourselves in so many ways. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us each day—we are off to a beautiful start!

Love,

Ms. Yana