Hello Peacock parents,

Information from us, week 15

Continuing with our "know the world" theme, the children were introduced to Italy this week. They were made aware of it’s location, size, language, currency, culture, sports, discoveries and inventions with the help of a map and pictures.

Museum visit: On Tuesday the 15th of April we will go to the Naturhistoriska Museet.
We have requested that the kids be at school no later than 8:15 am as we need to do a toilet run and get them prepared with a vest to catch the bus to the Roslagsbanan. We will need to walk a little from Universiteit till the museum. We aim to be back by 14:00-15:00pm, in time for first pick-ups.

We have decided to split the kids up into groups. The parent in charge of a given group will also be responsible for that group during the period of the outing. These groups you can find on the information board of the peacocks.

Easter: Next week, the school will close at 14:00 hrs on Thursday, April 17^th and will be closed on Friday, April 18^th and the following Monday for the Easter break. Parents who have not filled in the Easter-Valborg schedule forms must fill this specifying the arrival and departure timing of their children.  The forms can be collected from the Peacock teachers and submitted no later than 15 April.

Our learning

Science: The children were given pictures based on the above mentioned topics and were asked to place them under respective categories. Under the "invention and discoveries" category, the children were told of the origin of the Piano. They also experimented with different sounds using glasses filled with different levels of water. The children were also demonstrated how the sound changed based on the level of water in each cup. All in all, playing the "cup piano" turned out to be an enjoyable interactive experience for the kids.

Treasure Box: To give the peacocks a feel of Italy they were introduced to some things typical of Italy. In this fun filled activity, the children were shown a clay bowl from Grottaglei region, glasswork from Murano, leather goods, and a Foulard scarf. They were also explained what made these items so special along with a little history for each of them. The peacocks enjoyed this activity thourougly.

Food: Keeping in view that no education concerning Italy is complete without “Pizza”, the peacocks were also introduced to Italian cuisine through “Pizza baking” activity. The children, under guidance, spread the sauce and sprinkled different cheese toppings on the pizza bases. Through this activity the kids were also made aware of the special place Cheese occupies in the Italian food. The kids loved their “Pizza”.

Motor Skills and math activity: This activity was also planned according to the week’s theme with the aim of further improving the familiarity with Italy’s Map. From the map of Italy, it’s different states were individually cut and distributed amongst the children. These pieces had the soft side of Velcro stuck to them. The activity was designed as a picture puzzle wherein the kids had to match and stick these pieces in the opposite side of Velcro stuck to the Italian map template. This activity not only made the children exercise their shape differentiation skills but also served in making the kids more familiar with the shapes of the states of Italy.

Art: As Italy is famous for it’s great Architecture , we picked the most famous Leaning Tower of Pisa from amongst it’s many other great buildings for our Art and Craft model. The kids used clay and paper to create a model of Leaning Tower of Pisa. The peacocks had great fun while doing this activity.

Language: In addition, the peacocks were also given a “super crash course” in Italian language in which they learnt some basic phrases like "hi (saluto), bye ( ciao)”, “my name is (mi chamo), thank you (grazie), teacher(maestro)…….”, etc. They also colored the flags in Italian colors.

Charlie: Today it was Charlie last day with the Peacocks. He had become quite close with the Peacocks children. They also presented Charlie with a beautiful card, which they had made themselves. We want to thank Charlie for his time with us.

Important dates

Tuesday 15th of April- Peacocks will go to the Natural History Museum

Thursday 17th of April- Day before Good Friday. Pre-school closes at 14.00 hrs
Friday 18th of April- Pre-school closed for Good Friday
Monday 21st of April- Pre-school closed for Easter Monday

Wednesday 30^th of April – Day before Valborg. Pre-school closes at 14.00 hrs
Thursday 1^st of May – pre-school closed for Valborg

If you should have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email, call, or speak directly with us.

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