Children started learning about Russia across WorldSong Schools, and haven’t been able to stop singing all the new songs they learned during music class! Everyone is busy practicing their Russian songs and rehearsing for the annual Winter Holiday Concert with our music director, Phil. Children also heard Russian music and learned how to do a Russian dance to our favorite song from the Russian Heritage book Kalinka. Kalinka is a red berry.
Enjoying story time while trying to sit up with support
In the infant classrooms, babies are learning to sit up and take steps with the help of teachers. They are also listening to Russian music and looking at instruments, pasted on the floor for them to easily see.
They also explored different animals in water and sensory bins and played with balls. Children that are transitioning to the toddler classrooms practiced drinking water from a cup, rather than a sippy-cup.
In the toddler classrooms, children who are preparing to move to preschool practiced serving food,pouring their own water and are learning to use the bathroom independently. They also practiced washing babies, for this they had to scrub, wash and dry the babies and place them back on the shelf, ready for the next person to use.
They also shoveled “at the beach” with some rice and sea animals, while practicing scooping.
They also sorted different colors and textures, helping build their cognitive development. Using the sense of touch to sort items while learning how they feel helps children better remember the corresponding categories with the items! Children also made life sized scarecrows and decorated the school with them. They traced their bodies and put together all the necessary parts of a scarecrow, helping them see the shapes of their own bodies at the same time.
In another center, children continued their fall festivities by making some corn on the cob by painting, and they learned all about Russia!
Painting with legos
Using Russian Matryoshka dolls
Toddler 2 children went on a nature walk to collect items for their fall based sensory bin. Children help to create and take care of their environment, helping teachers choose materials for the classroom to use helps them own their classroom more, and in turn they are more likely to care for it.
They also made Turkeys in honor of Thanksgiving, and decorated their classrooms
Making Turkeys
Over at Preschool, children began November by celebrating Day of the Dead with face painting!. As part of the Russian cultural unit, they paid special attention to the space race and space exploration. Students were “civilian astronauts” and built individual rocket ships to send to space!
The day of the dead
They also wrote letters for veterans through the foundation “Operation Gratitude” and went on a field trip to the post office to deliver it.
In a different Preschool classroom, children looked at a big world map while comparing the size of Russia to other countries they studied previously. They read a story called the Littlest Matryoshka and learned how a wood maker in Russia created them, after that children learned to use the dolls carefully.
For practical life, children also plucked kernels from a corn with tweezers, to strengthen their fine motor skills, and used a gardening work too.
Children scoop sand and rocks into small pots and make flower arrangements while exploring bugs too. Once they are finished, they clean up and put the work back on the shelf.
Some older children presented works during morning circle, to younger newer friends who have recently joined Preschool.
Showing a mirror cleaning work
Children also learned the names of different North American birds and about their migratory habits. 
Using picture cards to find corresponding sounds with the help of Montessori moveable alphabets
We ended our month with a thanksgiving feast where children helped prepare food all morning and shared what they are thankful for!
Preparing a fruit salad
Reading the Thankful book by Todd Parr, before the feast.
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