Pre-KG 2026/ 27 Blog 10 SHAPES are part of STEM !

 Pre-KG 2026/ 27 Blog 10

SHAPES are part of STEM !

In their current unit the Pre-Kindergarten children continue to learn about "Colours and Shapes" while making new discoveries every day.

When creating the Pre-Kindergarten curriculum almost 20 years ago, I choose these subjects as the first unit as they are highly attractive to small children because their developing brains need to make sense of the world and seek out visual stimulation and structure. They learn a.o. pattern recognition, pre-literacy and fine motor skills.

Of course puzzle pieces are also shapes, so the Pre-Kindergarten children started the week by playing with different puzzles and then making some dot art.

The children's fine motor skills are developing really well and everyone was able to peel the dots off and stick them into the appropriate circles of a leaf shape. We could witness that the children mostly use their favourite colours.

The next day, on Tuesday we came together with friends from K1 and K2 as well as parents and grandparents to craft the lanterns which we will use for the Sankt Martin celebration and march on 11.November. 

The teachers had cut a cross shape with windows featuring the children's favourite shapes and they all enjoyed colouring, putting stickers and gluing colourful wax paper. 

After assembling, the lanterns looked delightful and we did a little walk singing and took a group picture in the yard. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents attending the lantern making, we are all looking forward to the lanterns  shining brightly.

I am attaching once more the lantern song which the children really love and the song depicting the story of Sankt Martin sharing his coat with a beggar which has become the most famous of his good deeds.

Laterne, Laterne

Sankt Martin

On Wednesday then, the Pre-Kindergarten children created collages with three shapes (circle, triangle, square) in a multitude of colours. The children chose all their favourites, glued with patience and the results were really stunning. I would like to frame these beautiful collages for everyone to admire !

The next event was celebrating American Day on Thursday ! All classes had a jiving session with Ms.Daria in the MPR and when we entered with EY the Pre-School children were still dancing and the younger siblings were surprised to witness that. 

Soon everyone joined in and the rhythm was really fun and upbeat ! For lunch there were US themed bento boxes with chicken, fries and a pie ! Yum !

In the afternoon the children used blue and red to colour American flags (stripes and star shapes) which they took along for a group photo with the gentlemen from the US Consulate who had especially come to visit us and held an interesting quiz session for the older children at school.

Thank you very much to Ms.Daria and the US Consulate for their support !

Finally, on the last day of the school week, on Friday, it was time for the Pre-Kindergarten children and their friends from K1 to apply their curiosity and knowledge of shapes in an interesting STEM experiment using Playdough and plastic straws. 

First they formed a lot of balls (which everyone is really good at!), then they inserted the straws to make either a triangle or a square. 

After standing the shapes up, the children did the wobble test. They found out that the triangle is strong, but the square moves easily. What a great STEM discovery !

The reason is that triangles have fixed angles (rigid geometry) while squares have four sides and corners that act like loose hinges and deform easily when you push.

While the explanation is a bit too difficult for our age group, the discovery was not and their amazement was genuine. And yes, we had children say, the triangle does not move, but the square does. What a great way to include STEM in our daily play with easily accessible materials. Please try this experiment at home !

So we had a fantastic end to an interesting week with lots activities around shapes. If you would like to know more about why shapes are part of STEM, kindly refer to this text:

Quote:

Geometrical shapes are part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) because they form the foundational language of how physical structures are designed, how space and measurements work and how natural systems grow. 

Mathematics (Geometry): Shapes are defined by mathematical rules, angles, symmetry, and coordinates. Math uses shapes to calculate area, volume, perimeter, and spatial relationships. 

Engineering & Technology: Engineers rely on the structural integrity of different shapes (such as why triangles distribute weight or why cylinders and arches resist crushing forces) to build bridges, skyscrapers, airplanes, and computer-aided design (CAD) models. 

Science (Natural & Physical Worlds): From the hexagonal structure of honeycombs to the round growth patterns of plant stems driven by cell expansion and turgor pressure, shapes appear naturally as the most efficient physical solutions in physics and biology. 

Wishing you a great weekend with your little scientist !

With kind regards, 

mit freundlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher 

Playgroup / EY GFL & Deutsch      

German Saturday School homeroom teacher

Pre-KG 2026/ 27 Blog 9 Autumn colours and Celebrations

 Pre-KG 2026/ 27 Blog 9

Autumn colours and Celebrations

During the autumn holidays we could really witness the seasons changing, with the green leaves of trees turning different colours everywhere.

Suddenly we saw trees showing yellow, brown, orange and red leaves, with the brilliant red of the maple leaves in Japan being especially  famous. In autumn large groups of visitors come to see them in prominent spots like the Sorakuen in Kobe.

So when the children came back to Pre-Kindergarten on Monday after the autumn break, with big smiles on their faces, we asked them if they wanted to colour some autumn leaves shapes and they did it with much gusto and care. We started to decorate our seasonal tree with their leaves and will add some in the future.

On Tuesday, we were also going to make prints on Playdough with cardboard maple leaves, but the children first wanted to use their familiar three shapes, circle, square and triangle, and they were really concentrated pushing them into the Playdough. It takes a bit of power, but their grip is getting stronger and the children are also learning to use a rolling pin.

After using their arms and hands, it was time to exercise the whole body !

We all went to the MPR where blue yoga mats awaited us and a lovely Yoga teacher who had especially come to the school to teach us.

Some children joined right away, some observed and others participated after a bit of reluctance, but everyone learnt something new and turned the attention to their bodies. 

There were some yoga sessions provided for the parents in the morning and the teachers in the afternoon as well, so we all could profit from stretching and relaxing our muscles. 

Thank you very much to Ms.Neela for being such a competent and patient teacher !

Later in the day, the children also decorated some orange maple leaves with faces and let the dolls take part in the autumn leave viewing which was their own idea.

In the afternoon some of the Pre-Kindergarten children joined K1 in their German lesson and after singing the " Laterne " song, everyone coloured the sun, moon and star shapes of their lantern in their favourite colours. They turned out very beautiful and will be hung up in the entrance for the Sankt Martin Festival. 

Here is the song, so you can sing along at home and practice !

Laterne, Laterne

Then on Wednesday, we had our very first birthday celebration in Pre-Kindergarten ! 

Anne and Jane turned 3 years old and invited all their friends from Pre-KG and K1 to their birthday party with lots of delicious fruit ! 

Everyone enjoyed the treats so much and we are very thankful to Anne and Jane's parents for providing them.

At the end every child got a yummy cracker and a balloon to take home. The children all know the colours well and can name their favourite one, so that is the colour their balloon was in.

On Thursday there was more role play cooking with all their friends and constructing with lego. The children also went on a discovery walk.

One of the celebrations that has really become big around the world, is Halloween! While the actual date is 31st October, DSKI celebrated on Friday, 30th October as the children do not come to school on Saturdays.

In the morning we welcomed a lot of princesses, super heroes and other lovely costumed children who then marched to the MPR to attend the assembly of Grade 4 ! They were greeted by our principal as Light Buzz and then the older students did an awesome job teaching us all about maps and other devices to find a direction and even the Pre-Kindergarten children watched spellbound. 

Bravo Grade 4 and their homeroom teacher, Mr.Josh.

After coming back to the classrooms the EY children got their goodie bags which they had nicely decorated with orange and black jack-o-lanterns.

The children then went on their much anticipated trick-and-treat walk in the hallway where the DSKI PTA had set up some lovely stations with a Halloween theme. 

The children all received rice crackers, juice, stamps, keyholders, and a "spooky" balloon and mandarine. Everyone was excited to get so many treats and guarded their treasures to take them home.

Thank you to our fabulous PTA for their thoughtful preparations, it was a great joy for the children.

Looking at my blog content, I can see that we had a very busy week with lots of colours, shapes and celebrations, but next week there will be a lot happening at DSKI as well with the school's Open Day, Lantern crafting and American Day!  

Wishing you a fun weekend with lots of treats !

With kind regards, 

mit freundlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher 

Playgroup / EY GFL & Deutsch      

German Saturday School homeroom teacher