Pre-KG 2022 / 23 Blog 32
Metamorphosis
The Pre-Kindergarten are learning about their body and they understand that they have been growing.
“ I am bigger now, ich bin so groß, my legs are long, watashi wa okiku natta", are some of the observations they have made. But even though their limbs are getting longer, they still look mostly the same.
So when the children witnessed a complete transformation (metamorphosis) last week in their own classroom, they were stunned. The caterpillar that Masahiro had brought from his garden, became a pupa (cocoon) and then a butterfly.
It was such an amazing event, not only for the Pre-Kindergarten, but for all of the Early Years children to see!
We took this chance to look at the charming story of Eric Carle again: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. We read the book and looked at the video clip both in English and German. The children learnt not only about the wonder of the metamorphosis, but learnt a lot of vocabulary.
Most of the Pre-Kindergarten children can explain the life cycle of a butterfly now which is truly astounding.
We were lucky that the Pre-School was holding their exhibition in the hallway, so the children could learn about a variety of life cycles and animal growth.
They were surprised to learn that snakes and penguins both hatch from eggs.
Other animals give birth to babies which grow and some of them become very big or tall.
All animals and of course humans need food, so the talk went back to eating. The children love cooking in our Pre-Kindergarten kitchen and they made a huge amount of bentos and other dishes. Our trial child Sora also helped and enjoyed playing with the other children.
The children also found a lot of the food items that are featured in the caterpillar book and matched them nicely. By now, everyone knows that all the sweets and meaty items are not good food for a caterpillar that is why he ended up with a stomachache !
Our Pre-Kindergarten children are very knowledgeable indeed.
During the week the children also coloured the pages with the fruits which the caterpillar eats. We practiced some counting and were so surprised to learn that one of our children can do easy additions already.
The wooden layered puzzle featuring the 4 stages of the butterfly metamorphosis was also very popular. The children had lots of conversation about the right sequence and referred to the story book for confirmation.
The Pre-Kindergarten children are really great inquirers with a thirst for learning!
The beautiful butterfly that hatched in class and the very colourful one at the end of the book inspired the children to make their own butterfly.
So we took advantage of the pleasant weather and let the children discover the joy of using watercolours. Under the watchful eyes of our own big backyard caterpillar, the children used their new brushes, some water and their favourite colours to make each an individual version.
With a straw and antennae in position their butterflies were ready to fly ! How beautiful they were!
This week the Pre-Kindegarten class had a new friend to share their discoveries.
A heartfelt welcome to Santiago and the family Algemenor- Francom ! We are so happy to have you with us in class and in the DSKI community.
Wishing you all a weekend full of wonders and adventures !
Yours,
Anita Ursula Mönch
Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher
Playgroup / EY GFL
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