Pre-KG 2023 / 24 Blog 22 Treats and Pumpkins

Pre-KG 2023 / 24 Blog 22

Treats and Pumpkins 

"Liebe geht durch den Magen" ist eine bekannte Redewendung und obwohl ursprünglich eher als Aufmunterung für Hausfrauen gedacht um ihre Gatten mit guten Gerichten zu versorgen, hat sich mittlerweile die Tatsache bewahrheitet, dass gutes Essen für gute Stimmung sorgt, denn wer geniesst nicht eine schöne Mahlzeit im Kreise seiner Lieben. 

So freuten sich die Pre-Kindergarten Kinder auch darauf besondere Leckereien für ihre Familien zum Valentinstag vorzubereiten und machten sich auf um auf Rokko Island die nötigen Zutaten einzukaufen. Zurück in der Schule haben sie dann mit viel Liebe Bretzel und Marschmallows in Schokolade getaucht und als Überraschung für zuhause eingetütet.

"Love goes through the stomach" is a well known saying and even though originally intended as encouragement for housewives to provide delicious dishes for their husbands, it is now a proven fact that good food makes for a good mood, because who doesn't enjoy a nice meal with their loved ones.

So the Pre-Kindergarten children were really happy to go shopping on Rokko Island in order to make some sweet Valentine's Day surprises for their loved ones.

On the way back to school the class then had the opportunity to play follow the leader and move to the beat of their heart. 

In the classroom the children eagerly dipped marshmellows and bretzels into chocolate sauce and they put a lot of effort and love into making the treats. 

And yes, pets are also beloved family members, so the children made a fun toy from chopsticks and newspaper strips for their cats and dogs.

We heard later from the families that all shared the Valentine surprises and were really happy about them.  

As the children have been walking every day by the colourful and beautiful pumpkins in the hallway that the DSKI classes made with Mr.Lubin, I asked the children if they knew anything about pumpkins as a source of food. Some children have pumpkin in their lunch boxes and it is incredibly healthy, because it is rich in vitamins, minerals and antitoxidants.

After confirming that many of the children have eaten pumpkin, I wanted them to think about what animal might eat this vegetable. 

There was a real brainstorming and lots of ideas, so we used our research skills and looked the pictures of the suggested animals up in the computer.

We also found some nice video clips of animals munching on this treat and surprisingly even cats and dogs eat pumpkins ! 

Giant Elephants Eat Giant Pumpkins

After printing each child's favourite photo, we marched to the exhibition in the hallway to make some connection between our pictures and the art.

And yes, everyone could find a favourite pumpkin and we admired all the colours they came in.

The children had a fantastic week showing love to their family, learning about different kinds of food and they ended it by digging and thinking about planting.

With kind regards, 

Mit herzlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

Pre–Kindergarten homeroom teacher

Playgroup / EY German 

German Saturday School homeroom teacher

Pre-KG 2023 / 24 Blog 21 What's cooking ?

Pre-KG 2023 / 24 Blog 21

What's Cooking ?

Food is necessary to sustain our body and most people enjoy their food, albeit with varied enthusiasm. While some might see it as a necessity to survive, others are real foodies and the Pre-Kindergarten children are no different.

During snack or lunch time there are sometimes exclamations of joy from some children, especially when the food in the boxes proves to be a favourite, while others open the boxes a bit listlessly. All in all the Pre-Kindergarten children are very good eaters and the current unit subject is very appealing to them.

So this week was devoted to the subject of food and what a very busy week it was ! Please enjoy the many pictures that I am including in this blog !

We started by talking about favourite fruits, looked at our toy food and then the children tried to make the ones they favoured with playdough.

It was a very joyful activity and lots of laughter could be heard while the children created many different shaped fruits and vegetables as well.

To strengthen the vocabulary and their memory I did my popular magic show by showing 5 food items, have one disappear and let the children guess the missing item. 

This got the children really thinking and there were quite some discussions about what item is missing.

Already on Monday the class got a treat in form of delicious cupcakes which thankfully were provided by Sophia's parents to celebrate her 3.birthday together !

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu deinem 3.Geburtstag, liebe Sophia, wir haben uns sehr gefreut mit dir feiern zu können. 

The next day we tackled the bananas in the true sense of the word. Having realized how difficult it is for our little children to peel a banana properly, I purchased some and then everyone practiced. The children also got to cut the bananas and of course eat them. New skills and yummy fruit all in one.

And as some of our children can count over 10, please enjoy this cute banana counting song.

The Bananas Song

Es war garnicht so einfach für unsere Kleinen Bananen zu schälen, aber mit Übung geht alles, sogar Schneiden. Die leckeren Bananen waren ruckzuck weg, obwohl ich von den Eltern später gehört habe, dass einige Kinder zuhause keine Bananen essen.

After we heard that some children do not eat bananas at home and even fruit only reluctantly, I took the chance to talk about healthy food and the importance for the body. The next challenge was then to create healthy meals using our toy food items and lots of imagination.

Some children really drew from their experience at home and we saw children who could even set a table nicely. Great job, everyone! 

We incorporate outside discovery time into our daily schedules and the Pre-Kindergarten children are known for their exploration walks.

This week we were lucky that the big yard was free, so the children had a great movement and play session  with their friends from K1 and K2. They really enjoyed their time together !

On Friday then, we had our much awaited Pre-Kindergarten cooking session.

Some helpers were found for the set-up and after everyone donned aprons, the whole class marched to the kitchen area where we first revised the ingredients for pancakes and a strawberry fruit yoghurt.

The children listened attentively and then mixed and stirred with lots of gusto and interest.

Es ist immer schön zu sehen mit welchem Interesse und mit welcher Freude die Kinder bei den Koch- und Backangeboten rühren und mischen. Die leckeren Pfannkuchen waren dann auch bald aufgegessen und der Früchteyoghurt auch. 

After we had the right dough, Mr.Lubin kindly baked the pancakes, while we went back to the classroom, to take off aprons, wash hands, drink water and set the table.

The delicious smell of the pancakes gave the children the right appetite and all the food was gone before I could take more pictures.

Gochisousama deshita !🙏

This week again, we had a new friend join our class !

A heartfelt welcome to 2 year old Luna and the Liu / Wu family, we are excited to have you with us in Pre-Kindergarten and the DSKI school community.

Die Pre-Kindergarten hat diesen Monat zwei neue Freunde in der Klasse und wir freuen uns alle auf viele neue Abenteuer zusammen.

Looking forward to many new adventures together !

With kind regards, 

Mit herzlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

Pre–Kindergarten homeroom teacher

Playgroup / EY German 

German Saturday School homeroom teacher