Pre-KG 2024/ 25 Blog 9 Connecting with the DSKI Community

 Pre-KG 2024/ 25 Blog 9

Connecting with the DSKI Community 

The Pre–Kindergarten children enjoy days full of activities and they are learning many new things along the way. They are excited about their discoveries and love to share them with their families, friends and the wider community.

During the PTCs this week I was happy to hear from parents that the children talk about their days at school and imitate some of the actions, – from morning circle activities ( listen well, Pooh Bear), over improved tidy up behavior to showing interest in painting and art activities which they did not have before joining Pre–Kindergarten.

So it is very valuable to share experiences and learning with other classes and people of the DSKI community. 

When hearing that Grade 4 will perform the Lorax at their assembly which is a wonderful and thought provoking book, I talked to their homeroom teacher Ms. Schelin to see whether Pre–Kindergarten could support them by making some of the factories. Yes, we could ! 

To help the little ones understand the story I copied 5 key pages and explained the plot.

Upon receiving the boxes the Pre–Kindergarten children painted with fervor in blue and purple hues and everyone could see that they had become very proficient at painting during this unit.

We even put some rectangular cardboard bricks ( yes, the children learn about shapes in our unit as well ) and presented the Grade 4 with the factory boxes. It was wonderful to see how well the children and the gift were received.

Fast forward to the assembly, our Pre–Kindergarten class and the rest of the school listened attentively to the story and was mesmerized by the great stage setting and the fantastic performance. Misha watched his brother Simon do a stunning reading of the story. And even our 2 year olds understood the important message of saving the planet and the trees as little Noah on my lap kept saying „Oh nein, keine Bäume“. Oh no, no more trees!  

Thank you very much Grade 4 and Ms.Schelin for an impressive performance and the chance to connect our two classes. 

And there were more wonderful opportunies to share learning with other grades this week.

K1 is learning about transportation, so we went along with them on an exploration walk to check out the ticket vending machines and entrance system at the Rokko Liner. 

And yes, you need money to buy a ticket, there are different slots for coins and bills. You can even pay with a magic card and then enjoy your adventure on the Rokko Liner monorail that moves without a conductor. The favorite spot is to sit in the front and enjoy the views.

The building next to the station houses the Fashion Mart with many offices and one of them is occupied by our generous and long serving sponsor, Amadeus, who supply us with the delicious Dallmayr coffee.

So both classes with their teachers went to the Amadeus office to say a heartfelt Dankeschön and the office staff was very happy. 

Vielen Dank, liebe Yoshiko und Milan Fujita für eure fortwährende großartige Unterstützung des Oktoberfests der Deutschen Schule Kobe International! 

All EY classes also got together for collaborative Sweet potato baking which we had planted and then harvested together. The Pre–Kindergarten children first revised their knowledge by finding a potato in their toy food, then we watched Ms. Miho cut the sweet potatoes into bite size strips. A little later a sweet smell went through the hallway when Ms. Miho came around to share the yummy treat. Gochisosama deshita ! 

On Friday then, the teachers had a surprise visit by the grade 5&6 students and their homeroom teacher , Ms. Ureta, to get interviewed about a variety of subjects regarding advertisement and purchasing behavior.

It was wonderful to see some of the previous Kindergartners so grown up, engaged and reflective and it was really nice to connect with them this way.

The Pre–Kindergarten children also made a short excursion to the local play center where they collaborated with other children, sharing toys and space. The ladies in charge always greet us with a big smile, we are so lucky to have this community space on Rokko Island! 

Throughout the week the Pre–Kindergarten children continued playing, constructing, eating and connecting with all of the EY children during Open Kindergarten. It is wonderful to see how shared interests make friends and joyful conversations. 

There is a saying that „ It takes a village to raise a child“, which means that an entire community of people provides and interacts positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment – so here is to many more enriching connections across the DSKI community! 

Wishing you all a fabulous autumn break, connecting with family, friends, nature and new knowledge ! 

Kind regards, 

Anita Ursula Mönch 

DSKI Pre–Kindergarten homeroom teacher Playgroup / EY Deutsch & German          German Saturday School homeroom teacher

Pre-KG 2024/ 25 Blog 8 Fine Motor skills

 Pre-KG 2024/ 25 Blog 8

Fine Motor skills

We all might have heard about fine motor skills and are aware that they are important for a child’s development, but what are they and are they only important in childhood? 

Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements we make with our hands, fingers,  feet, toes and eyes.

For most people doing things like drawing a picture, inserting a straw or tying shoelaces seem like relatively easy tasks, but in fact these activities involve the complex coordination of our muscles and our brain. 

To be able to carry out these tasks, we have to develop and recognize the importance of fine motor skills in the early years, but improving them is a really important part of our development and continues into adulthood.

Many children’s songs cater to the fine motor skills development as they involve movement of hands, fingers and feet and they are a daily part of our Pre–Kindergarten curriculum. 

I love to sing with the children live in class and so do my coworkers, Ms.Priyanka and Mr.Derek, but if you are stuck for ideas, there are many songs performed by different educators and singers, which you can enjoy ! Just remember to limit screen time and discover your own lovely voice. 

The Eensy Weensy Spider

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Mit Fingerchen, mit Fingerchen

To accompany our singing in class, we decided to make shakers with recycled PET bottles as this task requires fine motor skills to pick up the colorful beads, to put the safety tapes around and of course they are so much fun to shake! 

The Pre–Kindergarten children did a great job and listened to the different sounds, realizing that the sound changes depending on the amount of beads inserted into the bottle.

What a valuable discovery ! 

Another wonderful activity to foster fine motor skills is playing with playdough. The children will use all of the muscles in their hands and fingers by kneading, pulling, stretching, rolling, cutting and constantly forming the dough.

Some children can engage for hours and there is a great fun factor as well when you discover that your creations have the shape of a pizza, cookies or icecream ! 

There are many other activities that involve fine motor skills like stringing, picking up small pieces of paper to glue into a piece of art , inserting a car into the Autobahn tube to watch it race down or let a bottle float. 

But of course there are a lot of outdoor activities as well to support these skills.

Making sand cakes with friends involves holding a shovel, scooping and pouring into a form and it requires good hand–eye coordination which is also necessary for drawing.

Learning can be so much fun and it is amazing how skillful the children are becoming in the course. Triangle bubble wands might bring a bit of magic into the play and surely provide a lot of laughter and joy.

Whatever activity you do with your child to support their fine motor skills, you will be amazed at the progress and at the wonderful opportunities for bonding and sharing. 

Viel Spaß mit Liedern und alten und neuen Aktivitäten zur Förderung der Feinmotorik! 

Wishing you a delightful weekend ! 

With kind regards, mit herzlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch 

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher Playgroup / EY Deutsch & German

German Saturday School homeroom teacher