Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 6 Pre–Kindergarten / EY specialist lessons

Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 6

Pre–Kindergarten / EY specialist lessons

This week again we had a very exciting week at Pre–Kindergarten with new friends visiting on Tuesday and Wednesday sharing many toys, activities and laughter ! 

The Pre-Kindergarten children enjoy a variety of activities every day, but they also get the added bonus of specialist lessons which enrich their learning experiences even further and make for a well-rounded curriculum. This week I would like to introduce the teachers who take great care of delivering fabulous lessons in special subjects and connect them to the units. 

Monday Library Time

Reading books, looking at picture books and doing storytelling with your child not only develops language and emotion, promotes brain development, increases imagination, relaxes, improves concentration and memory, enhances knowledge, but last not least strengthens relationships. What a wonderful way to spend time together - by cuddling up closely with a nice book! 

So every Monday the Pre-Kindergarten children have a dedicated library time, where they look at books together, listen to stories read by their teachers and then get to borrow a book to take home to share with their families.

The Pre-Kindergarten classroom boasts a big variety of books, but library time is a special way to raise awareness about the importance of books, increase concentration and then make individual choices ! 

I have very fond memories of reading books with my own children, so please relish the special time reading books with your child.

Tuesday & Wednesday Music Lessons 

The love for music is universal and enjoyed by all cultures and ages! Music makes one happy, excited or sad, it stirs emotions and memories and it gets body and mind to work together. Music exposes the child to multi-sensory experiences which help with all areas of child development, enhance learning abilities and encourage cognitive development.

Ms.Azusa provides stimulating and fun activities in her music lessons through a combination of play and music which lets the children discover their joy of singing, movement and a variety of instruments individually or in a group. 

Friday Physical Education (P.E.) lesson

Small children are very active and they move a lot!

Movement is the key to a healthy development as all the large and small muscle movements needed for physical exploration help improve gross and fine motor skills. 

There are children who have a longer attention span than others and are attentive during morning circle, while reading a book or playing with toys, but toddlers and young children should always have active play and that’s why we include it daily in our curriculum. 

On Fridays Ms.Brabant guides the Pre-Kindergarten children through activities where they jump, run, climb and throw balls all while learning about their body and gaining strength and confidence in their movement skills. The children very much enjoy this special P.E. time with a variety of equipment where they can challenge themselves individually or improve their team work. 

Friday Afternoon Art lessons ( every 3rd Friday)

Art is a big part of Pre–Kindergarten and every three weeks the children have the additional chance to unleash their creativity and discover different media, paints and techniques under the gentle guidance of our art teacher, Mr.Lubin.

The children show great joy and often amazing patience when creating their piece of art and they are very proud when it gets displayed on our classroom unit board.

EY Tuesday & Thursday German lessons

The many cognitive benefits of learning languages are undeniable. Studies say that people who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Your brain gets familiar with new vocabulary and grammar rules and you then use them in contextual situations.

But learning a new language is also about a positive attitude towards other cultures and different people - and the joy of being able to communicate with them.

So every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon the children of K1 and the K2 children are very excited to learn new German vocabulary through games, songs and hands-on activities with Ms.Anita who is happy to pass on her love for languages and awaken enthusiasm in the children to acquire the language of her home country and the formerly main language of Deutsche Schule Kobe International.

As all of Early Years are holding a big morning circle together in the hallway where the children can choose the greeting song to be sung in different languages including German, the Pre–Kindergarten children are also exposed to the

German language then and throughout the day.

Please dance along with your child to a song about the body called  „Körperteilblues “ which the EY children will be performing at the Oktoberfest. 

Körperteilblues

And additionally please enjoy a small clip about the Oktoberfest with some key vocabulary and lovely images.

Oktoberfest für Kinder

I wish you a pleasant weekend and I am looking forward to seeing you all next week and of course, the Oktoberfest! 

Kind regards, mit freundlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher 

Playgroup / EY GFL & Deutsch

German Saturday School homeroom teacher 

Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 5 Prints and more

Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 5

Prints and more 

This week was a shorter week at school with Monday having been off, but nevertheless it was full of learning adventures.

When discovering colours and shapes the Pre– Kindergarten children are always offered a wide range of learning experiences and this week they explored ways to print.

The children started by using their favorite 3D shapes from the shape sorter and printed with three different colours. 

They showed wonder at the fact that the same shape appeared on paper and learnt that they needed to press their shape quite firmly to get a good print.

The results were colourful and very individual.

The next day the Pre–Kindergarten children looked at the Bavarian flag that will be displayed at the Oktoberfest and used diamond shaped sponges to create the image. This time the children printed outdoors and had a long role of paper to work with. 

The children enjoyed the different sensation the sponge provided and experimented with it changing shape when slightly squished. We will use the lovely print as a poster for Oktoberfest! 

Every Thursday the DSKI Playgroup is held in the Pre–Kindergarten classroom and the visiting children are becoming good friends with the Pre–KG class, so this week they made some discoveries together. With playdough as the medium for printing this time, the children used Schleich animals to make foot prints. 

All the children showed great interest at the different sizes of prints the animals made and printed again and again which gave us also a good opportunity to build some new vocabulary. While Elephant’s feet are actually called feet, many animals’ feet have different names – cats, dogs and bears have paws, penguins have webbed feet and giraffes, cows and horses have hooves. 

This activity proved so interesting that we continued with it the next day and at the end of the playdough session made a little quizz by showing the prints of a bear and a Dalmatian dog. 

To our amazement the Pre–Kindergarten children were able to identify the correct animals which shows again that so much knowledge is gained through play. 

You made wonderful discoveries, dear Playgroup and Pre–Kindergarten children! 

As prints can be found on clothing as well, the children looked at their colourful T–Shirts and discussed the prints. 

We then took the children to the entrance area of the Fashion Museum to see a wide range of floral prints arranged in a stunning display. 

By now, everyone knows that I am a regular visitor at our local Fashion Museum and I always do research to see whether the theme will benefit the children with their learning or whether it can be connected to their unit. The wonderful exhibitions never fail to amaze me and this time the Pre–Kindergarten children could witness prints on paintings coming alive on clothing. 

What a fantastic opportunity to make meaningful connections! 

We ended the week with an experiment that is related to STEM. Yes, this is a big word and really put on the map in recent years, but we have all experienced certain phenomena in our childhood.

The Kindergarten children always try to make sand cakes, but of course the dry sand doesn’t stick in the forms. You need water to make mud and voila, this is a STEM activity.

And just like you can not make sand cakes without the water, it is very hard to leave handprints in dry sand which the Pre–Kindergarten children could clearly experience. After adding water, they could leave their prints in the wet sand, another important lesson learnt! 

We are looking forward to having many more discoveries next week with lots of natural materials, trying to leave as little ecological footprints on our valuable earth as possible. 

Have a lovely weekend ! 

Kind regards, mit freundlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher 

Playgroup / EY GFL & Deutsch

German Saturday School homeroom teacher 

Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 4 Exciting Rokko Island Unit Discoveries

 Pre-KG 2025/ 26 Blog 4

Exciting Rokko Island Unit Discoveries

Even though it is still early in the school year, we were amazed to witness that the Pre–Kindergarten children already showed good understanding of the classroom routines and collaboration skills, so we thought them ready to broaden their horizon.

I am a big believer of extending the children‘s learning beyond the classroom and the Pre–Kindergarten class is known for making visits all around Rokko Island which brings a lot of smiles to people’s faces. Moreover the children have the possibility to display many of their learner profile attributes like caring, thinker and risk–taker and of course new challenges give them added opportunities for self –management and social skills ( ATL‘s for this unit). 

Before the outings I make a connection through books, visual reminders and explanations, so the children understand the purpose and are well prepared. 

So off we went on all 5! days this week to different destinations exploring Rokko Island and what a wonderful, enriching experience it proved to be ! 

1) Monday:  Potato Field & Dekapathos Water park 

After looking at a variety of books with outdoor scenarios and parks, the Pre–Kindergarten children walked to the Dekapathos water park by the river crossing the bridge to the potato field. 

They were keen to spot some fish, but marine life is sparse on Rokko Island. We then checked on the sweet potatoes and they seem to be growing nicely! We are looking forward to a bountiful harvest! 

On we went with a unit related mission for the Pre–Kindergarten children at the Dekapathos area:  find shapes on the ground ( circles and squares) and a green and blue slide! The shapes were spotted easily, but the slides needed a bit of detective work. 

In the end, everything was found and our Pre–Kindergarten class showed that they are making great progress in recognizing colours and shapes ! 

2 ) Tuesday:  Kiitasu Wooden Toy Shop

Rokko Island is home to a fabulous toy shop, called Kiitasu that has an abundance of toys , games and play structures, all made of wood, my favorite material ever. My grandfather was a master craftsman and furniture maker and he handcrafted not only furniture and miniature buildings but doll houses, pull toys and many beautiful items for the family and community. 

So I was extremely happy to have found this amazing toy shop with a Japan – Germany– China connection through their design, usage of wood and craftsmanship. 

The Pre–Kindergarten children went there on a discovery trip with their friends from K1 and all the children absolutely loved the toys, the atmosphere and the enriching play experiences. I am much indebted to the Family Yamaguchi for their warm welcome and their amazing generosity in becoming a sponsor for the EY section and the Tombola at the Oktoberfest.

Thank you so very much, dear Yamaguchi family and we are sure you will have many new fans using your fantastic wooden toys and cube puzzles ! 

3) Wednesday: Traffic lights / Mini park by the round water area

In another collaboration walk with K1, we made a purposeful stop at the traffic lights / street crossing nearest to the school. We have explained the importance of stopping at a red light and looking out for cars before, but this important rule can not be repeated often enough as it might become a life saver. The children seem to understand this and also diligently raised their hands once the pedestrian light turned green to make themselves appear taller to be seen better.

At the round water area we stopped to talk about a tree that was covered in green leaves. As K1 is learning about seasons, Ms.Miho explained about green leaves in summer and bare branches in winter and then everyone got to touch the tree trunk and feel the bark. 

The Pre–Kindergarten children then moved on to explore the mini garden and discovered red flowers while K1 explored the water features.

It was a memorable outing for all of us and everyone learnt something new. 

4) Thursday: Emergency Drill– Fashion Museum and Rokko Island Elementary School

With Japan being a country prone to Eathquakes and our school being located close to the sea, we take not only fire drills , but also Earthquake and Tsunami drills very seriously at DSKI.

After the drill alert, we ducked and covered until the clear to evacuate came and the whole school assembled on the school yard, where a Tsunami alert was given. We then proceeded to the second floor of the fashion museum where the children sat in line for a head count and further instructions. 

The final destination was the Rokko Island Elementary School where we will receive shelter and essentials in case of a disaster. Kindly familiarize yourself with the location as this will be the pick up point for your children.

All DSKI children did an awesome job and the Pre–Kindergarten children being the youngest ones astonished everyone with their patience and understanding. Please help us with bringing your children to safety in a smooth way by providing inside shoes that fit properly ( as we will walk in these and not change shoes in an emergency) and have your children bring a bottle with strap plus a hat in summer.

5) Friday: Kobe Play Center / Rokko Island

Kobe City provides great services for families with children including the NobiNobi passport that allows children to enter many attractions, zoos etc. for free. They also operate various play centers around town, with one being on Rokko Island.

The Play Center is free and fabulous with a lot of high quality toys, great activities and very friendly staff.

This time the Pre–Kindergarten children spent most of their time in the huge ball bath, walking through the rope tunnel, coming down the slide and diving and swimming among the many, coloured balls. And yes, again it is a great way to learn about colours while having fun! 

With so many exciting discoveries throughout the week, the Pre–Kindergarten were all smiles at the end of the week and were keen to share their adventures with their families! 

Wonderful job, dear Pre–Kindergarten children, please enjoy a good long weekend and see you next Tuesday! 

Kind regards, mit freundlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch

DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher 

Playgroup / EY GFL & Deutsch

German Saturday School homeroom teacher