2: Lessons from the Sandbox

 "All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten." 

-Robert Fulghum

What is your best memory of Kindergarten?

All of us have a memory or two of our first school experience. Some may be wonderful, some may not be as pleasant, but these experiences helped shape us into who we are now — even if we had them when we were just 5 years old.

When I was that age, an author named Robert Fulghum published an essay called 

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. In his essay, he talked about the wisdom that we gain while playing in the Kindergarten sandbox rather than in grad school, and how essential these lessons are in making the world a better place. 

I found his essay to be a good reminder of what the children need to learn, 

apart from the ones that we planned for in our curriculum. 

This week, we made our first memory in Kindergarten 2 by learning lessons from the “sandbox” — ones that are anchored on the attributes that can empower us to become a better person for ourselves and for others.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE LEARNER PROFILE

1: On Being Caring

The book called The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt paved the way for our lesson on learning how to be caring. It’s a series of letters written by the crayons to Duncan, the boy who owns them. In their letters, the crayons shared their feelings and what Duncan can do to make them feel better.

After reading the book, the children shared their observation that the crayons are not happy. To make the crayons feel better, each child in Kindergarten 2 "adopted" one color of crayon, and use it for their artwork.

But I gave the children a challenge:

Can you make a colorful picture of your name?

Since they only had one crayon, the children found the task to be tricky, until one of them said, 

"Can I borrow the blue crayon?"

And the magic began as the children started sharing the crayons to create a beautiful picture of their name.

To deepen the children's understanding of the lesson, I asked them:

How have your friends been kind to you?

They reflected on their personal experiences and shared some beautiful ways their classmates have shown kindness towards them.

We also decided to use our crayons for an experiment. We glued them side by side to see what will happen if we melt them with a hairdryer. 

2: On Being a Risk-Taker

I have always loved making art as a child, but I remember getting disheartened every time I made a mistake. I discovered a book called the Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg that highlights the beauty of mistakes. It offers us the perspective that mistakes can be an opportunity to learn and to become better, which I find to be truly empowering. 

After reading the book, I showed the children that I make mistakes, too. I tried to paint certain things but I just kept on getting it wrong. When I wanted to throw them away, the children all said, "No!" They all agreed that mistakes are okay and we can make them better. 

Each child got one of my "mistakes" and transformed it into their own work of art.

Look at how they transformed my OOPS into something BEAUTIFUL.

3: On Being a Communicator

Stories open us to new worlds and take us on adventures without leaving the comfort of our home. I want the children to develop a love for books, so as early as now, I introduced a culture of reading in class. We try to read a book every day and created a quiet nook for reading independently. 

Apart from this, I've also set up a loose parts table where the children can get materials to use for sharing their own story and creating adventures for others to enjoy.

4: On Being Open-Minded

On our first week of school, I read a book called It's Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr with the children. This book is special because it underscores the importance of being open to different things, as well as accepting and appreciating the beauty of our diversity. 

The children then created their own self-portrait to see how diverse yet beautiful we all are, despite our differences. 

What a colorful bunch we are, don't you think so?

7: On Being Principled

At the beginning of every school year, one activity that every class in an IB school does is create a set of essential agreements. These are promises that we make to each other to ensure a fun-filled school year. This week, the Kindergarteners reflected on the story “David Goes to School” by David Shannon. 

They shared the choices of David, the protagonist, that affected the different members of his class. The Kindergarteners all agreed that they would like a learning environment where they make better choices, and from there, we created our essential agreements:

We will...

 -use voice level 1 or 2

-have kind hands

-walk in the classroom

-crisscross applesauce

-eat nicely

-raise our hand and wait for our turn

-have listening ears and eyes

-line up properly

-tidy up

-ask permission before going out of the classroom

-be nice to each other

-have fun!

6: On Being Reflective

I have always believed that deeper learning takes place in moments when we pause and reflect. So in Kinder 2, we try to give these little pauses for the children to learn from their thoughts and feelings, and to capture them through their drawings and art. 

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What is your best memory of Kindergarten?

The reason why I ask is because we are making those memories now for your children. 

Wouldn't it be amazing if apart from having fun, 

they will take away nuggets of wisdom that will help them make the world a better place? 

After all, some of the best things we learn in life really do happen in Kindergarten.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam

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Reminder:

K2 Swimming Classes begin on Monday, September 4.

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to chaperone the children.