Without kids
The kids are enjoying their summer break, and so are we kindergarten teachers. It is time to relax a bit and recharge your batteries for the new semester. As you organise your English teaching material you realise how much the children have actually learnt in the course of the year. And of course you as a kindergarten teacher have some nostalgic moments as well. But a new group of children is coming, and you’ll bond with them too. New faces, new signs, new group dynamics. And this is part of the reason why we love this job, isn’t it?
The graduates
Well, summer break is here and I had to say good bye to the seniors in my group. They have to move on, and I think they are looking forward to meeting new friends, playing with new toys and getting to know new teachers. One thing I’m sure of: they won’t have difficulties communicating in basic English. Their vocabulary is solid and their comprehension is great. I got some souvenirs from them, but I will still miss them. Good luck, dear graduates!
Ice cream time
How many scoops can you eat? It’s always a good time for an ice cream. Especially in summer. It also provides a great opportunity to practise numbers, colours and tastes in English.
The kids have to use sunscreen when we go outside, so it takes more time to prepare everyone.
We are learning more words from Gregory, The Terrible Eater too. We play a lot of different flashcard games, so it’s never boring.
Gregory, The Terrible Eater
Gregory, The Terrible Eater – another great English book for very young learners of English. Gregory is a goat, but not just an average goat. He is a terrible eater. Find out what he wants to eat.
We learn new words with flashcards. Tin can, box, rug, bottle cap, shoe, shirt, buttons, newspaper, a pair of pants, coat, cardboard, shoelace, necktie, sewing basket, clothes hamper, tool kit, tire, barber pole, violin, car. Select only 6-8 words, this is too much for one week.
Then we play parachute game with plastic fruits.
Maths with dried fruit reloaded.
Feely bag
Feely bag – What is in your hand? Tell us in English. Noone can see it, because it is in a feely bag. How big is it? Is it hard or soft? What is it made of?
We are playing a memory game with fruit memory cards again becaue the kids enjoyed it so much last week.
Maths in English with prune and raisin. Put five raisins on the plate in front of you. Eat two. How many raisins do you have left? Now put three prunes on the plate. Eat one. How many prunes are there left? If you behave well, at the end of the lesson you can eat them all. Yummy!
Eating healthy in English
You are what you eat. What is good for you? What is bad for you? What is chocolate made of? Is it healthy? What is healthy food? We are learning about fruits and vegetables this week. They are good for your body. You will be strong, tall and healthy. We also try a memory game with fruit memory cards. Learning fruit vocabulary is fun!
We close the circle time with musical chair.
Chocolatina
Who likes chocolate? Tina definitely does! Chocolatina is the next book we are reading together. How would you feel if one morning you woke up and saw that you had turned into chocolate? Would you cry a little chocolate syrup tear? It’s not easy being a chocolate girl.
Anyway, chocolate is a grateful topic. And don’t forget, if you eat chocolate, you have to brush your teeth afterwards. Accompanied by an English song: Brush, brush, brush your teeth…
Our secret project
A colleague will leave soon. We have now a secret project with the children: we are learning the Skinny Marinky song with the movements and preparing tissue paper craft. The kids are goint to perform it on our colleague’s last day and give her the tissue paper craft: a flower. They really enjoy the fact that we have a secret.
Otherwise we carry on with the regular English circle times and activities. It’s so hot these days we spend the mornings outside and plan indoors activities for mid-day.
Sea World
We spend more time outside in the garden now. We exercise there too. All instructions are in English. Maths: Count how many of each are in the picture. Octopus, squid, dolphin, whale, crab… There’s a small pool filled with water too. Let’s fold paper boats! How? Everyone get a sheet of paper and follow my moves. …Ready? Great! Let’s put them on the water! They won’t sink, don’t worry!
Over In The Ocean In A Coral Reef
It’s summer. Who would like to go to the beach? Come with us! We are working with the English children’s book Over In The Ocean In A Coral Reef. Let’s dive in! There are so many colourful, interesting creatures in the ocean: octopus, parrotfish, clownfish, stingray, pufferfish, dolphin, angelfish, needlefish, gruntfish and seahorse. Let’s see how they play over in the ocean. You can practise numbers too from one to ten.