Topic Study through Real-Life Experience
It has been a busy couple of months at Ya Ya. Our children became more comfortable with their preschool routine and they went on a fascinating journey of learning about different jobs our community helpers hold and navigating our busy city through topic studies. Rooted in experiential learning, our curriculum presented children with multiple opportunities to access topic-related real-life materials and take learning outside of their classroom walls.
One of my personal favorite topic projects is using a blow dryer to mix red and yellow paint to create art. Not only does this project allow children to learn how a blow dryer, one of the important tools a hairdresser uses, works, it also helps children learn the concept of color mixing, allows them to be creative, and encourages teamwork through taking turns, sharing, etc.
I am a firm believer that learning doesn’t always have to happen in the classrooms. To help children understand what postal workers do and how letters and packages are mailed and delivered, we took them on a field trip to a local post office. We explored the sections in the post office and we were so lucky to meet a real postal worker who generously explained to us how the mail system works.
These activities and many more take place at Ya Ya every single day. I hope you will get a sneak peek into the amazing happenings through the slideshow below.
Spreading Gratitude and Bringing the Community Together
Before the Thanksgiving break, we brought our children together and had our very first Thanksgiving Assembly. Children listened to a hilarious story about a turkey, learned a new gratitude song in Chinese, and we all talked about what we are thankful for with each other! Some children were thankful for their parents, others expressed their love for their teachers and friends at school.
Family Day is a cherished Ya Ya tradition. In December, we welcomed our enrolled families to visit our classrooms and experience the Ya Ya magic with their children. Together, we celebrated everything the children have done since day 1 by watching a carefully prepared slideshow. Grownups also had lots of fun with their children in our experience room where a lot of the meaningful learning happens.
During the past month, we also brought back our all-time-favorite story time events at Ya Ya Library so families in our local community can join us to listen to fun stories, sing songs, and learn new movements in Mandarin. This time around, we featured a couple of Eric Carle's classic stories which are also my personal favorite!
Teacher Spotlight
Meet Shelly Laoshi, the head teacher in our Green Class (綠班). Shelly was born and raised in Taiwan. She has a bachelor’s degree in voice performance and a master's degree in music education. Shelly loves children and enjoys teaching them how to explore the world through music. She has completed several teacher training workshops for infants and toddlers such as Music Together, MusikGarten, and Gordon Music for Early Childhood.
Shelly Laoshi in action - Reading a story about a hungry snake!
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