Preschool

Let's Talk!

CGK Awards

Mountain A (4-year-olds)

Getting to Know Ourselves Better!

This month, we welcomed a new student to our class, and the children have done a great job helping them learn our daily routines. They are gaining a better understanding on the benefits of these routines, and learning to give great reason. They are moving from, "Because mommy and daddy said so," to reasons along the lines of, "We wash our hands to remove the germs and keep our bodies healthy!" We also started our new Who We Are UOI under the Central Idea: We can take care of ourselves and others. Over the next few weeks, the class will focus on three specific areas: caring for our bodies, caring for our feelings, and caring for others.

Additionally, we began our monthly Reading Buddies program with the Grade 2 class, which gives our students regular opportunities to practice speaking and listening in English with older peers. Reading Buddies is when we invite elementary friends to read to preschool students. This is a great chance for elementary friends to model how to handle a book, and show off an enjoyment of reading.
Finally, in the classroom, students are working through our math and literacy centers daily. They are doing well with these hands-on activities and are learning to clean up and move between stations independently.

Mr. Lam

Mountain B (4-year-olds)

Building Friendships Across Classes

This month, Mountain B has enjoyed many opportunities to connect with friends from other classes. The children were excited when their Sky friends came to visit and share stories with them. They also loved spending time with Mountain A during free play, outdoor activities, and UOI lessons. It has been wonderful to see the children building new friendships, learning from one another, and enjoying so many shared experiences together. 

Mountain B was especially excited to spend time with their Jungle friends. We had some great opportunities to play together with Jungle A and Jungle B during our outdoor adventures at Yokohama Park and Nipponmaru. Mountain students showed so much care and kindness towards the younger friends. They helped remind their Jungle friends to stay within the play areas and were always ready to lend a helping hand when it was time to head back to CGK for lunch.

Spending time with the younger children has helped Mountain B see just how much they have grown. They are beginning to understand what it means to look after others and be a positive role model. Through these experiences, they have been developing important skills such as caring for others, communicating clearly, taking responsibility, and showing patience and empathy.

It has been lovely to watch the children build new friendships and gain confidence in themselves. Whether they were sharing stories, playing games, or helping a younger friend, Mountain B showed what a kind and supportive community we have at CGK. We are looking forward to many more opportunities to learn and play together!

Ms. Leina

Mountain A & B (4-year-olds)

“ぼく・わたし”から“クラスの一員”へ 

6月からは、「私たちはどのように組織し、生活を成り立たせているのか(How We Organise Ourselves）」に加えて、「私たちは誰なのか(Who We Are）」という新しいUnitを開始し、自分の気持ちについて学んでいます。「昨日のスイミングが楽しかったから、今日は楽しい気持ちだよ！」「悲しい気持ちになったら、ママとパパとハグをすれば、ちょっと嬉しくなるの」など、自分が今感じている気持ちに気づき、それを言葉で表現する時間をたくさん持ちました。また、自分の気持ちだけでなく、「お友達が悲しい気持ちになっている時はどうすればいいかな？」と、他のお友達への思いやりについて考える活動を通して、自分と他の人の気持ちは必ずしも同じではないことにも少しずつ気づき始めています。このUnitでは、自分自身の身体についても探究を深めています。「大きくなるためにはお野菜を食べなきゃだめだよ！」「いっぱい寝たら背が伸びるんだよ」など、食事や睡眠が自分の身体に影響していることを意識しているお友達の姿も見られます。ランチの時間には、「にんじんを食べたら風邪をひかないんだよ！」と、苦手な野菜に挑戦するお友達もおり、探究した内容を日々の生活に結びつけながら実践する姿も増えてきました。ジャガイモの収穫を体験したこともあり、食への興味が広がってきていると感じます。
また、今月からShow and Tellも行っています。クラスの前に立ち発表することを、待ちきれない様子のお友達や、少し緊張している様子のお友達もいますが、一生懸命に発表する姿はまさに「挑戦する人(Risk-taker）」そのものです。Show and Tellは、発表しているお友達だけでなく、聞いているお友達にとっても、「どのように聞くと、発表している人が嬉しいかな？」と考える大切な機会になっています。「ぼく・わたし」という自分自身への意識から、「Mountainクラスの一員」としての自覚も少しずつ芽生え、友達と協力してクラスのルールを守ろうとする姿も増えてきました。一人ひとりが自分自身や周りの人への理解を深めながら、心も身体も大きく成長していることを感じています。

Ms Yuka

Ocean (2-year-olds)

Understanding Ourselves and Others

Each and every day the students learn more about themselves and others as they bravely and cheerily continue their CGK journey. All throughout the past month the students have worked hard to consider their physical and emotional well-being, and with the gentle guidance of the teachers how we can share and explore our learning experiences together.  This is especially true of our class times where we discuss and explore the different feelings we have, and how we can safely process and communicate our feelings to others. Using the book The Color Monster as a starting point to describe in actions and words our feelings, the students have done several activities in both Japanese and English time to explore these concepts. We like to encourage our students not only to affirm their positive feelings but to acknowledge negative feelings, exploring what we can do to help ourselves and others in such situations. The students have also thought about different actions we may take at school and how they affect our friends and their feelings. 

Not only is it important for the students to learn about being part of class, it is also essential that the students are given the tools and confidence to define themselves. Already, the students have begun to discuss and communicate their preferences during English times starting with colors. Of course, the students often encounter numerous opportunities to state and describe their preferences throughout the day outside of class time. What Circle Time songs do they like, what books from the Ocean Class library do they like and what are their favorite lunch meals. But in addition to defining ourselves through our preferences we also stress the importance of being confident and comfortable with ourselves. Ms Mary always starts the day off by helping the students to assure themselves that they are loved and can do hard things. All of these experiences help our wonderful Ocean students to learn and grow. 

Mr. Huw

笑って、泣いて、色んな気持ちを育む毎日。

今月は「感情」に焦点を当て、子どもたち一人ひとりの気持ちに寄り添いながら日々を過ごしています。朝、お家の方と離れることが悲しい時には「寂しいね。でもたくさん遊んだらお迎えに来てくれるよ」と気持ちを受け止めたり、おもちゃの貸し借りの場面では「貸してほしかったんだね。『貸して』と伝えてみよう」と言葉で伝える方法を一緒に考えたりしながら、自分の気持ちに気付き、表現する経験を積み重ねています。ある日のレッスンでは、クラスでのルールについて話し合う機会を設けました。子どもたちは2つのグループに分かれ、「やってよいこと」「よくないこと」について考えながら、自分たちだけのルール表を作りました。クラスで実際に起きた出来事を例に挙げながら、「こんなことがあったらどんな気持ちになるかな？」という質問について話し合うと、「悲しい」「うれしい」「痛くなる」など、たくさんの意見が出ました。自分の考えを伝えるだけでなく、先生や友だちの話にも耳を傾ける姿が見られ、相手にも自分と同じように気持ちがあることを少しずつ理解し始めている様子がうかがえました。また、言葉で伝えることが難しくてもルール表を指しながら、同じような場面を目にした時に振り返りをおこなっている子もいます。現在Oceanクラスで探究している『Who We Are(私たちは誰なのか）』の単元では、自分自身について知り、周りの人とのつながりについて学んでいます。その中で、先生や友だちからかけてもらった優しい言葉を覚え、同じような場面で友だちに「大丈夫？」「悲しかったね」「もうすぐママ来るよ」と声をかける姿が増えてきました。また、泣いている友だちのそばに行って優しく触れたり、おもちゃを渡したりする姿からも、相手の気持ちを考えようとする思いやりの心が育っていることを感じます。
このような経験は、IBの学習者像である「思いやりのある人(Caring）」や、自分の経験や気持ちを振り返る「振り返りのできる人(Reflective）」につながっています。笑ったり、泣いたり、ときには怒ったりしながら、子どもたちは日々さまざまな感情を経験し、自分自身や友だちについて学んでいます。これからも子どもたちの気持ちを大切に受け止めながら、一人ひとりが安心して自分らしさを表現できる環境をつくり、自分も相手も大切にできる優しく強い心を育んでいきたいと思います。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Ms. Mami

Afterschool

Afterschool Class C - What Was it Like in Medieval Europe?

For our First Wednesday Project of the year, our students have been exploring the question: What was life like in medieval Europe? This project began with student choice, as the class discussed different topics they were interested in learning about and voted on the direction they wanted to explore. After brainstorming different ideas about the Middle Ages, the students decided they wanted to learn more about medieval knights, castles, armor, and artwork. This choice allowed students to investigate what life was really like during this fascinating period of history while creating their own projects along the way.

Throughout the project, students have explored many different aspects of medieval Europe. They began by learning about medieval castles and the role they played in society. The students also became interested in medieval art, especially stained glass windows found in cathedrals and places of worship. After examining real examples, they created their own stained glass-inspired artwork using transparent sheets and paint. This helped them understand how medieval artists used color, design, and storytelling to create beautiful works of art.

The class then shifted their focus toward medieval knights and their equipment. Students researched different types of armor and discovered that a knight’s suit was made up of many individual pieces, each designed to protect a specific part of the body. Using this knowledge, students began designing and building their own knight armor sets. They created helmets inspired by real medieval designs, added movable visors, and experimented with ways to make their armor both realistic and functional. They also designed chest plates and shoulder armor, solving challenges along the way to make sure their creations were both strong and comfortable.

As the project continues, students are adding final details to their armor sets and preparing their creations for their upcoming presentation. Throughout this journey, they have developed their research skills, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork. It has been exciting to watch students transform their curiosity about medieval Europe into detailed, hands-on projects that combine history, art, and engineering.

Best Regards,

Mr. Reyes

CGK Extra

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