October Events at The International Preschools
The first month of school has been a huge success! Over the last several weeks, the children have acclimated nicely to the daily routines at IPS. The children and teachers are building strong relationships and creating a sense of community within their classrooms. The 2021-2022 school year is definitely off to a great start!
During the month of October, a variety of topics are covered within our classrooms. The overall theme is “We Are Different, Yet We Are The Same,” a nod to the celebration of multiculturalism at our school. IPS was founded more than 50 years ago as a place for those families affiliated with the United Nations to come together as a community. (For more on why United Nations Day is so important to The International Preschools, click here.)
Take a look inside of our classrooms and learn about what’s going on at IPS…
The Pre-K 2 children at 76th Street have been working on their cutting skills! The children cut out shapes and tried to follow along the lines while doing so. 
86th Street students create their own “world” by painting circle-shaped paper in green, blue, and brown. This activity reflects our overall October theme of “We are different, yet we are the same.” 
During snack time, children learn to socialize with each other, take turns, taste different foods, and strengthen their self-help skills by cleaning up after themselves. It’s a fun (and educational) time for all! 
A Red Room student at 86th Street creates a pumpkin using textured paint. 
An apple-themed project is a big hit in the Red Room at 86th Street! 
Throughout the entire school year, the children learn about the cultures represented by the students at our school. Here a child at 86th Street plays a matching game with boys and girls of different skin tones, hair color, and eye color. Even though we may look different, we are still children that need food, water, and a home. We are different, yet we are the same! 
The Pre-K Room at 86th Street spent some time at nearby Carl Schurz Park. 
The Red Room at 86th Street explored the inside and the outside of a pumpkin. 
The 76th Street Red Room welcomed the return of the sandbox to the school playground! 
Green Room children at 86th Street strengthened their fine motor skills by threading beads onto “hair.” 
The Pre-K 2 children at 76th Street practiced lacing by threading yarn into and out of small holes. 
In honor of United Nations Day, the Pre-K 2 children created paintings of flags that represent their families. 
Gross motor skills are exercised on the monkey bars at Carl Schurz Playground! 
Pre-K classes at both locations began the Handwriting Without Tears program, a weekly foray into the proper formation of uppercase letters. 
Lacing activities with a multicultural theme! 86th Street students work on their fine motor skills using cards with people dressed in traditional, multicultural clothing. 
The Green Room children welcomed their first culture share/family tradition of the year. The theme was decorating for the fall/Halloween season. 
Technology class with Ms. Chelsea started in September for the Pre-K classes at 76th Street. The Green Room children will begin technology classes in January. 
The 76th Street Red Room prepares for cooking class by wearing IPS aprons!
Be sure to return to the IPS blog next month for more photos, curriuculum, and events taking place at our wonderful school!
Are you interested in joining the IPS community? Learn about the application process by visiting our website.
Books are an instrumental way to foster learning and to use as a springboard for discussions, in even our smallest students. Here are a few books, appropriate for preschoolers, that promote diversity in a tangible, understandable way. These books also celebrate traditions and everyday activities that look different, yet alike, in each family’s household.
At The International Preschools, celebrating diversity and an awareness of how we are all different, yet we are all alike, is the cornerstone of our play-based learning philosophy. Children as young as age 2 are able to pick up on differences…and the acceptance and reactions of adults around them.
