Tag: eggs

What’s Happening At IPS: Chicks, Literacy, and More!

Before: Children observe the fertilized eggs in the incubator at our 86th Street location.

Throughout the months of February and March, there have been a variety of themes displayed within our classrooms. Interdisciplinary themes, combined with our play-based learning philosophy, were evident everywhere you went at The International Preschools!

In February, both locations welcomed twelve fertilized eggs in incubators, which produced many fluffy chicks that were born on Valentine’s Day! At 76th Street and 86th Street, the classes visited the chicks throughout the hatching process and celebrated with a “birthday party” to commemorate our feathered friends’ entry into the world.

After: A successful “chick hatch” at 86th Street!

In addition to Valentine’s Day, the Winter Olympics, and Pediatric Dental Health Month (February), our annual literacy units began in the Green and Pre-K Rooms. Our Green Rooms studied a particular author in the weeks leading up to our two-week Spring Break, while the Pre-K Rooms concentrated on a chapter book study of their choosing. The Red Rooms worked on a color unit, focusing on a different color each week.

Blue Week “Show and Share” in the 76th Street Red Room. Children were asked to bring in an object of their choosing in the color of the week to “show” and “share” with the class.

Take a look into our classrooms at the wide range of themes and learning that’s happening at The International Preschools!

  • Winning an Olympic medal at 76th Street!
  • The 76th Street children participated in an Olympic ice skating event using paper plates for skates!
  • The 76th Street children created the Olympic rings using paint and paper towel tubes to create “rings.”
  • Sitting with our feathered friends!
  • Green Room students at 86th Street observe a tiny chick.
  • A “chick exploration center” at 86th Street.
  • We pet the chicks gently, using only one (or two) fingers.
  • The Red Room observes the chicks playing and frolicking during our Chick Birthday Party.
  • Chick Birthday Party at 86th Street
  • We pet the chicks gently, using only one (or two) fingers.
  • Ms. Tabbs speaks to a class about the chicks at 86th Street.
  • Doing the “Chicken Dance” for our chick friends at 76th Street!
  • We pet the chicks gently, using only one (or two) fingers.
  • Chick-themed games at 86th Street’s birthday celebration.
  • Ms. Tabbs and Ms. Jaya face off in an egg-on-a-spoon race during the 86th Street birthday party!
  • 76th Street had a successful chick hatch!
  • Petting a baby chick at 86th Street.
  • A “chick exploration center” at 86th Street.
  • Egg-on-a-spoon race at the 86th Street chick birthday party.
  • Chick-themed games at 86th Street’s birthday celebration.
  • Petting a baby chick at 76th Street.
  • We love the baby chicks!
  • Dancing and festive fun at the 86th Street chick birthday party!
  • Welcoming the baby chicks was so exciting!
  • Decorating chick cut-out cookies at the 76th Street birthday celebration.
  • Red, pink, white, and purple necklaces were made at the 76th Street Valentine’s Day celebration.
  • Valentine’s Day-themed play dough center at 86th Street
  • Making valentines at 86th Street
  • The Pre-K 2 class at 76th Street explores using a toothbrush in a different way during Pediatric Dental Health Month.
  • Pre-K 2 students made a mouth using marshmallows for teeth during their Dental Health unit.
  • It’s Yellow Week in the Red Room at 86th Street!
  • A blue-themed project during Blue Week at 76th Street!
  • Color-mixing science unit + color unit = fun!
  • Red Week coincided with Valentine’s Day in the Red Room at 86th Street!
  • Working on a blue puzzle during Blue Week at 86th Street!

When we return in April, we will turn our studies to Earth Day, life cycles, and of course, the spring season!

Like what you see? Learn more about The International Preschools by visiting our website.

Interested in applying to our school? You can do that online! Visit our website to fill out an application and learn more about the admissions process.

The Chicks Are (Were) Here: IPS Hatches Some Eggs

Our pre-hatched chicks, all snug in their egg shells!

February:  not exactly the month one would think of when contemplating the idea of baby chicks.  But here at The International Preschools, we do things differently!

For the last few years during the month of February, The International Preschools has welcomed twelve eggs into each location. The eggs come to us courtesy of Quiver Farms in Montgomery, Pennsylvania.  Farmer Brenda of Quiver Farms visited our schools recently and talked to the children about where the eggs came from, how long it will take for the eggs to hatch, and what the children (and teachers) need to do in order to keep the eggs/chicks safe and happy.  The eggs that arrived at our school were a little more than halfway through the egg portion of their life cycle, so our job at IPS was to keep the eggs warm in incubators, in order to take the place of the mother hen(s).

Continue reading →

The Early Bird Catches The Worm: Welcoming Chicks at IPS!

Quiver Farms visited our 86th Street location to teach the students about the life cycle of chicks.

In hopes of ushering in an early spring, the students at The International Preschools spent some time in February learning about the life cycle of chicks.  Each location welcomed farmers from Quiver Farms, located in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania.  The farmers introduced the children to a hen and a rooster, and spoke about the process of how chicks grow and ultimately hatch from eggs.  Read on to view photos of the chicks’ time at IPS, as well as to learn about how each location prepared for the chicks’ arrival!

Continue reading →

Life Cycles and Our End-Of-Year Units: How Are They Connected?

 

003b8b441b146358718390039-522x700
Interacting with a baby chick!

dsc_0027
Observing Caterpillars

Spring is an exciting season in play-based curriculum. Following thematic classroom units on the Earth, students at The International Preschools explore life cycles.  Students of all ages are introduced to live caterpillars who are then placed in a “butterfly garden” and observed and recorded closely.  Preschoolers excitedly experience firsthand as caterpillars enter their chrysalises and emerge as butterflies! For a few joyful days, the children enjoy spending time with their new “classmates.”  But soon, the teachers will tell the class that it is time to release the butterflies to live in their natural habitats. There is a bittersweet “ceremony,” where the butterfly gardens are opened and its inhabitants are set free, to live in a local park.

Chicken eggs are introduced at each location in early May by Quiver Farms and are placed in an incubator until they hatch. All of the students (and teachers!) from the entire school spend time visiting and examining the eggs.  Soon, the location is filled with delighted squeals of our preschoolers, as they have a front-row seat to the arrival of baby chicks!  Under careful supervision, the students help to care for, and even pet, these tiny creatures for about a week.  They are then transported back to Quiver Farms to live after a final goodbye and hug from the children.

Continue reading →