In mid-May, The International Preschools celebrated the traditional Mother’s Day holiday. While our 76th Street location honored mothers in a few different ways, the 86th Street location chose to commemorate “Parents Day” with the children and their families.
May 5th marked National Teacher Appreciation Day. Here at The International Preschools, we like to think that are teachers are appreciated every day! The fabulous IPS Parents Association, in honor of the immense amount of work that our teachers are preparing and executing every day via our Zoom sessions, decided to present the faculty by coordinating a special surprise…
The topics of love, friendship, and being kind are underlying themes throughout every school year at The International Preschools. In February, the students at The International Preschools bring these concepts to the forefront of their learning by celebrating Valentine’s Day.
The teachers at all three locations approached this subject in ways that were both similar and unique. Colors commonly associated with Valentine’s Day (red, pink, purple) popped up in many classrooms. In fact, many of our Red Rooms (2s) used this opportunity to begin their color units. Children were invited to wear red, pink, and purple to school on Valentine’s Day, and some classes also held a show-and-share of red items. The “heart” shape was also used as a symbol of Valentine’s Day and love; in one classroom, students learned about the heart muscle and became versed in how to take their own pulses!
To further the concept of friendship and working together, many students participated in whole-group projects such as collaborative collages to promote the idea of functioning as a team. Many classroom writing centers provided older children with the tools to make their own valentines, including word boxes (with Valentine’s Day-related words and phrases for children to reproduce, such as “I Love You”), markers, crayons, pencils, paper, and scissors. This type of open-ended activity allows for students to work at their own ability level, the common goal being that the “process” is more important than the final “product, thereby reinforcing the school learning through play philosophy.
Small group and whole group discussions are important in our preschoolers’ learning. Many classrooms discussed ways that we can express our love and friendship to our families and peers. Children came up with a variety of answers as to how to do this, ranging from “giving hugs” to “playing with friends.”
Below is a list of love-and-friendship-themed books that various classes have read at school:
We at The International Preschools wish you and your family a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
To purchase any of the books above, while also supporting our school, click here.
To learn more about our school, visit our admissions pages, including a letter from our director, click here.
