Tag: spring

We Have Grown! May Curriculum at The International Preschools

The month of May traditionally commemorates how much the children have grown from the beginning of the school year. Visual activities are abundant, such as growth charts and baby-to-big-kid photos, where the children can actually “see” how much they’ve changed. Emotionally and socially, the children reflect on tasks that they can now complete successfully that they couldn’t do in years past.

The Green Room kept a measurement chart, with each child’s height in the beginning of the year. Now, they’ve added their current height in order to compare and contrast how much the children have grown!

Simultaneously, our students spend time learning about life cycles, particularly that of the caterpillar. Recently, many of our classes released their butterflies into nearby Carl Schurz Park, after their metamorphoses was concluded. Connections are made between the butterflies leaving their cozy homes in our classrooms, to the IPS students preparing to leave their cozy classrooms for new ones, some of which are in different schools. While it is sad to see our students (and our butterflies!) go on, the emphasis is made on how much they’ve grown, and how they now have the tools to “move on” (be it in winged or in skilled form!).

  • The Pre-K children pose with some of the parents on their trip to release their butterflies!
  • A newly freed butterfly!
  • The Pre-K children observe the butterflies that were just released into Carl Schurz Park.

Are you interested in joining the IPS community? We are still accepting applications! Learn about our admissions process by visiting our website.

Spring at The International Preschools

Spring has finally arrived in New York City! At The International Preschools, the teachers and students welcome the season with a variety of activities and school-wide events.

In the classrooms, we are learning about all aspects of the spring: gardening, flowers, and planting as well as Earth Day and related actions such as the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). Families have also visited IPS to celebrate holidays such as Easter, Passover, Greek Orthodox Easter, and Holi, to name a few. This is part of our yearlong Culture Share, where parents and children share their traditions with the teachers and students.

A family celebrates Greek Orthodox Easter in our Jr. K classroom.

In May, we will have a Field Day (5/20), Grandparents and Special Friends Day (5/19), and of course, the annual Spring Benefit (5/11). This year’s Spring Benefit will commemorate 60 years of IPS!

We are looking forward to a fun-filled spring at IPS, culminating with our end-of-year celebrations during the first week of June.

Are you interested in joining the IPS community? We are still accepting applications! Learn about our admissions process by visiting our website.

Observing (And Learning!) About The World Around Us

Red Room children use magnifying glasses to closely observe the parts of a flower.

The changing of seasons helps children embark on a learning adventure by employing their five senses. From the Red Room (2s) to the Junior Kindergarten (4s/5s), the children in every classroom are asked questions about what they see, feel, hear, smell, and taste when introducing a new season.

At our 86th Street location, some classes have started learning about the caterpillar-to-butterfly life cycle! Here, a child observes the caterpillars, as well as a life cycle chart.

Now that the spring season has arrived, the students are applying their senses to learn about what changes have occurred. How does the weather feel when you go outside? Do you need a heavy coat, or a light jacket? What do the trees look like? Are there leaves on the trees? What else do you see (flowers, animals, green grass)? What do you hear when you are outside (i.e. birds chirping)? Thinking about, and utilizing, the five senses helps children make connections between the world around them and the themes that they are learning about in the classroom.

In the Green Room, students observe the life cycle of plants by using a special translucent container. This way, the changes underneath the soil’s surface, such as the forming of roots, can be seen.

The next time you are out and about with your child, be sure to ask them some questions about what they are seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting. It will open up a world of learning, as well as provide a prompt for meaningful conversation!

Want to learn more about The International Preschools? Take a look inside an IPS classroom on our website.

Ready to join the IPS community? Apply online today!

Welcome Spring! What’s Ahead at The International Preschools

Spring means…more time playing outside!

After a restful and relaxing spring break, the students and teachers are back at The International Preschools for the final stretch of the 2020-2021 school year!

Spring means…learning about topics such as birds and nests!

In the classrooms, spring will bring about a variety of new topics: gardening, planting, recycling, trees, birds, insects, and more! We will spend time learning about Earth Day, and why it is so important to take care of the planet that we live on.

Spring means…learning about the parts of a flower, and creating representational flower paintings using a “live” model!

Our Parents’ Association is hard at work in putting together our annual Spring Benefit, which will take place virtually on Wednesday, April 28th. An online auction will include contributions from each classroom from both locations. One of the many items to bid on or buy include an “Almost Sleepover,” where a few lucky guests will join their teachers in wearing pajamas, making a craft, watching a movie, and enjoying a meal right here at IPS!

Happy Spring to all!

Learn more about the 2021 Virtual Spring Benefit on our website.

Not a member of The International Preschools’ community, but would like to be? Apply online on our website today!

Caterpillars to Butterflies at IPS

Creating butterflies with coffee filters in Pre-K 1!

A spring curriculum tradition at The International Preschools is to learn about life cycles.  Every year, IPS teachers receive caterpillars and/or ladybug larvae and, through observation, watch these tiny animals transform into butterflies and ladybugs respectively.  Although COVID-19 has prevented us from maintaining this tradition in person, our crafty teachers were able to still take part in this amazing unit via Zoom (and their homes)!

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IPS Parent/Teacher Conferences: What You Will Learn About This Fall

Working well in a group setting is an important skill in the life of a preschooler!

At The International Preschools, parent/teacher conferences are held twice a year:  once in the fall and once in the spring.  This year, the fall conferences will be held on November 4th and 5th for Green, Pre-K, and Junior K classrooms.  The Red Room conferences occur in December, to allow for our youngest students to acclimate better to school.

Parents of students new to our school, or new to the preschool environment in general, may wonder why it is important to attend a parent/teacher conference for such young children, or what they will learn that’s necessary to know at this time.  Here’s what you’ll learn at your child’s conference, and why it’s so important for parents to attend…

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Every Day is Earth Day at The International Preschools!

Creating a collaborative spring project using paint and collage materials. The green and blue colors represent the land and water of the Earth respectively.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year, but at The International Preschools, we believe that Earth Day is every day!  Although a special curriculum focus is placed upon taking care of the Earth throughout the month of April, the skills learned by the children are meant to be used every day of the year.  Topics such as plant and animal life cycles, recycling, gardening, and keeping the Earth clean are touched upon inside of our classrooms during this time.  Continue reading to learn more about the concepts that IPS students are exploring throughout the spring months!

 

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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!

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A Look Back at a Great Year: 2016-2017

The International Preschools ends the 2016-2017 school year on Wednesday, June 7th…and what a wonderful year of play-based learning it has been!  Here’s a look back on some of the fabulous events of the past school year…

September: We welcomed the new school year by getting to know the daily routines in our new classrooms...not to mention, meeting new teachers and friends!
September: We welcomed the new school year by getting to know the daily routines in our new classrooms…not to mention, meeting new teachers and friends!

October: Fall units and our annual United Nations Day celebrations took place at all three locations. After UN Day, "culture shares" begin; this is where families are invited into the classrooms to share a family tradition with the children.
October: Fall units and our annual United Nations Day celebrations took place at all three locations. Classrooms began their international “culture share” units, asking parents to join the class to teach about a holiday their family celebrates.

November: Classrooms begin their "culture share" units, often by asking parents to teach the class about a holiday that their family celebrates. The American holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated via themes of family, food, and friendship.
November: The American holiday of Thanksgiving was celebrated via themes of family, food, and friendship.  Food, clothing, and toy drives took place, teaching children in a hands-on manner about the importance of helping those less fortunate in and around New York City.

December: Units on "light" and "dark" take place in honor of our Winter Solstice celebration. Families are invited to IPS to take part in a sing-along and international potluck during the holiday season.
December: The concepts of “light” and “dark” were explored in honor of our Winter Solstice celebration. Families were invited to IPS to take part in a sing-along and international potluck during the holiday season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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Interacting with a baby chick!

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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.

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