T E D A K O P R E S C H O O L N E W S L E T T E R A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
T E DA KO S U M M E R E V E N T : S U I K A WA R I In July, we played a game that is traditionally played in the summer in Japan. The children all watched with anticipation as each class was given one shot at cracking the watermelon with a stick. The older children were blindfolded to add an extra challenge to breaking the watermelon. Once the watermelon was cracked, we all enjoyed cold refreshing watermelon for our afternoon snack. It was a wonderful day together!
SAVE THE DATE! Field Trips Prefectural Museum of Art Shinka Class: August 2 Kugani Class: August 9 Gushikawa Thermal Power Station Shinka Class: August 29 Kugani Class August 30 Suppaman Dried Plum Factory Nuuji Class: August 4 Kafuu Class August 25 Birthday Party August 18 We will celebrate all children with August birthdays at 2:50. All family members and friends are welcomed to join! Winter Concert December 8 In the OIST Auditorium from 5:00pm- 6:30pm
KUKURU CLASS: STORY TIME Babies developed the sense of touch by using their tiny fingers to turn the book s pages. Looking at the colorful pictures stimulates their eyes and vision. Another benefit is that communication skills are developing in relaxed atmosphere during story time with teachers. Children started picking up books that they want the teacher to read to them and pretend to eat when they read a book about fruit. That means that they are really focused on the book and the babies are enjoying story time very much. The teacher pretends to feed the baby a strawberry from the book. Teachers alternate between English and Japanese story time!
KANASAN, CHURASAN, & UMUSAN CLASS PUZZLES ARE AMAZING! A puzzle has a lot of merits to promote various development, such as Cognitive Skills: recognizing figures and colors; Concentration Skills: by wrestling with constant distractions; Memory Skills: remembering the place where the pieces fit, by playing repeatedly; Imagination Skills: imagining an overall pattern and piecing together to fit in; Logical Thinking Skills: when it didn t go well, thinking how to make it work next time: Fine Motor Skills: fine-tune the finger-tips and try to fit in the pieces. It is said that puzzles will custom you to detailed work, stimulate the brain, and gross motor skills. It is also good that you can feel a sense of accomplishment when the puzzle, which was not done yesterday, can be done today! It might be good to play at home too.
KAFUU CLASS: SENSORY EXPLORATION This month we have been using our senses to explore the world that surrounds us! We designed an activity called: Feel the shape and tell us what it is. For this game we placed different shapes inside our sensory table, covered our eyes, and tried to guess the shape we had in our hands. Sometimes counting the number of sides helped us to guess the shape, for example: this figure has three sides, it s a triangle! Sometimes, our friends helped us to recognize the shape and other times we just felt the shape in our hands and guessed by referring to our memory of the shape. Another sensory activity we tried this month was animal wash. We used one small container for soap, small brushes and another container for clean water to rinse the toys. Kafuu class children had fun as they mixed soap with water and cleaned their favorite toys using small brushes. The children played with soap, felt their toys textures and made bubbles. Through this activity, Kafuu class children learned about hygiene and at the same time, experienced different textures and surfaces.
NUUJI CL ASS: DEVELOPING SENSES To develop our senses, we did a lot of art work in Nuuji class this month. Children peeled stickers out from the sheet and put them on a paper and we applied paint directly on their palm of their hand and then made a giant painting with our hand prints. Children develop the sense of touch and feel by using fingertips and the whole hand. The children enjoyed the feel of the raw macaroni. When painting, they were also excited to discoverer mixing several colors makes whole different color. These experiences will be the sustenance for the growth of our children.
KUGANI CLASS WATER CYCLE SCIENCE The children of the Kugani class had fun with science this month. First, we talked about "Water environment and the circulation of water" with children. The water falling from the sky flows from the mountain and becomes a river, the river flows into the sea, the sea water evaporates with the hot light of the sun, the water evaporates into clouds, and the clouds makes rain, snow and then the cycle starts again.some of Kugani children were surprised when they heard about the water cycle. Next, children painted a picture of the sea, clouds and sun on a Ziploc bag, and put a small amount of water and blue coloring in it. We hung it on the window and left it over the weekend to see how much of water was gone. On Monday the water in the ziploc bag was evaporated and water droplets were on the top of the bag. Children noticed the water droplets as they looked at it and said, "Look there is some water on the bag." As the children observed the ziploc bag experiment, they then painted a picture of water cycle. It was clear that they learned about water cycle and they all gained knowledge from this experiment.
SHINKA CLASS: DISCOVERY Throughout the year, the Shinka Class enjoys learning about science through a wide variety of hands on activities, outdoor activities, as well as through art. Science is a huge part of the everyday life in the Shinka Class! A few aspects the Shinka Class learned last month were cause and effect and color mixing. A great way to let the kids get messy and explore science is to set something up in the sensory tub. The children love having water in the tub, and last month one of our themes was sea animals. Each day the teacher would drop 2 different colors of food coloring into the water, and the children would first guess what color they would make when mixed. After that, the children would mix the colors and watch them change before their eyes. No matter how many times we do this sort of activity, the children love it. In June we also did a science experiment called "Walking Water" which involved color mixing as well. That was a very popular activity for the kids! Another great and simple activity we like to do is freeze water. Last month one of the funner things we did was fill up a rubber glove with water and place it in the freezer. We talked about what might happen, some of the kids thought the glove would burst in the freezer! After a day we took out the glove, peeled the rubber off the ice, and revealed an ice hand! The kids though it was so funny (especially when they broke off some of its fingers!) Not only did the kids learn that the water froze in the same shape as the glove, they learned when they held the ice it quickly melted, and even when they put the ice hand in the cold sensory table water, the ice hand still melted!
HOUSEHOLD INCOME DOCUMENTS The CDC is collecting proof of household income in July/August. Please submit a copy of your 2016 gross income for both parents in a sealed envelope to our office staff by August 8. This document can be obtained from the city office by requesting a Shotoku Shomei. The Resource Center has comprehensive instructions here: https://groups.oist.jp/livingguide/income-certificate If you did not live in Japan in 2015, please submit a copy of your pay slip along with a document of your gross household income from your previous employer in 2016. If you are a single parent, please let us know.
KUGANI CLASS ENJOYS SNOW WHITE WITH L MARKS, HELP US COLLECT THEM! Help us get to the show! L marks can be found on the inside of Meiji products. These marks can be turned in annually to see a performance. On Friday, July 28 th, the Kugani Class enjoyed a live puppet performance of Snow White and Hanzel and Gretal. Thank you to all the families that collected the L marks. It takes 20 L marks to for each show entry ticket, so we need to begin to collect for next year`s show now. If your family buys Meiji milk products, the L mark can be found at the spout of the carton. You can turn your L marks to the CDC office.
COLLECTING BELL MARK Bell Marks can be found on products that are purchased at the grocery store. You may already be buying products that have this mark. The CDC can collect these and redeem them for things for the preschool. Our preschool teachers have looked through the redeemable products and would like to get rainbow stepping-stones and a playhouse. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help collect, sort, or cut bell marks please contact syamakaw@oist.jp
PATO SUMMER FAMILY PARTY PATO is a parent group that supports the work of the CDC. Tedako preschool would like to invite you to meet other parents to collaborate on projects that contribute to the best educational environment for our children at Tedako such as planning fundraisers for books, shade and Teacher Appreciation week. PATO Meetings and family get together are held every two months (alternating parent meetings with family picnics/potlucks). If you are interested in joining, please registered your e-mail address at oist.pato.group@gmail.com English is not required to participate in this meeting and parents are asked to join on a voluntary basis.
DANCE CLASSES AT OIST FOR CHILDREN CDC Parent Kelly Carrasco is in the process of organizing a dance class for kids at OIST and want your feedback! The dance instructor would come from Dance Studio 123. Information such as cost or type of dance class is not yet available, because first we need to determine if we have enough children who would potentially take the class. If you would be interested in enrolling your child in a dance class, please follow this link to sign up for more information. https://groups.oist.jp/welfare/dance-studio-123- interest-form
OPT OUT OF AFTERNOON OUTSIDE PLAY All classes enjoy afternoon activities outside after 4pm, however there is a lack of shade in the outer playground area where our 3-6 year old children play each afternoon. As Okinawa is very hot, some parents have asked for an option to opt out of outside play in the afternoon. We will offer this option for the children of the Nuuji, Kafuu, Kugani and Shinka Class in August. Please let your classroom teacher know if you would like to opt out of outdoor play in the afternoon. Children can not move between indoor and outdoor play Your child s regular class teacher may not be with him or her since Kugani, Shinka, Kafuu, and Nuuji class teachers will share the responsibility of watching all children in both locations (inside and outside. ) We will still offer outside play in the afternoons and during outside play. Teachers watch the children and take the children inside early if they feel it is too hot, Teachers and Children drink water every 10-15 minutes, Teachers and Children wear hats and sunscreen Teachers allow children to play with water.
AUGUST SNACK MENU AM PM Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Apple りんご Edamame/ Ca Senbei 枝豆 カルシウムせんべい Cottage Cheese/ Raisins カッテージチーズ レーズン Banana/ Soy Milk バナナ 豆乳 Kiwi/ Prune キウイ プルーン Okinawan Tofu/ Dried Fish 沖縄豆腐 ごま付きいりこ Brown Rice Avocado/ Cereal / Milk Wheat 玄米フレーク Crackers ミルクアボカド 五穀のクラッカー Orange オレンジ Rice/ furikake ごはん ふりかけ SUBSISTUTIONS: Due to availability or ripeness of fresh fruits or vegetables, substitutions may occur. Young toddlers will not be fed Senbei or Crackers. Special senbeis for babies will be substituted. We will celebrate all August Birthdays and the children will enjoy cake and milk with their friends on 08/18
AUGUST LUNCH CALENDAR Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 7 Grilled Red Fish w/ume sauce Stir Fried Hijiki & Vegetables Nanohana Salad Oage Miso Soup 14 Fried Chicken w/sweet Sour Sauce Sautéed Green Vegetable & Mushroom Chinese Cabbage Salad w/french Dressing Dumpling Soup 21 Rice Chicken & Green Perilla Tempura Simmered Minced Chicken & Broccoli Hijiki & Soy Beans Salad Green Vegetable Miso Soup 28 Rice Grilled Hoki Fish w/ Green Onion Stir Fried Sengiri Daikon Okra salad Japanese style Potato Miso Soup 1 Grilled White Fish w/ Sesame seeds topping KUZUKIRI Salad Nameko Mushrooms Miso Soup 8 Grilled Pork Oyster sauce Simmered Daikon & Ganmo Konnyaku Salad Onion Miso Soup 15 Grilled Shio Koji Marinated Red Fish Simmered Pork and Taro Nanohana Salad Ume Mayo Dressing Shiitake Miso Soup 22 Baked White Fish Curry Mayo Sauce Chinese Style Stir Fried Vegetable & Tofu Harusame Salad Wakame Clear Broth 29 Cooked Pork w/ Tomato Dressing Stir Fried Rice Noodles Sea weed Salad Pumpkin Miso Soup 2 Minced Chicken & Egg Casserole Stir Fried Hijiki Boiled Broccoli Salad Green Vegetable Miso Soup 9 Curry Rice Chinese Cabbage & Cerely Salad Jelly 16 Seasoned Rice Grilled Saikyou Miso Flavored Pork Stir Fried Curry Flavored Lotus Roots Cauliflower Salad Potato Miso Soup 23 Rice Grilled Herb flavored Fish Simmered Miso Flavored Goya Okura Salad w/ YUZU Dressing Clear Broth 30 Rice Mayonnaise Baked White Fish Stir Fried Bean Sprouts Chinese Cabbage Salad Daikon Miso Soup 3 Grilled Herb Red Fish Simmered Winter melon & Chicken Bean Sprouts Salad Taro Miso Soup 10 Saikyo Miso Marinated Baked Chicken Nikujyaga Okinawan Yellow Cucumber Salad Fu Miso Soup 17 Grilled Red Fish w/ume & Green Perilla sauce Western Flavored Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon Macaroni Salad Winter Melon Miso Soup 24 Kabayaki Flounder Fish Beansprouts Champoroo Salad Vegetable Soup 31 Rice Grilled Chicken Meat Balls Sautéed Spinach Okra Salad Kouya Tofu Miso Soup 4 Grilled Pork Sweet Miso Sauce Stir Fried Sengiri Daikon Pumpkin Salad Wakame Miso Soup 11 Nitsuke Flounder Fish Stir Fried Oyster Sauce Egg Plants Carrot Salad Wakame Miso Soup 18 Deep Fried Vegetable Tofu Iridori (Japanese Chicken and Vegetable Dish) Daikon Salad Egg Miso Soup 25 Rice Fried Chicken Stir Fried Harusame Oyster Sauce Burdock root Salad Luffa Miso Soup