Preschool 5 have started our new unit of inquiry about cultures and traditions! Before exploring different cultures around the world, we decided to start with our lovely country Qatar.

We went to Souq Waqif to explore the culture of Qatar. The children were particularly interested in all the things found there that were special to Qatar, things that would not be found in other countries. We went to the Handicraft Centre and watched how glass ornaments were made, how abayas and thobes were made and saw the different workshops inside.

Next we went to the Art Gallery. We met many artists there who showed us their work, and we saw traditional Arabic styles of artwork such as the lanterns on the ceiling.

Our last stop, was to explore the animals of Qatar! We went to the Falcon Souq and to see the camels!

Overall, we had a very educational trip, full of culture and fun! 🙂

This week, both Preschool 5 classes took part in ‘Hour of Code’. The Hour of Code is a global movement, which introduces computer sciences to children of all ages, worldwide. Coding helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, children are given a foundation for success in developing skills and math concepts, needed in the 21st century. We used Bee-bots and the Bee-bot app to practice our coding skills. As well as learning, we had a lot of fun!

If any parents would like to learn more about the Hour of Code, please follow this link: https://hourofcode.com/us

Well done Preschool 5!

Last Thursday, 17th of November, we had a special visitor into our school.

Hana Rogers is a children’s author who has written two children’s books ‘Everyday Wishes’ and ‘MJ and the Dream’.

These books are available in English, Spanish, Arabic and French. Hana shared her story books with our class and shared her experiences of being an author with us. We had the chance to interview her and ask about how she formed ideas, how she worked on rhyming words and how the books were illustrated and made. We had a really great day 🙂

We had a fantastic time visiting the firefighters at the Civil Defence. They spoke to us about their role in the community and how they keep people and animals safe. They also showed us the tools that they use to do this. We all got to go into the fire engine and see the equipment stored there. We saw the firefighters’ protective clothing and how they evacuate the fire station quickly when their is an emergency. They even showed us how they come down the special firefighters’ pole! Finally, we all had a turn at spraying the fire fighters’ hose! We all had a great day! 🙂

Wednesday the 12th of October was Hispanic Day. We were very happy and excited to celebrate this day. This was a celebration of Hispanic culture. The MYP students came to our classroom to read stories, sing songs and play different activities with us. We were engaged and had loads of fun.