Rainbows, rocket ships and red, white and blue spirit are just some of the themes that filled our classrooms this summer! Our summer session at the Strelitz International Academy has been busy both inside and outside of the classroom. Early Years students have experienced swimming at the JCC’s swimming pool daily and water play to cool off on the hot, sunny days! To keep up the excitement and engagement throughout the summer, a new theme is introduced weekly. Our creative educators plan daily lessons and activities that follow the week’s themes and are sure to put a smile on our students’ faces!
We commenced our summer program with Animal Kingdom week. Students in Morah Jamie Jones and Morah Erika Ferrell’s toddler class enjoyed fun crafts and sensory activities. Students engaged their fine motor skills while using stampers and paintbrushes to create lions. The toddlers also used tweezers to “rescue” animals from hay. Despite it being a rainy first week, the students used their imagination and had a wonderful time!
Early Years 2 student, Keren Shechter, uses shiny paper to create a paper plate rainbow fish.
Toddler 4 student, Everett Booth, holding a lion he “rescued” from the hay.
Next up was Under the Sea week! Morah Rachel Helms and Morah Lorena Smithson’s Early Years 2 class read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. After reading the story, the students constructed paper plate rainbow fish and used sparkly paper to cut up and apply as the shimmering scales. Helms and Smithson created a beach-themed sensory bin with sand, ocean animal figures and tools to build sandcastles. The weather was perfect, and students and staff had a great time!
To kick off the month of July, our theme was Red, White and Blue! Although it was a shorter week due to the holiday, it was still full of exciting activities. Toddlers in Morah Katie Norman and Morah Teresa Briscoe’s class explored their artistic expression. The toddlers used dish washing brushes as their painting instruments. Using different brushes for each color, they created bright and colorful fireworks on colored construction paper. This was a new and unique experience for our students, and they will be tying it into another themed week this summer!
Although the summer at SIA is quickly approaching an end, we are looking forward to the last few weeks and the creative experiences the themes will bring. Whether it be blasting off in a rocket ship or a color run for Color Madness week, we are confident that our educators will bring enthusiasm and participation to our classrooms. We hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer!
