Weekly Learning Focus
Nursery kept going with the theme Plants. Children looked after the seeds they planted last week, checked which ones had sprouted, and began learning the parts of a flower, starting with the petals.
Palm River Academy · Hội An
Early Years Weekly Newsletter
Quarter 2 · Week 36 min read
This week Nursery looked closely at flowers and Kindergarten found out why plants need roots.
Nursery counted the petals on a real sunflower and checked which of their seeds had sprouted. Kindergarten learned the sounds Ll and Ff, read sentences with the heart words I, a and the, and found out how plants make their own food. Both classes made a banana and mango layered dessert in Cooking, and both made Halloween art: pumpkins, bats and ghosts in Nursery, zombie fingers in Kindergarten.
Nursery
Parts of a Flower
Seeds and Sunflowers
Children looked at their pots to find the seeds that had sprouted and gently touched the young plants. They also looked closely at a real sunflower, its petals and its seeds, and counted the petals. While they explored, they used the words seed, plant, grow, flower, petal and leaf.
English in Action
Children listened to “The Seed Song” and watched “How Plants Grow.” At Show & Tell, they practiced introducing themselves and talking about a favorite item. They started using new words such as petal, stem, leaf, flower, garden and soft, and the colors red, yellow and pink. They practiced the letters and sounds Dd, Hh, Gg and Rr and listened for the first sound in words, with flashcards, picture matching, listening games and sound hunts. They also learned family words such as Dad. Children are growing more confident: they repeat new words, say them aloud, name familiar pictures, and respond to simple questions and instructions.
Numbers & Reasoning
Children kept counting classroom objects up to 10 and naming basic shapes. They also counted the seeds that had sprouted and the petals on the sunflower.
Make & Create
Children made sunflower collages with real petals, seeds and leaves, traced and colored flower pictures, and painted with different tools. They made Halloween pictures of pumpkins, cats, bats and ghosts, and torn-paper collages of nature. While they worked, they named the materials, described the colors, and followed instructions such as “Pick a petal,” “Add a leaf” and “Paint the pumpkin.”
Moving & Playing
Children crawled through obstacle courses, moved their bodies in different ways, and worked together to carry plates while balancing balls. They also collected colorful balls and sorted them into hoops and baskets.
Growing Together
Children joined in the movement games with lots of energy and practiced working in pairs and teams. At Show & Tell, they were more confident introducing themselves and showing their favorite items.
Looking Ahead
Nursery will keep exploring plants and start learning about trees with the topic “What Is a Tree?”
- PhonicsThe letters Oo, Uu, Ll and Ff, through songs, stories, movement and crafts.
- New WordsFamily and birthday words.
- Numbers & ReasoningCounting to 10 and naming colors.
- Make & CreateBirthday crafts and activities.
Kindergarten
Roots and Sunlight
Weekly Learning Focus
Kindergarten learned the letter sounds Ll and Ff and the heart words I, a and the, found the numbers before, after and between, and kept learning how to care for plants. In science they found out why plants need roots.
Phonics & Early Reading
Children learned the sounds L and F through songs, found words that begin with L and F in a reveal-card game, and practiced forming uppercase and lowercase Ll and Ff. They read and wrote sentences with the heart words I, a and the: “I pat a cat” and “I pat the cat.” They read Dad’s Red Tent, spotting the sounds they know and blending them into words, and practiced writing the letter Mm. At Show & Tell, children showed a crane truck and different kinds of dinosaurs, and practiced asking and answering questions about them.
English in Action
Children learned the names of more flowering plants, labeled the parts of a plant such as the root and stem, and kept reviewing and tracing the alphabet. They have also started practicing a song and a short skit for an upcoming event.
Numbers & Reasoning
Children practiced finding the numbers before, after and between. Each child made their own number square, writing the numbers 21 to 50 in the boxes. They also played a game that mixed Rock, Paper, Scissors with folded-paper challenges, finding the number before, after or between.
Understanding the World
Children kept observing their plants and recording how they grow in their Plant Growth Journal. They learned about photosynthesis, how plants make their own food: sunlight gives the energy, roots take in water, and leaves take in carbon dioxide to make food and give out oxygen. They learned the words photosynthesis, sunlight, roots, leaves, water, carbon dioxide and oxygen.
Investigate & Describe
To find out why plants need roots, children compared plants with roots and plants without them. They used paper and rice to stand for the soil and the plant, then added food coloring to see how water moves through them. They learned that roots absorb water from the soil and hold the plant in place, and that without roots a plant may not get enough water and may wilt. They watched the colored water, compared the results, and talked about how roots help plants take in water.
Zombie Fingers
For Halloween, children painted their own hands to make spooky zombie finger decorations.
Moving & Playing
Children played movement games for balance, coordination and teamwork. They crawled through obstacle courses, tried different ways of moving, worked together to carry plates while balancing balls, and collected colorful balls and sorted them into hoops and baskets.
Growing Together
Children were curious and keen during the rice and paper experiment, and watched closely to see how plants take in water.
Looking Ahead
Next week Kindergarten starts learning about animal habitats.
- PhonicsLearn the sounds Bb and ai, and the heart words he and she.
- Numbers & ReasoningKeep practicing the numbers before, after and between, from 21 to 50.
- Understanding the WorldAnimal Habitats.
Cooking
Nursery & Kindergarten
Both classes made a layered fruit dessert this week: banana and mango with homemade whipped cream and a crumble topping. Children reviewed the words chop and crush, learned layering and whipped cream, and started spelling simple cooking words: mango, banana and water.
Family Reminders
- Tuesday: Please bring one favorite item for your child to talk about at Show & Tell.
- Friday: Please pack a change of clothes for Water Play.
- Friday, November 6: We’re moving the carnival part of our Halloween celebration to next Friday. Children will have a chance to enjoy the carnival games.
- Thursday, November 12, 3:30–4:15 PM: Stay & Play. Families are invited to come in, spend time together and play at the activity stations. More details to come.
Thank you for being part of our learning community. We look forward to another week of discovery, creativity, and growing confidence in English! 🌈
Warm regards,
Palm River Academy English Center
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