"Active Learners Are Launched"

"This is the BEST day of my life!"  one young Pre-Kindergarten student exclaimed as he immersed his hands into the pot of freshly sliced tomatoes and began squeezing.  The teacher replied, "You are using all of your five senses when you make your own tomato sauce."

The students did not realize all of the things that they were learning as they counted tomatoes, cut them in half, squeezed the juice, and smelled the aroma as they cooked in a pot.  Students then watched as it was poured into the mason jar to be eaten as spaghetti sauce at a later date. This kind of experience happens often in the Pre-Kindergarten classrooms. The children are having fun as they learn.  

Many learning experiences take place in the classroom while others have the children traveling around the Germantown Academy campus, interacting with other members of the school community. Pre-Kindergarteners have “specialist” and resource teachers that they see in the Music room, the Art room, the Library, and the Gyms.  For Spanish language introduction, the teacher comes to the homeroom as does the Science teacher. The students also have monthly visits in the Upper School Chemistry lab where the Upper School students conduct experiments with them. The Pre-Kindergarteners delight in taking home the end result of their experiment and look forward to seeing their older friends again soon.  Connections are made frequently with older students throughout the school.  Every Pre-Kindergarten class has a Middle School “buddy” class. The buddies get together every few weeks, in various locations, share snacks and do projects together. The students at both levels enjoy these times spent together.

These kinds of extension activities help the Pre-Kindergarten students to see the broader school community and to start their journey of discovery and life learning.