Last Thursday was Thanksgiving and we celebrated it at school. Anyone who knows American culture knows that Thanksgiving is a prominent holiday in American history.
At LIFE, all classes, from preschool to 6th grade, celebrated the day, emphasizing the values of sharing and being thankful.
Preparing the banquet
We started the day with the preparations for the Thanksgiving meal. Our cook, Bety, along with several volunteers, took the time to prepare the banquet in advance. The whole school enjoyed the delicious turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and homemade apple pie for dessert. The volunteers carefully arranged the entire meal in individual trays. These were distributed to the different classes for them to enjoy.
Christmas Program rehersal
In Mrs. Afanasenko’s class, preschoolers rehearsed their song for the Christmas program coming up on December 16. They have a special charm when singing this song, following the choreography set by the teachers. The motions are very coordinated, which is pretty impressive taking into account that three different age groups coexist here.
At story time, Ms. Afanasenko picked up a book from the library and presented it to the children. It was the classic story, “The Rainbow Fish,” whose main theme is friendship, which helps children think about how to be a good friend. Sitting in a circle around their teacher, the students listened carefully to each of her words.
When 12 o’clock arrived, they broke into small groups within the class to begin their Center Time. One group worked with shapes by molding with play-dough, another group worked with numbers and colors and another group with letters. In a didactic and fun way they learned words like “scale” and “fish,” as they learned colors and numbers while developing fine motor skills.
Thanksgiving feast
When class ends, it is time to eat. The children know this and go to wash their hands in an orderly and very fluid way. They are used to this routine and that gives them a lot of security and ease.The table was already set and the children each sat in their place.
Our director guided the children to sing a song of blessing that they already know by heart, as this is part of their daily routine. On this special day, the director also talked to the children about why we thank God for the good things we have.
Judging from their reaction, the food was delicious and the children enjoyed the special occasion!
