Over the past few weeks, the weather in Chongqing has heated up rather quickly, and this has brought a multitude of new learning opportunities and experiences for our K3 children at YCIS. In particular, outdoor play times are taking on a different approach. Children are discovering various types of insects, plants, flowers, sights and smells, and new ways to interact with their environment.

In order to channel these discoveries, our K3 teachers have chosen ‘summer’ as our class topic. We chose this topic as it is broad enough to encompass all of the things the children are currently interested in, yet specific enough to be able to create some great opportunities for formal and informal learning.

With the help of our wonderful librarian, Mrs. Nette, we were able to find a book about summer to use as a focal point for the topic. We have found that it is beneficial for both the teachers and children to have a structure, the time in the form of a book, to guide the direction of the topic. Every day, we read a section, discuss as a class, and do some related activities. We also spend time observing what the children are doing, and often participate in small scale interactions, which results in spontaneous, but meaningful learning moments.

Some of the learning and activities that have happened so far include: time (seasons/days of the week/months of the year), weather, discussion and drawing of summer holiday plants, eating outdoors, discovery and investigation of various insects and summer food.

So much learning has taken place during the short time the topic has been running, and we are all excited about what other new opportunities and discoveries will happen during the remainder of the term!