September in the selva (rainforest) has continued this week! After having Monday off, we dove into the rainforest once more on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. The Tarde de Lectura groups spent time reading and listening to stories about animals, and the flora and fauna of our beloved Amazon.
On Tuesday we read a captivating book by Isol, an Argentinian author and illustrator, that depicted the alphabet in illustrations of animals and interesting characters. To combine the theme of literacy (World Literacy Day was September 8) and animals, the students illustrated their own animals that corresponded to the letter of the alphabet the name of the animal starts with. Owls (búhos) and bears (osos) were a popular choice!
On Wednesday, our afternoon group learned about the rapidly disappearing pink dolphin that inhabits the Amazon River, but is also at risk of extinction. The students are becoming increasingly interested in the extinction of these species and investigating ways in which we can help prevent further damage to our rainforests and other habitats. As a project, we made masks of different rainforest animals- sloths, monkeys, toucans, and caimans. We then sang “Walking in the Jungle” and played a lively game in which a snake has to recruit players to complete its tail.
Our Tuesday morning Baby Búhos group continued work on their sensory books for “Septiembre Sensorial” adding in pages for a “rough” texture. We used sandpaper and corrugated cardboard to create a road and the roof of a house. The moms are increasingly excited about this project and next week they get to bring them home to practice texture and the senses with their babies!
Thursday afternoon’s PequeBúhos group also practiced their boisterous version of “Walking in the Jungle” before decorating sun catchers with markers and animals of the Amazon River. When they added water to the sun catchers, the colors ran together making a bright background and lovely decoration for their homes, so they (hopefully) continue thinking about the creatures of the Amazon this month.
Friday morning’s Mañana de Lectura class started work on a TOP SECRET and very sensational project that will be revealed in mid-November. Hint: they’re currently working on scripts and expecting to become the next big thing to hit Ecuadorian cinema. Stay tuned to see what the final result is.
That afternoon, we read about another endangered species of the jungle- the toucan. The kiddos are fascinated by this bird, and while we already made toucan masks on Wednesday, they were just as excited to make another toucan-themed project and dedicated at least half an hour to coloring them perfectly. What beautiful results!
Next week, we have even more animal-themed projects planned in order to continue a sensationally successful September in the Selva! See you next week!
