Over the past three weeks, our K3 students explored the Unit of Inquiry, Where We Are in Place and Time, focusing on the central idea: People celebrate throughout the year for many reasons.

We began with lively Carnival provocations from Barranquilla and Germany, where students danced, made masks, and discovered how music and costumes bring celebrations to life. Each child shared personal experiences as we explored unique aspects (Form), reasons for celebrations (Change), and common threads (Connection). Comparing similarities and differences among celebrations also helped our students strengthen their Thinking skills.

Our classroom became a global stage as guest teachers shared celebrations from Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Zimbabwe. Students crafted medals for Zimbabwe’s Heroes Day, made Songpyeon for Chuseok, painted Rangolis for Diwali, and built ofrendas for the Day of the Dead. Watching *Coco* brought Día de los Muertos to life, and students reflected on honoring loved ones with words like “Alebrijes” and “Calavera.” For Tanabata, the Japanese K3 mothers helped students write and hang wishes on bamboo trees.

Our learners grew as Communicators and Caring individuals, asking questions, sharing family stories, and reflecting on the meaning of celebrations. In Math, they practiced counting, sorting, and graphing Carnival masks and survey results.

We wrapped up with United Nations Day, celebrating diversity with the school community. With new ideas and joyful memories, our students are ready to explore transportation in our upcoming unit, How We Organize Ourselves.

In an exciting new tradition, K3 students introduced “People’s Day,” where one child is chosen to be the decision-maker, selecting activities and games for the class. This empowering day fosters leadership, creativity, and community, and the children love shaping their day together.

A special thanks to Ms. Agatha from South Korea, Ms. Abigaal from Zimbabwe, Ms. Joanne from Colombia, Mr. Lars from Germany, and the Japanese K3 mothers for sharing their rich cultures with us.

Joanne Avendano 
K3R Homeroom Teacher and Head of K levels