Preschool Deepens the Bus Inquiry
In Early Childhood, children and teachers move through a learning cycle of wondering, planning, exploring, documenting, reflecting, and planning what comes next. The cycle is not a straight line; children’s discoveries, ideas, and questions continually lead us into new exploration.
Our Bus Project is still going strong, and we are now deepening the inquiry by providing experiences that help children test their ideas, build vocabulary, and notice new details. To take our classroom bus play further, we offered a new provocation: exploring and riding a real Concordia school bus!
Before our visit, we asked, “What do we see?” Children carefully studied the bus and represented their observations through drawing, using different shapes to show the parts they noticed. They shared their drawings with friends, talked about what they had noticed, and reflected on their different ideas and representations.
Then we climbed aboard! We rode the bus, sang The Wheels on the Bus, and watched many of the parts we had been talking about actually work. Children investigated the bus closely, made rubbings of its different surfaces, and even helped wash it.
One friend, who has shown a strong interest in being the bus driver throughout our project, was especially engaged. As he explored, he began using more vocabulary to communicate his observations and theories. He discovered an opening and explained in Chinese, “We need to add gas,” and later noticed a pipe where water was dripping. His observations showed us that he was beginning to move beyond simply playing bus to thinking about how a bus works and what parts it needs.
The next day, we revisited photographs from our bus experience, shared our bus drawings with our friends, and reflected on our learning. Together, we wondered, “What does our classroom bus still need?” The children made a new plan, chose the parts they wanted to create, and began constructing them.
Dot Day
We are excited to announce that Concordia will be celebrating International Dot Day on Friday, September 11, 2026.
What is International Dot Day?
International Dot Day is inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ beloved book, The Dot. This story follows a young student whose teacher encourages her to trust in her creativity. With just a single dot on a page, she begins a journey of self-discovery and artistic expression.
Since 2009, millions of students and educators in over 125 countries have celebrated Dot Day as a global event honoring creativity, courage, and self-expression. It’s a reminder that even the smallest mark can spark something big.
How will we celebrate at Concordia?
Dress-up Day: On September 11, all students may wear fun Dot Day-inspired clothing and/or accessories, like headbands, socks, or shorts!
Library Celebration: During Library class, Mrs. Thompson will read The Dot to students and lead an inclusive, schoolwide activity for all students to “make their mark” and show their creativity.
Family Gallery Activity: Families are invited to create a “dot collage” together in the EC/ES Library during one of the following sessions: Friday, September 11, Monday, September 14, or Tuesday, September 15, from 3:45-4:30PM. We are located in the ES building in E322. Join us as we celebrate International Dot Day as a community!
We can’t wait to see the imaginative ways our students will “make their mark” this Dot Day!
Mrs. Thompson, Ms. Kuang, and Ms. Wang
EC/ES Library Team
Parent Tip of the Week
Last week, we shared that this year we will build on our Positive Discipline tools by adding the Self-Reg lens: helping us look beneath behavior and better understand what may be happening for our children.
An important place to begin is recognizing that self-regulation is not the same as self-control. Self-control asks a child to manage an impulse: “Stop. Think. Control yourself.” Self-regulation goes a little deeper. It asks us to consider the child’s level of stress and energy and what may be making it harder for them to manage themselves in that moment.
A child may know the rule, understand the expectation, and still have difficulty meeting it when their stress load is high.
Something to notice this week: When your child struggles with something they usually know how to do, pause and wonder: Could something be making this harder for them right now?
If you want to explore this concept further, here is a five-minute video that explains it clearly.