After the winter break, the return to school was a gentle one. With a little tiredness and lots of curiosity, the children rediscovered the joy of learning and wondering together. January was marked by the exploration of water—an essential source of life and a constant presence in our daily lives—which the children discovered through many experiments and creative activities.
We invite you to discover the highlights of this month.
🔆 Welcome
We are delighted to welcome two new children who joined us in January. We are very happy to have them at our school and to share many moments of discovery and learning together.
🥧 Epiphany cake: tradition and togetherness
Preparing the Epiphany cake offered the children a moment that was both playful and educational. They discovered the ingredients, the different steps of the recipe, and the history behind this tradition. This experience naturally led to a warm moment of sharing, encouraging conversation and the joy of being together.
🌊 A Journey into the heart of water
Throughout the month, our young explorers delved into the theme of water and its different states through a cross-disciplinary approach. We were lucky enough to see snow fall in Lyon at the beginning of January—what a perfect way to launch our theme!
To better understand the water cycle, the children took part in scientific experiments focusing on evaporation and the transformation of water. Among other things, they learned how snowflakes are formed and why we only see a small part of an iceberg. This theme also inspired many artistic and sensory explorations. The children created paper snowflakes, experimented with water painting on various surfaces such as filter paper, had fun making prints with bubble wrap, coloured soap bubbles, and even painted using ice cubes!
The children also worked on the light table, playing with transparency and light. Water became a source of sound exploration as well, leading to musical creations. Finally, using aluminium allowed the children to create three-dimensional shapes inspired by stalactites and stalagmites, enriching their work in volume and allowing them to explore the theme from many different angles.
🐣 The small steps of life
The children continued with great interest to observe Amaury as he grows. Each month, they discover his new movements, reactions, and small achievements, learning to observe, to wonder, and to understand the development of another living being. This regular observation encourages patience, attention to others, and the expression of their own emotions.
🤫 The beautiful sound of silence
Our yoga journey led our little yogis to explore silence and meditation. By paying attention to their stretching and contracting muscles, their breathing, and their sensations, they learned to reconnect with their inner space, slow down, and observe what is happening within themselves. Always approached in a playful way, this presence to oneself then nourished a collective creative activity through living mandalas, where listening to others and collaboration guided their creativity.
⁉️ Did you know ?
We would like to draw your attention to pinworm infections, which are common among school-aged children.
Possible symptoms include:
– anal itching (especially in the evening or at night)
– sleep disturbances
– irritability
– unexplained, occasional diarrhoea
– stomach aches
– loss of appetite
These parasites spread easily through hands, fingernails, laundry, or contaminated surfaces. If you suspect an infection, it is recommended to consult a healthcare professional in order to implement appropriate treatment. This often involves treating the child as well as the entire family, along with strict hygiene measures (regular handwashing, keeping fingernails short, washing laundry at high temperatures) to prevent reinfection.
For more information : https://www.ameli.fr/rhone/assure/sante/themes/parasitose-oxyurose/contamination-symptomes
🎊 Open Days and Enrolments 2026–2027
The school is organizing two open days: Monday, 2 February at 6:30 pm and Saturday, 28 March at 10:00 am. Feel free to come and visit us—or to spread the word!
📽 Cinema outing
For the second cinema session of the month, the children enjoyed two complementary experiences. One group went to the cinema to discover “The Snail and the Whale”, while the children who stayed at school were fascinated by images of animals living in the Alps during winter (link).
Les Petits Plus Team
