Pumpkins

We spent the past two weeks learning about farms, farm animals, and pumpkins.  We read several books about farms including The Big Red Barn, and The Perfect Day.  We also read several books and poems about pumpkins including Apples and Pumpkins, and Five Little Pumpkins sitting on a Gate. Below is the link to Five Little Pumpkins in case you want to sing it at home.  The kids love this one!!

Five Little Pumpkins

The kids had fun bringing in show and tell items that were related to farms.  We had various types of farm tractors, pictures of pumpkins in a field, and different types of toy farm animals including horses, pigs, cows, and goats.  We also had several books about farms and farm animals that the kids shared with each other.

We had our first extended day this past week.  Seven students stayed to eat lunch at school and have some extra time to play with their friends both inside and out!

The highlight of the past two weeks was our trip to the Pumpkin Farm!  All of us had an opportunity to go for a very muddy  hayride to the pumpkin patch and choose a pumpkin!  Mrs. Chyko and I picked up a pie pumpkin while we were there and last week we cut it open at school and baked it!

Mrs. Jenkins brought in different instruments to show us during music class including a guitar and a drum!  We each had a chance to play one of the instruments she shared with us.

Mrs. Willer brought in lots of outdoor equipment for us to have an extended outdoor movement time!

During activity time some of the things we've been working with include floor puzzles, aqua doodle mats, creating giant train tracks on the floor with our train sets, playing with play dough, painting on bubble wrap to create textured apples, using our Little People Farm set and tractor, and using our imagination to create things with bunchems.

The Maple Leafers at the Pumpkin Farm!

Trying out some of Mrs. Jenkins instruments.

Activity time, playdough is on the big table, painting at the rainbow table, and various other activities around the room.

On orange day we cut open an orange pumpkin and baked it in the oven!

We saved the seeds to toast and try next week!

Our completed apple art.  The kids painted on bubble wrap and then pressed the apple shape on top.  We used red, yellow and green paint since apples come in those colors.

While the pumpkin was baking we played outside.  It smelled good when we came back inside!

Our baked pumpkins!! Mrs. Gould scooped out the soft part inside and pureed it at home.  We'll be using it to make pumpkin bread next week!

Play dough is one of the kids favorite activities!

Fall

We enjoyed learning about fall this week.  I asked the kids what they knew about fall and their answers were so cute, some of them were, "I falled down and got an owie on my finger, I falled off my big wheel, I falled off a swing, etc."  Then I explained that in addition to falling down, fall is also a season, another name is autumn. We talked a little bit about how leaves fall off trees, then they told me about wearing warmer clothes, leaves turning colors, jumping in leaf piles, seeing pumpkins, etc.  In music Heidi taught the kids a movement song about autumn leaves. 

On Wednesday we took a fall nature walk down to Wildwood Park on First Avenue.  We saw an apple tree, bluebird, trees changing colors, pine cones, and the highlight was finding horse chestnuts on the ground.  We collected treasures along the way and created a collection of "things outside in the fall". 

Thursday we heard the story The Little Red House With No Windows and No Doors and a Star Inside.  It turned out to be an apple!!  Then we cut an apple in half to find the star!  We used our apple corer, peeler, slicer to make applesauce.  While it was cooking Mrs. Willer had set up lots of outdoor stations where we could play.  We had 2 soccer nets, bubbles, balls, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk and jump ropes!  So much fun.  When we went inside the room smelled so good from the cooked apples!!  We were tired from our outdoor activity and ready to enjoy a yummy, fall treat!

Some of our activity centers this week included: farms and farm animals playset, train table, sand table, play dough center, painting with bubble wrap and making apple prints, magna tiles, stencils, and the kitchen area. 

Hearing the lift the flap book,  Where Are You, Pooh?  We used Winnie the Pooh Cups during snack. 

Playing at Wildwood Park on Wednesday. 

The Wednesday bunch. 

Finding the star inside of the Little Red House. 

The kids were amazed to see the star inside the apple! 

Using the apple, corer, peeler, slicer to make applesauce.  Everyone had a turn to help! 

This is what our apple sauce looked like at first. 

This is what it looked like when we came back inside!!

Some of the fun things Mrs. Willer set up for us...thank you Mrs. Willer!!