This week, we started learning about Fall! On Monday, we read a non-fiction book called “When Autumn Comes” and talked about the changes that the season brings. Outside, the students helped me set up our new rain-collection barrel which will allow us to have a water source for our mud kitchen! A couple of students found a little toad while we were outside, and we observed it in our creature catcher! On Tuesday, a student brought in a salamander that he had found at home! We had fun observing it in our science center all day, and at the end of the day, we let it go back to nature. We also did a reflective activity called “Shells Processing” where we sat in a circle, and each student took one shell out of a basket to hold. We all held our shells and reflected on our day, thinking about a time when we were kind. When a student was ready to share their example of kindness, they put their shell back in the basket and shared. It was a wonderfully peaceful activity, and it really helped us all understand and recognize kindness in ourselves and others. On Wednesday, we read the story “Leaf Man” by Lois Elhert. When we went outside, we collected fall leaves and other natural items, and some students made their own leaf people/creatures by glueing their natural items to paper. They turned out great! On Thursday, we started our new collaborative big book about nature play. I printed out pictures of the students collecting, observing, and holding bugs of all kinds. The pictures were spread out on the carpet, and students talked about what they saw in the pictures and what they remembered from those moments. I wrote down everything they said and we worked together to glue the pictures and quotes into the book. This will be a project that we will continue to add to throughout the year, and it is currently placed by the bookshelf for students and families to look at and talk about. On Friday, we read a story about a squirrel and a bird who are friends, despite their many differences. Afterwards, we went outside and played a game called “Squirrels in the Tree.” I placed “sit-spots” out in a circle as our nest, and I told them that they are baby squirrels and I am the mama squirrel. I said that it was autumn and we needed to collect acorns for the winter, but that there was a storm coming, so the baby squirrels would have to keep their listening ears out for mama squirrel to call them back to the nest. Students did a great job of listening and being safe during this game, and we all had a lot of fun with it! Next week, we will learn all about apples by cutting them apart, taste testing them, painting with them, and making our own applesauce! It is going to be another great week!
Samuel Morey Preschool Blog 