Too Much Fall Fun, and NOT Enough Time!

Ms. Harmony loves all the fun changes that fall brings!  There is so much to do and enjoy! This post shares some of the ways we've been actively learning about fall.

Apples are ripe and ready to eat!  We not only tasted apples, we learned about the parts of apples, and made beautiful apple prints.

We used scented rice, funnels, bottles, and acorn toys in the Explore Table.  This smelled amazing!

We built homes for fuzzy forest friends and made sure they had plenty to eat!  Fall is an important time for animals in the forest because soon they will face food and shelter scarcity during winter.

We colored leaf prints by taping the paper on top of the leaf and doing rubbings with crayon.

We cooked with acorns we gathered and sand.

We noticed that the weather got cold, and so did the water in our table outside!  We changed the materials from water play to bubbles!

We shook up sensory bottles with googly eyes, bugs, and bands!

We made LOTS of art with play doh, googly eyes, paint, fuzzy sticks, pom-poms, stickers, and more!

We sorted bears into "families" which helped us practice color identification, size and color differences, and counting skills.

We applied our knowledge of fall leaves and forest animals by painting a forest scene in fall and telling a story about the animals that live there.  They were looking for food, building homes, getting camouflaged, etc.

We talked about Halloween being a fall holiday just weeks away!  We played with lots of funny things like slinkies, bracelets, pumpkins, and googly eye glasses!

We danced with fall leaves, tossed them in the air, and pretended to rake them into a pile!

It always seems like a race to do all the fun stuff each day.  I wish that the preschool hours could STRETCH out so we could pack more into the program... so I leave it with you at home to keep up the fall celebrations.  :)  

Spring in Quarantine

It's been a quiet spring with the Covid-19 Quarantine, but we have been having fun in simple ways with everyday things.  We added easter eggs, dollar store bird houses, and silk flowers/leaves to the block area.  It's been fun to build color castles and bird apartments that burst with texture and vibrancy!

We pulled out new dress-ups that include flower crowns and bunny ears.

We've assembled countless Potato Heads, each fantastically silly!

We've ventured outside to splash in water, mix up sand, and get our Vitamin D.  We tossed out leaves and discovered all kinds of new blooms.

We've built with legos to make cameras, houses, gardens, and castles.

We've hidden, found, climbed, bounced, and run around.

We've had fun!

Flippers to the Ocean

Baby sea turtles hatch on the beach and race with flipper feet to the safety of the ocean as fast as they can!  We replicated this animal activity with giant flip flops, a long strip of paper, and paint!

We started with yellow paint to be the beach sand, and ended with blue and green paint to be the water and sea weed.
 

These little turtles had so much fun and looked super cute on their race to the ocean!  <3

Summer is Happening!

Summer is FINALLY here and happenin'!  Our spirits were high with energy to match!  Here's some of the plans we made on our first day back.  The sand wheels and cups were turned into a Juice Factory where drinks were served complete with straws and fuzzy stick adornments.  ;)

Friend "Hammer" worked on magnatile floor plans, Friend "Kangaroo" built pyramids with wedgits, and Toddler "K" and Friend "Sandwich" used cusinaire rods to fill in the maze.  All of these awesome plans really stretched the friends' spatial awareness and fine motor skills.

Friend "Sunflower" and "Sandwich" couldn't wait to get to the House Area where they enjoyed playing baby and doctor.  Their collaboration in this role play activity was extensive as they worked through an "appointment" and then traded roles.

Friend "Hammer" first found his favorite pink hiking boots, then took care of the babies in the nursery, and even cooked dinner.  It is quite impressive to see his expertise in cooking, and how carefully he rocked his baby in the cradle.  That is a tender heart right there.  :)

Lastly, we moved outside to play in the water, mud, with brooms and books, and also with gross motor equipment.  Ms. Harmony recently fenced in the playground area so that Outside Time could be a more developed part of our day instead of just a few minutes in duration while we wait for our parents to pick up.  It was really humid today, but none of the school friends even mentioned the heat.  We were too busy having fun!  Can't wait till Thursday!