Apples! We learned all about apples this week! Blossoms began the week learning that a group of apple trees is called an orchard. We brainstormed all of the things we already knew about apples and were extremely excited to find apples in our lunch boxes. We then discussed the life cycle of an apple from seed to tree to blossom to apple. We also learned about the parts of an apple – skin, flesh, core, seeds, and stem. At the end of the week we gathered some scientific data as we taste tested a Gala apple, a Granny Smith apple and apple cider. Everyone LOVED the apple cider!
Those Granny Smith apples can be so sour! Collecting our scientific data. Apple cider is the best!
A Peek into Work Time:
Here is a snapshot of all of the different ways we brought apples into our work activities this week!
This preschooler is matching pictures. To make this work a little more challenging, he is matching the object to its shadow, which gives the child an opportunity to slow down and pay attention to details. This preschooler is working on his classification skills. He has sorted real life pictures into two categories – apples and not apples. This child is pin poking an apple. Our pin poking activity is a classroom favorite for all of the ages! Our younger students are practicing poking holes on the black line of the shape. Our older students are trying to poke holes as close together as possible on the black line so that they can remove the shape from its background. This work is fantastic for strengthening those fine motor skills we need for handwriting!This preschooler is tearing paper and pasting the pieces inside of the apple shape. Ripping paper is another way we are strengthening fine motor skills while also creating a wonderful apple craft! This preschooler is working on her rhyming skills with our apple themed rhyming cards!This Kindergartener is isolating the middle sound of words and sorting them by the vowel sound that he hears in the word. This child is creating her own Parts of an Apple booklet to bring home! She is only coloring one part of the apple at a time and then labeling that part.
Enrichment Spotlight – Music, Art, and ASL!
Ms. Lisa has introduced the Blossoms to forte (loud) and piano (soft) music. We’ve been learning lots of new songs and games, but our favorite is the Bubbles song! Ms. Varela has introduced the Blossoms to different types of lines that they will find within art. This week they created leaves by tracing around their own hands and then filled in their leaf shapes using color pastels. Mr. Thompson introduced us to our classroom mascot. We are the Brave Gorillas this year! Ask your child to sign brave gorilla for you!
A Peek into Next Week:
Focus Lesson: Pumpkins!
Important Dates:
October 27: Trunk or Treat event
November 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for students)
