Cuyahoga Falls Preschool
I can’t believe how fast the month of October went by. Our class was super busy this month learning about apples, being on the farm, all about leaves and chlorophyll, the life cycle of the pumpkin, and the history of Halloween. We also had an amazing Halloween party!
The first week I began by showing the children a variety of apples such as the granny smith, golden delicious, and the red delicious. The children were able to feel and smell the different apples and then we grouped the apples by size and color. Throughout the week I introduced Johnny Appleseed. We discussed how he was a pioneer who traveled throughput the American frontier by planting apple seeds. We also discussed how he helped people along the way. The children really loved talking about him as they continued to ask questions about him throughout the week! The next day we created a chart from seed to apple: The life cycle of an apple. I started out by cutting an apple in half and showing the children the seeds, which are called pips, the core of the apple, the flesh, and the leaves. The children were able to pass around the apple so they were able to see the different parts of the apple. We then drew the inside of the apple and labeled the different parts. We also had a blast making apple prints and other apple projects with Ms. Ashley! On the last day we had an apple taste test. The children tasted ten different types of apples and then we graphed the ones we liked best. The Gala apple won!
The following week was all about the farm! We started out by discussing the different types of animals that you would find on a farm. We also had an exciting time discussing the different foods that you would see in a grocery store that came from a farm. Throughout our week we talked about the different machines that the farmers use on a daily basis and their purpose. The last two days we talked about the life of a farmer. The children loved hearing about how the farmer has to wake up when it is still dark outside just so s/he can get all of their farm chores done before the day is done. We also had fun with farm songs and finder plays!
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The third week was all about fall! The children had so much fun with one of our student teachers who read them a book all about the different colored leaves they would find outside. The children then were able to do leaf rubbings on those leaves they read about. At the beginning of the week I read the book Leaves Leaves Leaves! By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. We then talked about the four seasons and what happens to the leaves at each season. I then asked what they thought Chlorophyll was. Ainsley shouted out “ It makes the leaves green!” I explained to them that Ainsley was right it does keep the leaves green. I also explained to them that when our days get colder and shorter the chlorophyll exits the leaves and the green goes away and the color starts to show. The children enjoyed discussing that so much that they wanted to review it all week! Lastly, we went on a nature walk where the children were able to collect different leaves and then lead a discussion about the different types of leaves they found. It was a super fun week!
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Lastly, our theme was pumpkins! This week we created a chart of the life cycle of the pumpkin. The pictures showed that first you have to plant the seed. Then the seed turns into the seedling, and then the seedling turns into a huge vine that can be big as a house! Then a flower grows onto the vine. On the bottom of the flower a pumpkin starts to appear. The pumpkin starts out green, then yellow, then light orange, and then finally orange. The following day the children used their 5 senses and language to observe and communicate about a pumpkin. The children were able to touch, look at, smell, weigh, and measure the pumpkin. After they did this I charted their thoughts and comments. The next day I asked the children what they thought the inside of a pumpkin looks like inside. After our discussion I cut open the pumpkin and had the children use their senses to explore the pumpkin. After I removed the pulp we weighed the pumpkin so we could compare the weight from before we gutted it. On our last day we did a sink and float activity. The children created a graph with paper pumpkins. If they thought the pumpkin would sink they placed the pumpkin in the correct category and same if they thought the pumpkin would float. We placed the pumpkin in a tub of water and the pumpkin floated!! We then discussed the concept of buoyancy.
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At the end of our month we had a wonderful Halloween party. A big thanks to all of the parents that helped out with all of the food, activities, and such wonderful helping hands!
Ashley’s Enrichment Corner:
This month of school flew by and the kids have had so much fun in their enrichment activities. They have learned so much.
In Art class Ms. Michele taught her students more about their primary colors and color matching. The first week the children used primary colors to make shapes out of popsicle sticks and painted inside of them. The second week the students got to make a animal tissue paper collage with different textures and worked hard on cutting and gluing them on the paper. The third week the children got to use their imagination and made a cool 3D art project and paper. Then week four the children were excited to take objects from their home they gathered up to make an amazing art project using popsicle sticks and using what they had learned about complementary colors.
In Science class, Mr. John and the kids had so much fun getting their hands on experience with his amazing experiments. The first experiment was oil and water. Mr. John showed how oil and water separate themselves from each other because water was more dense then oil. Students discovered no matter how much they shook the two together they will never mix. They thought it was amazing. Then the next experiment was The Ketchup Submarine. Mr. John poured water into a bottle and made sure it was completely full and then dropped a ketchup packet into the water and closed the lid. When he squeezed the bottle the packet would sink and when he let go it would float. This experiment displayed that when water was squeezed it would create an air bubble that would help the packet travel down to the bottom and came back up when released because the ketchup was less dense then the water.
Music class was so much fun this month. Students get excited when they begin with their favorite song ” Its Music Time Today”. They have learned many knew songs such as ” I’m a little teapot” and “ABC.” They love to play many instruments such as, tambourines, shakers and rhythm sticks to all their favorite songs. Ms. Lisa is starting to talk to our students about different music notes, and the children each get a turn in front of class and clap the note they are learning about. The kids love Ms. Lisa and get so excited for every music class!