HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This morning we had all kinds of Halloween goodies in the Touch and Feel. Spiders, skeletons, bugs, skulls, and scary centipedes.  All mixed in with spider web material.  It was a very spooky start to a very exciting day!

During morning circle, the kids took turns telling their friends about their costumes.  We practiced saying "Happy Halloween".....and more importantly...."Trick or Treat"!  They were all a little wound up, so we headed out to the playground to release some of that energy.

Ms. Gretchen and friends were back today after a long break!  The kids were super excited about seeing them again.  As soon as we entered the room, someone said "it's Halloween today", and another friend said, "Happy Halloween"!  Wonderful spontaneous.....and appropriate language!  Most of the songs we sang today were about spooky, scary things.  We sang about witches, and vampires, and skeletons.  We followed directions to put a spider on different body parts.  We played the drums to spell out the word SCARY.  We keep a beat clapping our hands and hitting our legs to a Halloween poem.  And.....we did the parachute activity with the leaves again.  They LOVE that song.....or they LOVE the parachute!  During the good-bye song, where we use some basic sign language motions, you could really see the improvement from the first day. Everyone made an attempt at signing and singing!

Our story today was Brooms Are For Flying by Michael Rex.  One Halloween, a little witch joins a group of young trick-or-treaters, and all participate in a wonderful foot-stomping, hand-clapping dance. But when the children take off their masks, they get a big surprise: under her mask, the little witch really is a witch—and she shows the others that brooms really are for flying. 

 

We had both science and art today.  For science, we turned our class pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern.  We made a chart to help us compare what both things looked like, and then we brainstormed what we would need to make it happen.  It was obvious which kids had experience with this activity, and who had never done it before!  When we FINALLY (and I say FINALLY because it was super hard work) got the top off the pumpkin.....the kids were so interested in the insides.  That is, until I asked them to help me clean the goo out.  Then, they were nominating each other to keep from taking their own turn!  Even with a scooper, I couldn't get much help! And....for the record....I'm not a big fan of messy, sticky things either!!  We gave the pumpkin two triangle eyes, a circle nose, and a mouth....and just like that.....we made a jack-o-lantern!  We kept all the insides in a bowl just in case someone wanted to explore them further....but, I couldn't find any takers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we only made one class jack-o-lantern, during art, each child made their own construction paper jack-o-lantern to take home.  Just like during science, but with glue instead of a knife, we added eyes, a nose, and a mouth.  The kids immediately used these as masks to wear!  We didn't think of that.....but, sometimes some really neat ideas come from spontaneity!

 

 

Have a fun, safe night Trick or Treating!  We can't wait to hear all about out next week!  Happy Halloween!

 



Pumpkin Patch Out and About Pictures!

What A Busy Day!

Today we started the day at the table sorting, classifying, and patterning with different objects.  Some kiddos had dinosaurs, some had fruits, and others had bears.  Different colors, different sizes, and different types.  The kids had fun playing with their objects and watching the cool things their friends were doing too.

After a short calendar, we headed out to see Ms. Abby.  We are still working on our soccer skills.  First, we dribbled a soccer ball in and out of cones in a zig zag pattern.  Dribbling a soccer ball means you can't touch it with your hands....you use only your feet!  Then, we ran through the same cone course, kicking the soccer ball into a goal at the end.  Lastly, we partnered up and kicked the soccer ball to our friends across from us.  I think that I can say with certainty that most of us have kicking mastered....now we need to work on our directionality!  There were soccer balls going in EVERY direction of the courtyard.

 

 Once we finished with Ms. Abby, we started our walk to the pumpkin patch.  The kids are so good about talking about the things that they see on the walk.  They remember things we pointed out from before and make appropriate comments.  The pumpkin patch is a little farther than the grocery store from a few weeks ago, and it was slow going at first, but when we finally made it....it was well worth the trip!  There were pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.  The kids were free to explore the area with only a few rules.  They felt the pumpkins and talked about how some were smooth and some were bumpy.  They loved the large container of small pumpkins and gourds.  There were so many different colors....green, white, yellow, stripes, and even one dark purple one!  The highlight was discovering the box of rotting pumpkins in the back.  There were all kinds of bugs flying around, and the smell was not at all pleasant....but the kids were amazed!  It was science happening right in front of us!  Once the free exploration started to need some direction, we set out on a mission to find the perfect class pumpkin.  Each kid had a suggestion.....and after careful consideration.....we all agreed on one with a very large stem that wasn't too big to carry all the way back to school.  We didn't tell the kids our plan for the class pumpkin....but I know that they will LOVE it!

We when returned to school....the kids were definitely dragging.  So we had a relaxing lunch and then watched some Halloween videos.  They are so excited for tomorrow!  One more sleep until Halloween is finally here!

 

Pumpkins!

 

This morning we had orange wagon wheel noodles in the Touch and Feel pool. The kids tried to guess how we were going to use them for art today. We counted and compared the pasta.....but no one could figure out what pasta had to do with pumpkins!!!

 

Ms. Michelle came today! The kids each took a turn at four different stations. At one station they searched for spiders and insects in spiderwebs. This was not a big hit with kiddos....they were scared and said it was "super spooky".  At another station they played with pumpkin putty and slime.  There were kids that loved this station....and there were some that were clearly unimpressed with the messy finger play! The  favorite station was the one where they walked with Shrek feet or bounced on a ball with Ms. Michelle. At the last station they tossed bean bags and balls into the spooky shape house. We rotated through all the stations and practiced taking turns and staying in our assigned area....which was especially tempting, when you were assigned to a station that wasn't your favorite!

 

 

Our story today was "Pumpkin Patch" by Margaret McNamara.  Mrs. Connor's class took a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Katie was determined to find the perfect pumpkin. She thought she found it, until her classmates made fun of her pumpkin on the bus ride home. But when she got home, her dad helped her learn that her pumpkin was the best....it made the best pumpkin pie.

After reading the story we talked about how pumpkins grow. After planting a pumpkin seed in dirt, just like all the other plants we have learned about,  a vine begins to grow.  The first thing you see on the vine are yellow flowers.  Then it starts to grow green pumpkins.  But....they aren't ready to be picked until they get bigger and turn orange.  We compared some facts about pumpkins to what we learned about apples.  They are different in some ways....and alike in some ways!

 

 

 

For art today the kids made pumpkins!  They used the colored pasta from this morning to fill in the outline of the pumpkin shape. They needed to make sure to fill in all the empty spaces so the whole pumpkin was orange. It made a cute 3-D design for them to take home!

Tomorrow....we are off to the pumpkin "patch"!  It should be a wonderful trip to pick out a class pumpkin!