The Great Pumpkin Experiment Update 2

Remember this??

Just to refresh your memory, during the week of Halloween, we cut the top off our pumpkin, and the children filled it with dirt. We had no idea what would happen. We kept it in the window and faithfully watered it daily. After almost three weeks, here's how it looked. We were super excited to see sprouts!!
Now check it out two weeks later! Here's how it looked just before Thanksgiving. So exciting!!

The pumpkin was getting a little soft, so Mrs. O'Connor took it home and planted it in the ground. Stay tuned...

"Solves Puzzles"

At SLC, we assess children's progress from time to time. We use several tools to do that - a developmental checklist, notes, photographs, even this blog is a way to document growth. It is important to note children's milestones so we know if they are growing as they should. One of the skills we typically look for is "solves puzzles". This term can refer to jigsaw puzzles, but we more broadly consider it to mean "solves anything that is puzzling".
Weston B. has a Tippy Turtle. The goal is to try to put the cylinder pieces on the tummy without the turtle tipping over. It's tough. Weston has figured out how to do it, but not perfectly. That's fine! Strategy is what we are after. If Weston can figure out what to do and attempt to execute his plan, then he is solving a puzzle.

Owen and Faith have a gigantic Mr. Potato Head as well as several smaller Potato Heads. There are pieces of different sizes and function scattered around. If they can figure out how to put pieces on the different size Potato Heads, then they are solving a puzzle. It doesn't much matter if the ears don't match or there are two left arms. Strategy and planning are the indicators of solving a puzzle.

Susannah has a set of gears. This is an example of a puzzle that can be solved in infinite ways. She could put the pieces in hundreds of combinations and still get the desired result - moving parts. Notice she is placing the gears flat on the base. In the foreground there are some vertical gears made by other children. Both methods are examples of solving puzzles.

Make sure to give your children time and materials at home to solve puzzles. It's important.

Fine Motor Skills

The children in the Bunny Rabbit class are developing their fine motor skills every single day. They have endless opportunities to strengthen their hand muscles and use their little fingers. The picture above shows Weston finishing up a drawing. He used his hands to color, fold the paper, cut some string and "write" on the outside. Each of these took Weston's time and energy and planning.

Many of the children are still at the stage of snipping with scissors. They make small cuts around the perimeter of paper. This stage precedes cutting through paper from one side to another. Notice that Sofia has her fingers in the correct holes of the scissors. They work better if you get your fingers in the right places. Imagine that!

The Bunnies develop their fine motor skills daily in art. Notice that Susannah is dipping a paint brush in a tiny dish of glue, then brushing the glue onto her elephant. Using a brush helps young children control the glue better than if it was dripping out of a big bottle.

All of the fine motor development we do in class prepares the children for handwriting and other tasks that require strength and dexterity.

Spiderweb

In our literacy center, otherwise knows as our office, we have a variety of materials. Mason found a paper spider and some black pipe cleaners. He said that he wanted to make a spider web. He knew he needed a hole in the spider's tummy so he got a hole punch and asked for help to punch it. Then to create the web, he twisted the pipe cleaners together and made sure the spider was hanging down. He was so very proud! Other kids at the table noticed and wanted to make spider webs, too.

Sometimes the lines between literacy and art are blurry and that is just fine! Mason had to use very specific language to describe what materials he needed and what help he needed. Adults don't just jump in and assume what the children want. We make them tell us. Spoken language is literacy, too!

Hammering

Looking for an easy fun activity at home? Let me tell you, kids love hammering!! One of the best ways to introduce hammering is to use a piece of styrofoam, a small lightweight mallet and golf tees. Any thick styrofoam will do - especially the weird pieces that come as packaging in large boxes. Sometimes we add the challenge of beads. The beads in the photos have a very large hole and the golf tee fit right in. The Bunnies had to hold the golf tee and bead still long enough to hit it with the mallet. It's super-fun and the materials are easy to gather. Try it at home!!

Firetruck Visit

The annual firetruck visit is a BIG event at School for Little Children! It's very exciting to see such a huge vehicle up close. The firefighters were quite chatty this year. It's always a highlight to see the big ax and hear about chopping down doors and roofs to let smoke out. One of the firefighters showed us how he puts on his uniform - slowly, piece by piece. He compared it to dressing in a costume for Halloween. It's a gentle way to help the children understand there is a real person under all that gear! Then Kade was brave enough to try on the boots, coat and hat. To extend the learning in the classroom, we had a set of fire station legos and lots of firefighter costumes. I feel perfectly safe with all those cute little firefighters and their plastic fire extinguishers in our midst!!

The Great Pumpkin Experiment Update 1

After two weeks, much to our surprise, our pumpkin grew.
Stay tuned...

Pumpkin Play

The Bunnies had so much fun exploring pumpkins before Halloween. We covered so many math, science and literacy concepts that I couldn't begin to list them all! Each photo is described below so you can see how many ways we can incorporate one thing - a pumpkin - into our learning.

• At the woodworking table, the Bunnies had opportunities to hammer nails into our pumpkin.
• Our orange glittery playdough was absolutely perfect for making pumpkin faces. We used our regular cookie cutters and our imaginations to create silly pumpkins.
• Quite a few people used the warming tray to make pumpkins with a huge orange crayon.
• Squash, small pumpkins and corn were available to explore in the science area.
• The Bunnies used shape sponges to create faces on large paper pumpkins.
• Fiction and nonfiction books about pumpkins were available on the bookshelf. Some we read as a group, some were for individual exploration.
• We measured our pumpkin, and we measured ourselves.
• Mrs. Magee made a pumpkin patch and Weston B. cut all the "grass" for the garden.
• Sofia had fun fingerpainting with orange glittery fingerpaint.
  

Toys in Mouths

In our class this year, we have several Bunnies who are still in the stage of putting toys in their mouths. I want to let you all know how we handle this at school.

In a classroom of three and four year olds, we have some games and toys with small pieces. Putting toys in mouths is a danger times two! Of course we want to prevent choking, but also, we want to prevent transmission of germs as much as we can.

In class, we have had many, MANY chats about what goes in your mouth and what doesn't. Our consistent message is: Only FOOD goes in your mouth. If we see a child put a toy in his or her mouth we promptly send him or her to the bathroom with the toy to "give it a bath" with soap and water and dry it off. We remind the child to keep toys out and only put food in. We even sometimes add in words like, "You put this toy in your mouth. I'm so sorry you had to stop playing to come wash this toy." We want to point out the natural consequence - it's not so fun to stop what you are doing to wash toys.

Please help us by reinforcing this message at home. We can have a bigger impact if we work as a team.

Sew Wonderful

Here's something we've not seen before in the Bunny class - someone who sews hole by hole in a running stitch. Most Bunnies choose to stitch is a completely random pattern. Susannah's going to love it when we sew on burlap with yarn. Stay tuned for that project - it's always popular.

The Warming Tray

The children have learned a new way to create art. They have learned to use the warming tray. It's just what you think it is - an old fashioned kitchen warming tray just like the one your grandma has. We cover ours with layers of paper to keep little fingers safe, but still let the warmth come through. The children put slick paper on the tray, and draw with peeled crayons. The heat melts the crayons and the children can create ribbons of smooth color across their paper. It's very soothing, and the Bunnies loved it!

The Great Pumpkin Experiment

We have a pumpkin experiment in the works. Last week, the children were very curious about what was inside a pumpkin, so Mrs. O'Connor cut our pumpkin open at the top. The pumpkin had a interesting scent and ooey gooey stuff and seeds inside.

We didn't bother to clean out the pumpkin (who likes that anyway?? ewwww). Everybody took turns filling up our pumpkin with dirt. Don't be concerned with all the nails you see hammered into the pumpkin - that was a completely different activity!

When the pumpkin was all full of dirt, we took it outside to the porch to water it. Plants need water and sunshine to grow, you know. I think I've mentioned before, using a squirt bottle is a great way to water plants without overwatering. Oh yes, we all took turns.

We think our pumpkin seeds will sprout right through the dirt. What do you think?