The Whole Child: Wednesday Group 9.27.17 & 10.4.17
FALL IS HERE! Our exploration of the Autumn season has officially started!
*Fall Floor Book*
We welcomed the Autumn Equinox by brainstorming about what we know about Fall/Autumn. We talked about the colors of fall and what holidays we celebrate. We also practiced our balancing skills in honor of the equinox - a time when both the sun and moon share an equal time in the sky.
*Leaf Hunt/Outdoor Park Play*
After our Shadow Hunt last week, our friends wanted to go on another hunt this week! We went on a Leaf Hunt to celebrate Fall! We collected a variety of leaves to keep in our Floor Book and to take back to the studio. Our friends found a live Cicada in the grass and used the large sticks as light sabers for dramatic play. Ms. Victoria spent time with W working on drawing our W's.
*Fall Colors Exploration*
We introduced liquid watercolors to our friends! Using the colors we see in fall, the kiddos were able to mix and experiment with color making. They used pipettes to suction the watercolors and drop them into the dishes and fabric. We watched as the watercolors formed droplets of color on the cotton before soaking into the fabric. W enjoyed dropping the watercolors into his cupped hand. "It looks like blood. It feels like water." - W
*Gourd Still Life Painting Invitation*
We had volunteer gourds grow in our front yard this year! They made the perfect fall invitation! The kiddos explored the textures of the gourds and their colors. They used the materials to paint the gourds and collage gourd-inspired masterpieces!
*Morning Together Time*
After arriving at the studio and getting reacquainted with our friends, we all met together on the grass. W helped us spread out fabric so that we could all sit together without getting wet. We began our talk by reviewing all that we've done and reading our book together. We remembered our adventures and all the fun we have had thus far! As it starts getting colder during fall we begin spending more time indoors with our family. Family was our topic of discussion today! Who is in our family? How does family make us feel? After warming up our brains we switched to warming up our bodies. We practiced our balance again by becoming trees. Some of our trees blew in the wind while some remained strong and still. We also did some elephant breathing!
*Leaf Investigation Invitation*
We had a surplus of leaves from our Leaf Hunt last week that needed to be investigated! Our friends used magnifying glasses to look at them up close and see all of their details. This week we organized our leaves by opposite sides - Small and Large. While looking through the leaves T found one that was "medium." He stated that we needed to make another category for medium sized leaves. And we did!
*Fall Colors Exploration Part Two*
After observing how much our friends enjoyed the watercolor invitation last week, we decided to offer it again this week! This week we added bottles and jars of various sizes for the kiddos to use. That was a HIT! For the first time all of our friends worked together at one invitation! Everyone was invested in their work filling and dumping the watercolors. Each kiddo used their manners to work with their friends and used their words to share the bottles. I was overjoyed to witness all of our friends working together to experiment with color making! :-)
*Leaf Counting Invitation*
This week we added a mathematics and counting area to the studio! Our sand trays and manipulatives will be available every day for our kiddos to explore! T was our first friend to try out our new invitation!
*Nature Walk/Park Play*
The weather has been ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for outdoor creative play and nature walks! Our friends have the best time searching for their unique sticks and using them to draw and dig in the dirt.
Can't wait to see everyone next week as we continue our exploration into the Fall season!
--Victoria
