Apple Graphing

Today our Rainbow 4s participated in a culminating activity for our Apple Harvest unit of study. Throughout the week, we learned how apples grow and change with the seasons. We talked about the importance of the farmer, who tends the trees, and gave thanks to God for the providing the rain, the sunshine and the bumblebees to help the apples grow. We learned that there are many varieties of apples. Today we tasted 3 types of apples: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith.

We tasted each type of apple. The red apples were sweet.

The yellow apples were sweet and sour.

The green apples were very sour!

After we tasted each variety, we thought about which one we liked best!

Each child placed his or her apple on our apple graph.

We watched carefully to see which variety had the most votes. Once we had all voted, we counted to find out which was the class favorite.

As you can see, it was close, but the Granny Smith's won!

The boys and girls did a great job with this fun math lesson!

The Block Center

Today I spent some time in the block center. This is one of my favorite places to work with the children. I joined 3-4 students who were already working there and was delighted that I was "invited" to stay. Sometimes, early in the year, the children need a little help getting started on building structures. I think that there are so many things there to build with that they get overwhelmed; they pull out all of the blocks, and then there is no room to build. I had noticed this happening for a few days, and decided that it was time. The only thing I did was get them started on the foundation. We talked about starting with a big, solid foundation, and building up. Once the foundation was in place, I sat back and watched. Here is what they built...

The architects/construction crew were very proud of their work. The building was so fast and furious, that I was not able to take a lot of pictures, this is definitely a hard hat only zone our classroom!

Once the building was complete, we had a chance to talk about what they had built. I asked them what it was, one little boy said, "Its a skyscraper." First of all, I was a little surprised, because the closest skyscraper to us at least an 1 1/2 hours away. Then they went on to tell me about the workers. One little girl showed me how she had built chairs for them, in their offices. The other little boy showed me the parking garage in the basement, complete with ramp system.

I told them I thought they should make some signs so that everyone would know what they had built. I got them some paper and writing utensils, and we set out to label the building. I helped them make this sign, which says "Skyscraper". For a 4 year old, I think this is great work. He heard 2 sounds in the word, and was able to write them.

Next, we decided the people needed to know where to park. So we made this sign that says "garage". Most people would not get so excited over just a few letters, but this is big stuff. Budding literacy right there in the block center!

Here they are using the ramp to park the cars. I also like that you can see how closely they children were working in proximity to one another. The structure was rather large, and took up most of the space. Yet, with their focused work, there was not one argument or disagreement. They respected each other's work and were very careful not to knock any part over.

This is more of what I love about preschool. I don't know how or why the baby was there, or the book, however I do know that there was some amazing learning, collaborating, cooperating, planning, thinking, and mathematical reasoning happening in this center today.

Check back soon, tomorrow the Rainbow 4s are tasting apples, and graphing their favorites. Can't wait to find out which they liked best!

Celebrating Johnny Appleseed

Today was a special day at SDS. Our 4 year old classes joined together to learn about John Chapman, or as we know him, Johnny Appleseed.

We read a beautiful book about Johnny. We learned that he was a good man, who was kind to all people and animals. He helped the Pioneers learn to grow apple trees. He gave them the gift of applesauce, apple pie, apple cider, and food for the whole year.

Johnny was a simple man who lead a simple life. He traveled around the country sharing with others the word of the Lord and his apple seeds. Legend has it that he wore his cooking pot on his head, because his back pack was full of apple seeds!

Today we honored Johnny Appleseed by wearing our pots on our heads, and spreading "apple" seeds all around our school. Of course, apple trees don't grow very well around here, so we just pretended and spread seeds for the birds. We think Johnny would have liked that we were being kind to the animals.

We had a silly fun time with our friends!

Applie Pie!

Today we began our new unit, Fall Harvest. We learned about how the seasons change, and that there is a purpose for each one. In fall, the apples, and many other crops are ready for harvest. We talked about how apples grow, the importance of the farmer, and our thankfulness to God for giving us the rain and sun to help the apples grow. We read some really great books about Apples, learned a poem, and best of all, baked delicious apple pies! By the end of the day, it smelled so good at SDS!

How To Make Apple Pies at Preschool...

First, you really have to "smash" the biscuits flat.

Make sure you use all of those little muscles in your hands!

Next, spoon chopped apples on to the bottom biscuit.

Remember, working together is always more fun than working alone!

Now, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, add a little pat of butter, and cover with the other flattened biscuit. Then, put them in the oven.

Mrs. Georgia read Ten Apples Up on Top, while the pies cooked. About halfway through the story, we could smell a delicious smell and we knew they were almost done.

Finally, let the pies cool, and enjoy!

Tomorrow we will learn more Johnny Appleseed, stay tuned for more Apple Harvest fun and learning.

A is for Apple!

Today, in three year old preschool, we learned out first letter, A. We discovered what was in the Alphabet Can (ambulance, apple, and alligator), we connected the sound with a movement (alligator chomp with our arms), and we practiced building As with our Handwriting Without Tears wooden pieces. NOW, in the world of 3YO preschool, that is ALOT!

Look at those As! I am so impressed!

In addition to our circle time activities, we stamped the letter A with apples. The boys and girls did a wonderful job with this very messy project! Each week we will be making a letter like these; next week we will use do bubble wrap painting for B. My hope is that families will post these in their home in a prominent location, and use them a learning tool to reemphasize the letters and sounds that we are learning at preschool. If you do not have room to post the whole alphabet, you can place them in a binder and use it like an ABC book. My guess is that the children will love telling their own story! These hands-on projects are very memorable and special to the children. Almost every child said to me, "I can't wait for my mommy to see this"!

I Pledge Allegiance...

One of the main things we work on during the first days of preschool is establishing a routine. We start each day the same way, with our Pledges of Allegiance and prayer time. As you can see, even our "littlest" of learners are becoming familiar with the procedures! Typically, the helper of the day gets to hold the flag. We use this time to teach about why we say our pledges and what they mean.

More Grandparent's Day Fun!

From Over the Hills and Through the Woods...

Today we celebrated Grandparent's Day at Sunshine Day School. Both the Rainbow and Sunshine 4s welcomed their grandparents and special friends for a fun filled morning, complete with breakfast and center time! It was so nice to meet these special family members, who love our little ones so very much.

We have only been in school for a week but we managed to prepare a special gift for each family member, Love Soup! Thank you Mrs. Brooks for helping us assemble these projects, as well as all of the families who donated beans.

Working hard, a labor of love...

The Finished Products

We all assembled in the multi-purpose room, where Mrs. Georgia welcomed everyone, and Mrs. Renee asked a wonderfully sweet blessing.

We all had such a great morning! More pictures will follow, but I couldn't wait to show you how much fun we had!