Fine Arts & Science - T/Th Class - Pumpkin Everything!
November 9, 2015, 09:04 AMThe pumpkins are on every corner perched on every corner can only been one thing - its that time of year again! These pumpkins naturally spark the interests of the children, and we hope to facilitate and nurture this curiosity in as many ways as possible.
As you may have noticed, we brought books, activities, pictures and even actual pumpkins into our class room, so the children could get a "hands on” approach in their exploration. A sink and float station captured many of the children's interest. This activity included sized pumpkins, squash and other fall items floating in a tub. The purpose of this station was for the children to see which of these items would sink in water, which ones would float, and why this was so. Sara, Julia, Kaitlyn and Chantel took a particular liking to this activity.
Sometimes when we set up an activity with certain intent, we find the children, using their imaginations and creativity, use it for something completely different. This is exactly what happened with the sink and float activity. The girls decided to turn the activity into an opportunity to test out their cooking skills! They spent several minutes stirring the water and picking up the pumpkins as they served their lucky teacher. Here is a conversation that took place during this activity:
Julia: “I`m making soup!
Sandy: “Oh! What kind of soup?"
Julia: “Pumpkin soup! It’s so delicious!”
Sara: “Do you want to try some?”
Sandy: “Sure! So yummy!”
Another pumpkin based activity we did was to cut the top off of a pumpkin and let the children explore it by using their hands, spoons and other utensils. We put this activity out during freeplay, and noticed a lot of the children used spoons to scoop the seeds up. We, though, wanted to challenge the children to get a little messy and put their hands inside the pumpkin to feel the different textures.
I brought our pumpkin to circle time and gave each child an opportunity to see how the inside of a pumpkin felt with their hands. Here are a few responses that the children gave:
Aedan: “I feel the seeds.”
Benjamin: “It feels spooky and sticky!”
Claire: “It feels sticky wicky.”
Gunner: “It feels mushy”
Adonis: “It feels icky!”
My favourite part of this activity was seeing the children’s reactions when they put their hand inside of the pumpkin. There were a lot of smiles and giggles as they felt the mushy seeds and pumpkin guts! This makes me think the children really enjoyed getting their hands a little sticky!
The most enjoyable activity for me involving pumpkins was, of course, visiting a pumpkin patch! This was not just a fun event for the children, but also very educational. The children had the opportunity to gain an appreciation of how much work it actually takes to create a pumpkin! We were treated to a tour that included some wonderful farm animals and some very informative facts about pumpkins. Getting the children out into the field was a great way for them to experience the hard work of picking a perfect pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern! It was wonderful seeing all the children and families interact with one another. This was great experience for children to bond with their own families, as well as the others in our program.
I was interested to see how excited the children were to go out and pick their own pumpkin. Even with all the other things they could have done during this field trip, a lot of the children couldn’t wait to get to the pumpkin patch! They really wanted to be involved in this process and were so happy when they found their perfect pumpkin!
With the children’s imagination and curiosity leading the way, pumpkin season is always an enjoyable time of year for our program.
~Sandy
As you may have noticed, we brought books, activities, pictures and even actual pumpkins into our class room, so the children could get a "hands on” approach in their exploration. A sink and float station captured many of the children's interest. This activity included sized pumpkins, squash and other fall items floating in a tub. The purpose of this station was for the children to see which of these items would sink in water, which ones would float, and why this was so. Sara, Julia, Kaitlyn and Chantel took a particular liking to this activity.
Sometimes when we set up an activity with certain intent, we find the children, using their imaginations and creativity, use it for something completely different. This is exactly what happened with the sink and float activity. The girls decided to turn the activity into an opportunity to test out their cooking skills! They spent several minutes stirring the water and picking up the pumpkins as they served their lucky teacher. Here is a conversation that took place during this activity:
Julia: “I`m making soup!
Sandy: “Oh! What kind of soup?"
Julia: “Pumpkin soup! It’s so delicious!”
Sara: “Do you want to try some?”
Sandy: “Sure! So yummy!”
Another pumpkin based activity we did was to cut the top off of a pumpkin and let the children explore it by using their hands, spoons and other utensils. We put this activity out during freeplay, and noticed a lot of the children used spoons to scoop the seeds up. We, though, wanted to challenge the children to get a little messy and put their hands inside the pumpkin to feel the different textures.
I brought our pumpkin to circle time and gave each child an opportunity to see how the inside of a pumpkin felt with their hands. Here are a few responses that the children gave:
Aedan: “I feel the seeds.”
Benjamin: “It feels spooky and sticky!”
Claire: “It feels sticky wicky.”
Gunner: “It feels mushy”
Adonis: “It feels icky!”
My favourite part of this activity was seeing the children’s reactions when they put their hand inside of the pumpkin. There were a lot of smiles and giggles as they felt the mushy seeds and pumpkin guts! This makes me think the children really enjoyed getting their hands a little sticky!
The most enjoyable activity for me involving pumpkins was, of course, visiting a pumpkin patch! This was not just a fun event for the children, but also very educational. The children had the opportunity to gain an appreciation of how much work it actually takes to create a pumpkin! We were treated to a tour that included some wonderful farm animals and some very informative facts about pumpkins. Getting the children out into the field was a great way for them to experience the hard work of picking a perfect pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern! It was wonderful seeing all the children and families interact with one another. This was great experience for children to bond with their own families, as well as the others in our program.
I was interested to see how excited the children were to go out and pick their own pumpkin. Even with all the other things they could have done during this field trip, a lot of the children couldn’t wait to get to the pumpkin patch! They really wanted to be involved in this process and were so happy when they found their perfect pumpkin!
With the children’s imagination and curiosity leading the way, pumpkin season is always an enjoyable time of year for our program.
~Sandy
Comments (1)
4 Hour Class - "How To" Guide #2: Mummification
November 2, 2015, 12:44 AM
HOW TO MAKE A MUMMY
STEP 1: What is a mummy?
Looking at pictures in Halloween themed books may inspire such a question:
STEP 2: Experiment with ways to replicate the image
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| a teacher's arm |
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| white paper and glue |
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| paper towel rolls |
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| googly eyes and markers |
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| masking tape |
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| pipe cleaners |
STEP 3: Learn about the real thing
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| Ancient Egyptians mummified the dead bodies of important people |
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| this was a process that took a long time |
STEP 3A: Remove the brain and internal organs
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| If you do not have a real dead body on hand make your own substitute internal organs |
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| In this case we used balloons and beads |
STEP 3B: Place the internal organs in decorative jars
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| After removing and cleaning the organs |
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| Place them in decorative jars |
STEP 3C: Dry out the body with a special kind of salt and fill it with
spices, plants and rags to maintain shape
If you do not have a real dead body at your disposal, you may skip "Step 3C" to save time.
STEP 3D: Wrap the body in linen
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| If you do not have linens at your disposal bed sheets are an acceptable substitute |
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| Wrap all parts of the body |
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| Take great care when fastening the linen to the body |
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| Sometimes less is more... other times more is more! |
Thank you for reading the 4 Hour Class - "How To" Guide #2: Mummification. We hope you have found it to be educational and inspiring - we sure did!
This has been and Amazing Expression of Creativity brought to you by the 4 Hour Class.
3 Year Old Class - Westham Island Herb Farm Field Trip
October 29, 2015, 09:17 AMOur threes class recently visited the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta. After a relatively short and scenic drive through Ladner en-route to the farm, we crossed a small, one-lane bridge that remarkably has been in place since 1911.
We arrived at the farm in the early morning, before the school buses appeared. It was a very peaceful time of the day, and the morning mist floating over the fields only enhanced the feeling. Westham Island Herb Farm is a community oriented farm that promotes buying fruits and vegetables from local sources. This farm is part of the Ellis family farm and they have been in this location since 1916!
We followed up in class by carving our class pumpkin, roasting the seeds and making pumpkin soup with the children. The seeds were a hit but the soup was an acquired taste. Each child was willing to give it a try though, and that is the most important part!
As the children had many questions about the owls in the barn, we also followed up in class with a discussion about barn owls.
The children spent a very enjoyable morning at the farm. All of their senses were alive, from listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees, to smelling the scents of hay and pumpkins in the air, to feeling mud under their feet.
A big thank you to the staff at Westham Island Herb Farm for opening your doors to our preschool children, and the community on a whole!
~Barbi
Westham Island Bridge
We arrived at the farm in the early morning, before the school buses appeared. It was a very peaceful time of the day, and the morning mist floating over the fields only enhanced the feeling. Westham Island Herb Farm is a community oriented farm that promotes buying fruits and vegetables from local sources. This farm is part of the Ellis family farm and they have been in this location since 1916!
Upon arrival at the farm, we were greeted by a beautiful display of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.
Prior to the tour of the farm, we visited the general store, which showcased a large variety of homemade jellies and honey selections such as wild flower, raspberry, pumpkin and blueberry.
Marcel, one of the staff from the farm, takes us on our tour. We start by visiting a barn, standing in place since the Ellis farm was established 99 years ago.
Cows and two barn owls share the barn.
“The cows tongues are so long!” says Kloe.
The owls intrigued the children and they tried hard to see them perched high in the rafters. It helped to have a poster with photos displayed.
As we exited the barn, the farm's pigs were penned just outside. They seemed happy to see us, and even happier to receive the pumpkin tossed their way!
Washing our hands after visiting the cows and pigs.
While in the hay barn, Marcel explains about the various fruits and vegetables grown on the farm, including flowers, strawberries, garlic, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and more.
The rooster cock-a-doodle-dooed just as we arrived at the pen! This probably was the first time many of the children have heard a rooster crow.
The children learned about the keen sense of hearing of a donkey. When he hears something, his big ears go back to listen.
Daisy, the long-haired cow, loves to be pet by Marcel.
A visit with the farm's goats - some very agile climbers.
Off to the pumpkin patch to choose our pumpkins.
Justin found his pumpkin. “It's too heavy!” he says.
“I found a pumpkin! It's a good one!” says Ian
Off goes Kloe to find her pumpkin. “There are too many pumpkins,” she says.
It's so enjoyable to walk in the squishy, sticky, mucky mud. No puddle is too big when you're wearing rain boots!
“It's sticky on my boots” says Ian
The general rule from the farm is that each child be able to carry their own pumpkin.
Enjoying the diggers put out by the farm staff.
As the children had many questions about the owls in the barn, we also followed up in class with a discussion about barn owls.
The children spent a very enjoyable morning at the farm. All of their senses were alive, from listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees, to smelling the scents of hay and pumpkins in the air, to feeling mud under their feet.
A big thank you to the staff at Westham Island Herb Farm for opening your doors to our preschool children, and the community on a whole!
~Barbi
Lantern Festival 2015
October 26, 2015, 01:52 AM
Lantern Festival 2015!
On a beautiful evening in early October,
In and around the community centre,
Families gathered for an evening of fun,
Games and activities for everyone!
Donations were made
For the Richmond Food Bank
Some got Balloons,
and others, Face Paint!
Some people went Bowling,
and drums were played,
shadows,
wishes,
and lanterns were made!
Nigel rode in
And we all stopped to stare,
As he contact juggled
In the cool night air!
Then it was time,
The lanterns were lit,
we went on parade
The night was a hit!
To all those who took part and volunteers too,
For such a great evening,
we'd like to THANK YOU!!!
See you again next year!
Fine Arts & Science M/W/F Class - Autumn Leaves are Falling Down!
October 21, 2015, 08:20 AM
Autumn has arrived! We have been busy playing, exploring and learning in the classroom, while watching the children’s creativity and learning blossom!
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Exploring with play dough using wiggly eyes and decorative leaves. |
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Painting with cars. |
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Discovering colors and shapes. |
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Drawing and creating with leaves. |
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Being creative with a birdcage & Lego. |
As the seasons turn from summer to fall, the children have been observing the changes in the weather and the trees. They were wondering about the different colors; so we went to the park to pick fallen leaves and brought them back to the classroom for closer observation.
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Making a tree collage. |
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Observing and drawing a maple leaf. |
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Tracing part of a leaf puzzle. |
We will be learning and discovering much more as time goes by. Stay tune for more of our classroom adventures!
(Karen, Michelle, Sandy, and Matt)