The River - 4 Hour Class

Fall and Harvest Exploration ~ Fine Arts & Science; Tuesday/Thursday


Hello Families, October have been a busy month of sharing experiences and stories, cooking together, getting to know each other and feeling more and more comfortable in the classroom.

 

As part of our exploration about fall and harvesting, we learned about apples, by playing, tasting, reading and even cooking. We found out that most children preferred red apples

We made apple sauce together to share with our families for Thanksgiving, apparently, for most of the children cutting with a knife was a brand-new experience, however they all did a remarkable work.

In preparation for the Lantern Festival, the children painted and decorated lanterns.  The handles were made using wire and beads. Jessie, Jocelyn and Era made sure they filled the wire “all the way” while Scotia and Linden were seeking for the “special” ones. On the other hand, Siya searched and collected only pink beads because that is her favorite color.

Later that week, many of the children participated in the lantern festival joining the rest of the community where we played games, drums and   paraded with our lighted lanterns.

 

Experiences like these, give children a sense of belonging, of being part of a family, a community and being active participants on it. They also create memories, build connections, enhance conversations, and bring family and community together. Many of these meaningful memories your child will treasure for life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To continue our exploration about fall and harvesting we went on our first fieldtrip to the Westham Island Herb Farm. 

 

During our tour, we visited the chickens, the goats and their kids, Gracie the donkey and a “huge” cow with her calf. The children and parents were curiously listening and observing some details our guide pointed out about the animals, like how the goats have slits that are horizontal a difference of ours that are around, and also how white feathered chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs and brown ones with red earlobes lay brown eggs!

 

 

Inside the barn, the children were intrigued about the big machineries and the many bales of straw and hay we found there. The guide explained that the green bales were hay to feed the animals and the yellow were straw used for other things, like sitting at the farm. After learning a little more about the vegetables harvested at the farm we finally walked to the pumpkin patch to look for the perfect pumpkin to take home.

 

The following class we did some exploration with pumpkins. We review the children’s theories of what they think we will find when we open the pumpkin: “seeds”, “beans”, “gross stuff” were some of the answers the children shared. Many agreed they will find seeds inside.

This sensory experience allowed the children to see, smell, taste and feel as they learnt about pumpkins. It also promoted conversation as they shared stories of what they liked, tested, or done at home. Some children were timid about touching the pumpkin’s guts and they used only spoons, and others were more comfortable feeling and cleaning the inside, separating the seed from the veins using their hands as tools.

I am exited to see the children’s engagement and positive responses to the materials and experiences we offer to them as we strive to follow children’s interest and nurture their curiosity through their learning journey.


Until Next time, Silvia