Autumn has Arrived at StrongStart

   
Our dramatic play area is set to explore autumn leaves,
with a picnic on the side.
      
It didn’t take long for the leaves to be placed on the tree
and shook off.  We pretended to be the wind and blow
the leaves off the tree.
   
Watching the little ones reaction to the leaves falling is
wonderful.  Are they amazed because we are spreading
the leaves all over the floor?  Or are they mesmerized
by the colours floating?

 
They learn to spill the leaves themselves and use the rakes to
move them around.

Then one child noticed a basket of squirrels and chipmunks
on the shelf and brought them out to play.
  
She showed me how the animals move up the tree.
 
I started to see the chipmunks move around.
       
In baskets,
   
in the leaves,
   
at the picnic table

so we found some acorns for them.

    
What other animals do we see in trees?

Autumn Trees

I saw this craft idea at Happy Hooligans.
   
They are very simple to make.  We already had the sticks
on our craft shelves and used plastercine as the base.
  
The children crumpled coloured tissue paper and glued it to the branch.
  
We now a lovely forest to help decorate our science table.

Spin and Squirt

         
Spin and squirt are fun words to find at the art table.
           
   As well as squeeze, up in to the eye dropper.
 
  And splat, goes the paint, on the paper.
 
  There was also stripes and splotches.
  
         Hope you give it a spin.

Talk Like a Pirate

Do pirates go out in the rain? 
That was a question that arose last Friday when we celebrated
Talk Like a Pirate day. 
It was pouring outside but the temperature was warm and there
was no wind.  Do we go or stay at school?
  
We had warned the families that yes we would we go regardless
of the weather.  So this was our test, “will we follow through?”.
   
Colleen, my co-planner from another StrongStart centre, and I
arrived early to set up.

 
    Then we waited to see if anyone would join us.
     
And they did.  We were impressed with how many came and
that they arrived dressed to get wet.
               
           Or prepared to stay dry.
   
 
 
We had a lot of fun being pirates, building boats, playing in
the water, searching for treasure.
 
To finish the morning, Captain Thunderpants joined us for a few songs. 
    
          What an awesome morning!

Pirates

Today ended our pirate play.  The room has been full of
activities to enhance our play.  Here’s a glimpse.
    
Dramatic play has been front and centre in the room.  So much
has happened in this area from steering the ship or rowing the boat,
using a compass, fighting off sea monsters and searching through
the treasure chest.
    
In the sensory table we played with the idea of walking the plank
but beware of the sharks down below.  And of course there was lots
of jewels and sparkly things.

At the art table we made our own pirate face and created a
pirate name.
 
In the sandbox we found the pirates hideout with gold nuggets.
 
Our new toy became a pirate ship to ride on.

  And we learned a new song to sing. 

Tomorrow I`ll show you some great pictures from our outdoor pirate
adventure at the shipwrecks.

Apple Pie Tarts

       
This morning the children were welcomed with an invitation
to make apple pie tarts.  I had made a few already so the room
smelled delicious.
           
It started with a simple photo recipe.  Take two slices
of apples and cut them into little pieces.
 
     Then fill your pre-made tart shell
      
   and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
 
Sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, rather than mixing the
apples, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, meant less sugar in
the pie and less dirty dishes.
   
            Bake, cool and enjoy.