Pumpkins In and Out of School

 
Shamrock Farm is a wonderful experience for the whole family. 
It not only has a pumpkin patch but each year Shannon and
her family create an atmosphere of excitement to lead us in to
Hallowe’en. 
 
The hay bale maze provided fun while we waited for all the families to arrive. 
Some of the children that came last year noticed that they could see over the bales now.
 
Then off to the field to pick our very own pumpkin to take home.
 
Most chose pumpkins with a great stem.  Easy to pick up and carry.
 
Back in the barn Shannon told us about the many different varieties that they have planted. 
There are 26 different kinds of pumpkins growing on their farm this year.
 
After packing our pumpkins away in the cars we were given chicken feed. 
I appreciate that Shamrock Farm is not just a pumpkin patch
but a farm experience.
 
We also got to feed the goats.
They were gentler than the chickens and the children were able to pet them.

This little boy had no problem getting friendly with a chicken.

Back at school we set up our own pumpkin patch.
 
There were other autumn vegetables to harvest too, like onions, carrots,
gourds and more.
 
After harvesting their fruits and vegetables they took them to the market to pay. 
Looking at the first picture really makes me appreciate having the mixed age groups. 
Notice how the younger children are watching the older children.
Learning through play.
 
The children in the pictures above have been attending StrongStart for a couple of years and remember back to our last harvest market.  They slipped into their roles as shopper and vendor easily.  Knowing that using the cash register, receiving and giving back money are part of those roles.

And finally, cleaning up the market before it is closed for the day.

There’s a Spider on the Floor

There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor
There’s a spider on the floor, who could ask for anything more?
 
How about a spider on a web? Or on a bench.
Our room is crawling with spiders at the moment.

Starting at the sign in question. 
Do you like spiders?
A couple of children that have attended both days this week changed their answer from no to yes from yesterday to today.

 
At the art table we made spider head bands.
   
     
Which gave us the opportunity to talk about what a spider looks like.
How many legs?  How many eyes?  What kind of webs do they build?

At story time we sang the whole song “There’s a Spider on the Floor”
      
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.
There’s a spider on the floor,
I think he came in through the door.
There’s a spider on the floor, on the floor.

The spider crawls up our body and stops on the...

on my knee - it's ticking me.
on my tummy - do you think it tastes yummy?
on my head - oh dread!

You can stop at other parts of the body and make up a rhyme for it.
 

Apple Days

Last week we focused on apples. 
This is the table that greeted the families as they entered the room.

Sorting apples by size, by colour or what the apple
was made of (plastic, rubber or wood).
 
Using tongs is a challenge and I provided three different types. 
Then they experimented with which set of tongs worked best for
the different sizes.

At the art table we used real apples and apple shaped cookie cutters to make prints.
 
I stuck old fashioned clothespins into the apples for handles. 
That made it much easier for the children to manage the apples in and out of the paint.

I told a story called “The Little House with No Windows and No Doors”.

And of course we cooked with apples.
 
Starting with peeling. 
The children love using this manual apple peeler.
The parents are always surprised that it peels, slices and cores all at the same time.

After peeling we cut the slices into smaller pieces.

 
Last week we made apple turnovers. 
The children mixed the apples with a cinnamon, sugar and flour mix.
 
Then they rolled out the crust.
I find the best way to roll pie crust is between two pieces of wax paper.
Means less mess.

I found this cheddar cheese crust recipe and it was delicious.
 
After placing the apple mix on their flatten crust
the tricky part was to fold the crust over.

We used a fork to seal it.

I didn’t get a picture of the children’s little turnovers
but here are the ones that I made for my family. 
Delicious.

Then today we made applesauce.
 
More peeling and cutting.
And checking out the peel.
Love the smell that fills the room when it is cooking.
Finally eating,
and licking the bowl clean.

Play Trays

These are the trays that were available the week before Thanksgiving.

Autumn leaf counting. 
I found the tree clip art on Google images,
then added the number and the word underneath.
 
Not just for counting though. 
By providing a basket the little ones enjoy taking the leaves
out and putting them back in or just dumping.

Turkeys! 
Little plastic finger puppets of male and female turkeys.
You can tell by the hats they are wearing.

It wasn’t a very popular tray,
except for the dumping factor.

Matching and patterning of leaves and nut pictures.

Attaching the pictures with velcro makes it easier for
the pictures to stay in place and less frustration.

And finally the favourite tray this week and the easiest to put together.

Zippers! 
Yes these are real zippers that I hot glued onto flexboard
(I think that’s what it’s called).
 
They loved unzipping and zipping them up, over and over.
I’m sure there were a few parents that went home and made this for their child.
Amazingly the glue held pretty firm.
 Only once did I have to touch it up.