Apples, Apples

Apples, Apples
(Tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle")

Apples juicy, apples round,

On the tree or on the ground.

Apples yellow, apples red,

Apple pie and juice and bread!

Apples crunchy, apples sweet,

Apples are so good to eat!

This week we tasted different kinds of apples, applesauce, and apple juice! 

 We talked about the difference between non-fiction and fiction books as we read different books about apples this week.  We learned that apples grow on trees, start from a blossom, have seeds inside, and can be different colors.

For our project one day, we played a fun apple picking game!  The children enjoyed rolling a dice and taking turns picking the apples off the trees!

 

 

 

 

  

We looked at various different kinds of apples and even cut them open so we could see the star in the middle that holds the apple seeds!  The kids were amazed by this surprise! 

 

After talking about the various colors we see on apples, we gave the older kids a pallet of paint and let them go!  We were so impressed with these smart kids!  They all listened closely and only painted with apple colors!  Well done!  They painted so carefully as they created their own tasty looking apple. 

 

  

We had a special treat this week...a visit from MONSTER Goose!  She comes every Halloween instead of Mother Goose!  She brought her little pet monster along with a basket full of jack-o-lanterns with songs, stories, and rhymes inside!

   

This week we reviewed the letters we've worked on so far this year.  

These smart kids are learning so much! 

 

This apple puzzle was fun to work on together!

 

  

Centers this week included working as a team to build giant cup-castles, exploring with marbles, stringing beads, reviewing numbers, and playing together.

 

This class has had so much fun singing Halloween songs with witches and pumpkins!  What a fun time of year!

Next week we'll start learning about and celebrating Halloween along with the letters "J" and "W"!

All about Trees

Fall is a great time to learn all about trees!  As a class we explored many different parts of trees with our senses!  Children love feeling new textures and comparing things in nature.  Some thing were pokey, some were rough, and some were smooth!  We had different types of bark, leaves, pine needles, and pine cones. 
 

As we learned about the parts of a tree, the kids were able to remember them better by touching and feeling the actual parts of the trees!  Take time to continue your kids' exploration of trees and point out things you notice too this fall!

We had a fun time with the fantastic book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault.  The children loved making their own coconut tree and putting the letters of their name in the tree.  If you haven't read this book with your child, you should!  It's a great way to reinforce the letter names to young children!

For one of our projects this week we played Build-A-Tree-By-Number!  This game reinforced the different parts of a tree as well as numbers as the children rolled a dice to see which part of the tree they got to add next.

This week we learned about the letter "A".  The children loved that the sound of "A" is "ah-ah-ah" just like the sound they make when they get spooked at Halloween! : )

We learned about ants and the kids were delighted to march to the song "The Ants Go Marching."  They marched one-by-one, two-by-two, and three-by-three!

 

 

After learning about ants and how their bodies are made of 3 sections and that they have 6 legs, we made little ants marching one-by-one across the page.  They did a great job!

This scarecrow puzzle was a perfect fall center!

Having fun singing some Halloween songs together!

We had the doctor kit and the stuffed animals out this week for centers.  These kids set up a whole clinic for the animals and worked and played so well together!  Developing good social skills is very important as these kids get ready for kindergarten!

We had a fantastic week and look forward to learning about apples next week and reviewing the letters we've learned so far- S, F, I, M, L, and A!

Fall!

Fall is a beautiful time of year!
Our theme for this past week was "Fall".  The children have been noticing how the leaves on the trees outside are starting to change color, so we began adding colorful fall leaves to our Treasure Tree!  By the end of the month, it will be covered with fall leaves!  I love teaching the kids about the seasons!  It is amazing as they begin noticing the changes of the seasons around them. 

This week's project was completed in 2 phases.  First, the kids painted the trunk and branches of a fall tree.  I loved seeing the unique trees created by the Pre-K kids!

The 3's painted a bare tree that was printed on their paper.  

For the 2nd phase, the children added fall leaves!  They were very careful as they stamped on their colorful leaves.  The fall trees turned out beautiful!  The kids were all so proud of their work!






Our letter this week was "L" for Leaves!

 

 

Here's a few pictures from centers this week.  The kids are learning to work and play together so well!  Their social skills are improving and they love to play during centers.  Children learn so much through play. 

The children always look forward to music time!  Here we passed bean bags as we sang together. 

This class was learning a Halloween song during music time!  They were delighted!