Preschool

In the heart of the Earth

Buried deep so deep

A dear little seed lay fast asleep.

We also talked about what might be inside the pumpkin. “It’s seeds!” We tried to estimate or guess how many seeds were hidden inside the pumpkin.  We did this on two days.  On the first day the guesses were 15, 16. 15, 14, and 20.  On the second day the guesses were 5, 5, 5, 6, and 7.  When we cut open the pumpkin we were amazed at how many gooey seeds we saw connected to the sides of the pumpkin with sticky orange fibers. “It’s slippery like a fish.” “It smells like tomatoes.” “It smells like cheese!” We scooped out seeds and tried to count.  One handful was almost twenty seeds and we had about ten handfuls of seeds.  One little pumpkin had almost two hundred seeds inside of it!  This was amazing to think that each seed had the potential of growing into a new plant.  Instead of planting, though, we mixed our seeds with oil and tamari and roasted them in an oven. They were crunchy and salty when we finished and at least two people thought they were delicious!

Later in the week we traveled to Ioka Valley Farm and ‘Uncle Don’ drove us in  the ‘spooky wagon’ to a corn maze and pumpkin patch. Missy showed us the seeds of different plants that grew on the farm and we traveled through tall stalks marked with the letters of the alphabet.  We tried to match our names with the fruits or vegetables for each letter.  “S” was for strawberries, Suleman and Stella. “Z” was for Zora and zucchini. “”R” was for radishes and Reese. “B” was for bananas and Beck. Each child got to choose their own pumpkin to take home.

We visited guinea hens, ducks, cows, bunnies, goats, pigs and turkeys! We ate lunch outside, played on the playground and rode on the school bus we have so often visited on our walks around the school.  The sun was shining and we were so grateful to share such a beautiful day with friends from Pre-K and kindergarten.

We learned a new song about a farm :

Down on the farm, we get up in the morning,

up in the morning, early!

And we raise our voices to the sun.

And we tell the sun, “Good morning and howdy and shanti!” 

We took turns thinking of all the things we knew were on farms that we could raise our voices to: animals, vegetables, trees, flowers and mud!  I have been encouraging children to ask questions when they encounter a new word and raise their hands to say, “What does that mean?” I let them guess first, to see if they can figure out possible meanings from context. “Howdy, howdy, how, how, how , what does it mean?”  We talked about this word meaning, “How do you do? Hello.” What could ‘shanti’ mean? “It means shan, shan, something to drink.” This was such a good guess! We noticed how the end of the word did sound like something to drink.  We talked about how ‘shanti’ means peace and the song is about greeting the world on the farm by saying good morning, how are you and I wish you peace. These small talks are the seeds for a future of critical thinking, and understanding of texts. When a child asks  for clarification I know they are actively engaged in listening, learning and trying to understand.

Almost every day we go to the library to read books and hear stories before rest time.  The children often say while eating, “Are we going to read books in the library today?” There is something very magical about this great silent room with a ship on a mantel, tiny globes filled with snow, stuffed penguins, art, and so many books! Before we read one day I asked the children to take turns talking about what they had learned and what they would like to learn this year.  This was a hard question!  Here are some of their answers:

“When I grow up I’ll be a doctor. I’d like to study more coloring.”

 “I’m growing up into a fairy.  I got pink wings and purple wings.  A little bit more painting.”

“Ahh, I did, I had….  I’m gonna’ be a fairy. I painted and I used a lot of colors and you can see it right there. I’d like to learn about that.” (Pointing to a model of the globe.)

 “I don’t know. Ummm. I don’t know. I love books. Yay, soapy baby!”

“I like to ride on a police boat.  When I was sleeping, I was dreaming about penguins.”

We will continue to explore this idea of what we know, what we would like to know and how we have changed.

The wood shop generously donated some wood to our class. Thank you, Mr. Katz!  There were many interesting shapes and the children decided how they wanted to attach pieces together. “Mine is a boat.” “This is a city, I think.” “I’m making a car.” “I’m making a car, too!” “Wow! Look at this.  Can I do this?” After the glue dried we painted the constructions and thought more about what they might be and what  might  be needed.  “I need wheels!” We found two semi-circular blocks and the children traced these shapes.  As often happens, artists are inspired by one another.  Several children suddenly wanted to create wheels for their structures and began tracing shapes on paper to cut(with help) and glue.  Some children found holes in their wood and used pipe cleaners and wires to push through the small openings. There was so much good problem solving and imagining that occurred.   We will continue working on these three-dimensional structures and finding out what children’s ideas and plans are for themselves and their art.  Stories are evolving around these creations and it will be interesting to write them down and share with the group when we are finished. Our art gallery continues to grow!

One other quick note I wanted to share was that the children spoke so often this week about the time they had spent last weekend at Stella’s house.  It was apparent how meaningful the time spent together outside of school was to everyone. Thank you to Stella’s family for hosting this wonderful get-together! Our class continues to grow into a tight-knit community with a sense of caring and identity as a kind and connected group of friends. Be warned that the children are planning many more gatherings at each of their homes!

Wishing you all the best on this glorious fall weekend!

Sarah