October: Leaves and Pumpkins

What do we know about fall?

Fall Map: Cooperation, identifying fall features, initial sounds, letter formation, representational drawings.

First we gathered on the rug to discuss everything we knew about fall. Children worked together sound out the words they came up with. Then each child chose one idea to illustrate. To label their drawing, they identified the initial sound, and wrote it on their paper!

Some of our fall activities and investigations:

​​Leaf Matching: Visual Discrimination

Looking carefully at features of the leaves, we identified which were matching pairs. We started talking about ways leaves differ, and ways they are all similar. The children decided that leaves could vary by size, shape, and color. They said all leaves started flat and got crunchy when they came off the tree.

Leaf Mindful Mazes: Visual Discrimination, Fine Motor Skills, Self Regulation

We carefully traced the leaf swirls using dry erase markers!

Paper Chain Patterns: Visual Discrimination, Patterning

The children have been wanting to create another paper chain ever since we decorated the sukkah with our first one. We decided to make a chain in fall colors (red, yellow, and orange)! Since we have been practicing three part patterns (ABCABC) at circle time, we chose to make our chain follow one too!

Leaf Names: Letter Recognition, Fine Motor Skills

The children were given all of the letters of their name in a mixed up order. Using our name tags for reference, they needed to put their letters in the correct order to spell their own name. After gluing the leaves down in the correct order, we practiced the letters of their name, and colored them in as we went!

Watercolor Diffusion Leaves: Self Regulation, Fine Motor Skills, Color Mixing

These diffusion papers are so much fun to paint. It takes slow careful work, but we covered the leaves with water color paint. The most exciting part was when we watched the red and yellow paint mix on the leaves. We discovered that we could make orange!

Getting outside!

Climbing, running, and catching leaves!

From developing our creative problem solving and social problem solving, to challenging our gross motor, to our understanding of scientific processes (prediction, experimentation, and observation), to growing an appreciation of, and respect for the natural world, getting outside is so important. For these reasons we go outside daily!

Letter practice!

In addition to singing the abc's every day, and noticing the letters of our names, we also have been practicing writing letters in sand, and interacting with sensory letters. We have been practicing the letters a, b, s, m, f, t, h, j, p, l, n, and r!

Find Your Leaf: Name Recognition, Letter Recognition, Singing and Movement

We have been singing "All the leaves are falling down...," as a student helper sprinkles leaves around the carpet. Then we sing "Now it's time to find your leaf..." and the children scurry about trying to find the leaf with their own name on it!

Math practice!

We are practicing sorting by size with this pumpkin patch! We use the gripper tongs to help strengthen our hands while we sort!

Fall Number Sort: Numeral Recognition 1-8, 10 frames

Working together, we counted how many fall things were in each ten frame, then we searched to find the matching numeral.

Pumpkin Number Matching - Numeral Recognition 0-5, Counting 1:1

Working together, we counted how many seeds were on each pumpkin card, then we searched to find the matching numeral.

Featured New Songs and Finger Plays:

Fall Leaves

1 is Orange

2 are Brown

3 look Yellow on the ground

3 are Green

2 bright Red

1 just fell upon my head!

Pumpkins

Some are BIG

Some are Small

Some are Short

Some are Tall

Some are Orange

Some are Green

But a Polka Dot pumpkin,

is one I've never seen!

Featured books:

What's Cooking?

A lot of things!

Every Friday we bake challah for our Shabbat Celebration! The children love watching the yeast start to bubble, then they carefully add all the ingredients, and patiently wait for the dough to rise! Then everyone rolls out two balls of challah, one to enjoy during our celebration, and one to bring home!

On birthdays, we work together to make cupcakes for the class! For the children, mixing in the sugar is the most exciting part of the baking! Once we bake them, and sing the birthday song, we all get to enjoy them together!