Making Apples and Turkeys

The last couple of weeks has been full of songs, craft and activities about apples and Thanksgiving.We continued talking about our scenes. We celebrated our sense of taste and smell!

It was very busy with pictures, and a visit from our licensing officer!  They both went amazingly well.
We also did some cooking, and spent time outside in the park.

In the water table the children enjoyed "bobbing for apples." There was apples with their names spent on them floating in apple smelling water. Using tongs the children would fish for their own names, or help me find their peer's names. They also used turkey basters to splash in the water, using their fine motor skills to suck in the water, and squirt it out.

We worked together to read a recipe and make apple crisp.
I wrote the recipe on a piece of paper with pictures to help the children read it with us.

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Cooking is amazing for early literacy, rich in curricular concepts.
We use science to see the difference between the solid apples, to the yummy, mushy apple sauce.

 

We use math to create the proper portions to add into the mixing bowl. The children were offered an equal amount of an apple to cut up into smaller pieces.

We used apples cut in 1/2 to make art!

The children were offered slices of 3 different apples - red, green and green/yellow. The children would taste each one, and then tell me which of the three were their favorite.
Once they had decided, they signed their own names in the box for the apple they liked the most.

We also experienced the difference in salty (a pretzel), sour (a lemon), sweet (an apple) and bitter (a piece of dark chocolate). The children mostly liked the bitter chocolate - but Ms Asha liked the lemon!

To increase our enjoyment of smell, we had an open ended paint experience with painting with spices. We mixed glue, water, and various spices such as cinnamon and oregano.

Using corn is always my favorite natural paint brush! The husk was fun to use as a paint brush. We also rolled the cob, and made prints.

To prepare for Thanksgiving, we did the must have - Turkey hand print craft!

Once our turkey was ready, we told the helper parent what we were most thankful for.

As an open ended cutting experience, we enjoyed feeding our own turkey.
Using fall coloured paint pallets, we cut along the lines - or however we wanted, and made tiny pieces.

 

The Edmonton Public Library librarian came back for a visit to read MORE books and teach us NEW songs.

Our first field trip was a total success - and I am so thankful for everyone who could come to Prairie Gardens in Bon Accord, AB.

It is a fun, safe place to go outdoors with lots of experiences for the playschool children and their siblings.

Duck racing

Listening to a pumpkin band

 It was really neat when we did our first "buffet snack." We all met during the field trip to share a snack with the other preschool families. Thank you to everyone who brought something, and labeled it with the recipe to accommodate allergies and dietary requirements.

Celebration Center

Celebrating apples was an exceptional example of the Holy Trinity. I found the idea on youtube, though this book. The children and I sat down in circle center with an apple. I cut it in half to show them all the insides, and told them that the Holy Trinity is much like an apple.  That God is the outside of the apple, always surrounding us and keeping us safe and together. The skin is full of nutrition, as God is full of love. Jesus, God the son, reminds me of the flesh - because Jesus came as the flesh. He came to fill us with stories, and keep us healthy and strong. God the spirit, the Holy Spirit, is like the seeds. Without our faith, we would not be able to grow. We need our spirit.

We also took the story of the Apple, to talk about Adam and Eve. I try to ensure stories from the bible are applicable to the children, as they are still egocentric, and when they can relate to a story or topic, they will keep it in their minds longer. I explained the story of how God makes rules, that keep us safe. When Eve ate the apple from the garden, it really upset God, because he was worried about Eve getting sick. It made him feel scared because Eve did not listen to his words, and made a bad choice. This worried God because he used his words to keep Adam and Eve safe. Sadly, because Eve wasn't using her listening ears, she had to go and think about how it made God feel. Hopefully, in my simplistic story telling ways, it will help the children remember to listen to Gods words, and continue to do things that make him - and themselves, feel safe and happy.

Sincerely, 

Ms Asha