Happy New Year from your friends on the Older Pod Patio! Check out some of the fun and festive activities we did in December…

We enjoyed gingerbread playdough!

We worked our fine motor muscles using gel sensory bags!

We did some STEM building with cups and ornaments!

We read to our Christmas cats!

We built with magna-tiles and jingle bells!

We enjoyed making Christmas sticker creations!

We cut pine needles and explored snow dough in our sensory bin!

We worked with friends to decorate our Christmas tree using loose parts!

We mastered our gross motor skills for the month by practicing going over, under and through the jingle bells!

We enjoyed cheering on our friends as they made their way through our Christmas obstacle course!

Happy Thanksgiving from Older Pod Patio! This week we’ve been exploring fall flowers, cranberries, oranges, lemons, leaves and gourds. Check out the beautiful sensory soup we cooked up on our fun and festive Stone Soup days.

Leading up to farm days, we’ve been having some fun with “chicken coops” on the older pod patio. Our friends are rolling eggs down the coop, collecting them and packaging them in egg cartons. Check out our little farmers hard at work!

Collaborative projects teach children how to work toward a common goal, while fostering cooperation and flexibility. Collaborative activities also create social cohesion and build supportive environments.

When we create collaborative pieces together we’re practicing sharing space, taking turns, communicating and enjoying the process rather than focusing on a finished product.

Integrating natural materials into early childhood art projects enrich the overall learning experience. Exploring natural materials gives children the opportunity to experience an array of textures, shapes and colors. It also increases their knowledge of the world and objects in it, all while fostering a curiosity for the environment.

Friends from Rooms 1, 2 and 3 collected leaves, painted, assembled and glittered these collaborative masterpieces!

Our friends in older pod are having an unbeLEAFably good time out on the patio.

Our tiny hands are busy exploring fall sensory materials like goards, oats, dried oranges and cinnamon sticks!

We’re strengthening fine motor muscles as we scoop, pour and pick up small leaves and pumpkins. Also, we’re practicing important skills like sharing space, negotiating, collaborating and communicating with others.

Slime has also been a fall favorite!

With our water feature out of commission for the colder months, we repurposed the space with loose parts play! This is a great example of how we integrate important monthly shape and color concepts. In October, we put a strong emphasis on circles and the color orange. Circles are heavily featured in this open-ended activity that is designed to ignite imaginations.

Here, our older pod friends are making “pizza” together!

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese? Yes, please!

A few friends from Room 1 worked together to decorate an elaborate, multiple tier “wedding cake.”

We LOVE to move our bodies on the patio!

Hopscotch helps our friends develop body control, rhythm, balance, coordination and so much more!

Check out these balance beam buddies!

Apple picking on a balance beam is a huge challenge that our friends are up for.

Building together brings out big smiles!

Mr. Potato Head is a classic toy used to learn parts of a whole. Our friends are concentrating hard as they work to assemble unique variations.

The fall fun isn’t over yet! Stay tuned for more as we let the gourd times roll!