We have celebrated Apple & Pumpkin days which is a preschool tradition. We had apple and pumpkin based crafts and games as well as snacks!
Wednesday was Apple Day and we did apple crafts and ate Red Delicious apples. They were so sweet!
We did dot painting and we stamped with apples on a stamp pad. We ended the festivities with a trip to big field and had fun with sack races, frisbees, bouncy balls and some fun with the parachute.
We read the Pumpkin Patch Parable and we learned about how we can let God’s light shine from within us.
Thursday was Pumpkin Day and it was a blast! We had pumpkin painting, carving and bowling. Here are a few photos of the fun 🤩:
We also had a parent come in and she read so many books. The class loved it 📖.
It was such a fun time and we look forward to next year!
We had a fantastic Harvest celebration for Apple Pumpkin Days! The activities were so much fun for the children in Room 3. Making apple pie and pumpkin pie in a cup was a delicious and creative way to celebrate, and painting with apples and pumpkins was a fun artistic twist to the event.
The pumpkin scooping activity is always a hit, especially when the kids get to feel the slimy pulp and explore the insides of the pumpkin. Creating a volcano explosion inside a pumpkin was an exciting experience, combining science with the fun of Harvest!
This was a wonderful way to engage the children with the seasonal harvest, allowing them to learn about apples and pumpkins through hands-on activities. It’s great to see the kids make such meaningful and enjoyable memories! A big thank you to all the parents that volunteer . We couldn’t have done it without your help and donations!
During this Harvest season the children have also been hearing the story of the Pumpkin Patch Parable. The Pumpkin Patch Parable is a beautiful story that illustrates important spiritual lessons, especially for children. In this parable, a farmer goes out to a pumpkin patch and selects pumpkins that may not look perfect on the outside but have the potential for greatness inside. This mirrors how God sees us—not just for our outward appearances, but for our inner qualities and potential.
As the farmer cleans out the pumpkins, he removes the yucky stuff inside, symbolizing how God cleans our hearts of negativity, sin, and anything that prevents us from shining brightly. Just as the pumpkins can be transformed into glowing jack-o’-lanterns that light up the night, we too can let our hearts radiate God’s love and joy.
The core message is about transformation and allowing our inner light to shine. By accepting God’s love and letting Him shape our hearts, we become beacons of hope and happiness to those around us. It teaches children the importance of inner beauty and kindness, encouraging them to let their light shine in the world.
As they reflect on the story, they can think about how they can share their light with others, just as the pumpkins brighten the darkness during Halloween. This parable provides a gentle reminder of faith, acceptance, and the joy of sharing God’s love.
The Children in Room 3 help to make Pumpkin Delight this past week. Cooking activities are a wonderful way to engage children in hands-on learning. Here are some of the skills developed while making Pumpkin Delight:
Math Skills
Measuring Ingredients: Children practiced measuring out ingredients using cups and spoons, which reinforces concepts of volume and measurement.
Counting: Counting the number of ingredients or steps in the recipe helps develop basic counting skills. We also counted to 5 while they mixed the ingredients.
Science Skills
Understanding Changes: As they mixed and cooked the pumpkin dish, they observed chemical changes (like how the mixture thickens or changes color).
Exploration of Ingredients: Discussing the nutritional benefits of pumpkin and other ingredients introduces basic biology and nutrition concepts. They also enjoyed smelling the pumpkin and the spices.
Social Skills
Teamwork: Working together to prepare the dish fosters collaboration and teaches the importance of sharing tasks and responsibilities.
Communication: Sharing ideas and instructions encourages verbal communication and active listening.
Patience and Turn-Taking: Waiting for their turn to stir or add ingredients helps develop patience and self-control.
Fine Motor Skills
Cutting and Mixing: Using utensils and handling ingredients helps improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Cooking activities like Pumpkin Delight provide a rich platform for experiential learning, allowing children to apply various skills in a fun and interactive manner. They had a delightful time learning while creating something delicious!
Our friends are having fun exploring the sensory activities in our room. They are loving the play-doh, painting with Pom-Pom’s, looking and feeling the pumpkins, and reading books 🤗
Over the last few weeks, room 3 has been exploring the crispy and juicy glory of apples! We counted and charted them (math), we looked at the parts and tasted different kinds (science, 5 senses), and we painted with them (art).
The students were true professionals with their taste-testing that spanned from Honeycrisp sweet to Granny Smith sour and voted on their favorites. We’ve read books about apples, did paintings with them, and even sang songs learning about the different parts of them. Our finale of this apple chapter was cooking with them–apple dumplings!
Without a doubt, this was a rewarding and delicious segment to kick start our first two months of preschool. Thank you to our ingredient contributors and volunteers!
Our first month of school has ended and most of our kids have settled down. Our little friends are learning each others names and are also learning to share space and toys. We have exposed our class to the letters “A,”and “B.” Our bible story for this month was Genesis 1:1, we reviewed the beautiful work that God created in six days and that He rested on the seventh day.
In our classroom we have a paper lemur that travels around the room. The class gets to find her during morning meeting ( if they haven’t started looking already). We have named her Lucy the lemur. One day a classmate said that Lucy looks like a raccoon and that led to the discussion.
What makes them similar? What are the differences? Here are some pictures from that investigation and what we did to figure out why Lucy the Lemur isn’t a raccoon.
Ms. Heather showed us with a tape measurer the average size of a lemur and that of a raccoon. We got to draw pictures of both.
She also brought weights so we could feel how heavy they are. The weights were passed around in morning meeting and the drawings were done during free play.
Ms. Heather also found some facts about where they live as well what they eat. We all learned something new and had fun investigating what makes them similar and what are their differences.
We learned that while lemurs and raccoons have some similar features that they are not the same animal.
It is already September and this school year has been a time of learning and exploration; from the new class schedule to small groups and our new outdoor environment. We have had fun every day learning and growing together.
Here are a few photos of the year thus far:
We love our new patio area and we are able to run and jump and play and use all of our gross motor skills.
Inside the classroom we rotate our table activities and our block area items. Sometimes we have interesting ideas about how to use classroom materials.
We still get to use the big preschool yard and we really enjoy the time we get to play there! The only thing that is missing is grass and we get that when we go to the big field.
So far this year we have been twice and we are excited for future visits. We played red light, green light. We ran races (the children won most of the time) and we kicked some balls around the field. I get asked every day if today is big field day.
We have started small groups as well! In our small groups we get to explore many different subjects and learn about the world around us. Small group activities are posted in the classroom on the parent board.
So far we have accomplished so much and we look forward to the rest of the school year.
(This is Lucy the Lemur. Lucy travels all over the classroom and each morning we ask the children to find her. Feel free to help the children find Lucy as you drop off or pick up)
This week has gone by quickly and we have done so many fun things! Here are a few photos of the fun:
We enjoyed free play in the classroom and each week we have new items to touch and explore.
Tuesday we had water play with a unicorn inflatable as well as snow cones 🍧. Always a favorite!
Wednesday we went on our first field trip to the Wildlife Center and saw a lot of different animals. We asked the class which one was their favorite. The snakes were a popular answer. 🐍
Today we played made paper cup monkeys and had popcorn 🍿 and we watched Octonauts ( a rainforest episode). And so another week comes to a close!
We are looking forward to next week but before that we hope everyone has a great weekend! 😁
Pasadena Christian Preschool 