Happy New Year!

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!

Sensory Soup on the Patio

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.

Chicken Coops on the Patio

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!

Autumn Fun in The Outdoor Classroom

Students are engaging in all areas of The Outdoor Classroom. With pumpkins, gourds and corn joining our natural elements of leaves, bark, rocks and dirt, creative play has taken on a new level. Stews and soups, ice cream and cakes, whatever you need our friends will make.

November Nature Collages on the Patio

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!

October on the Patio

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!

Gaining S.T.E.A.M on the Older Pod Patio

Science, technology, engineering, art, and math are frequently at play on the older pod patio. Checkout a few of the fun activities that challenge our little ones to problem solve, exercise their fine motor skills, use math and science in practical ways and so much more!

Loose Parts Play on the Patio

Loose parts play is a wonderful way for children to develop creativity and critical thinking skills. It gives them the opportunity to use their imagination in open-ended scenarios. As they experiment with a variety of materials, they are engineering, problem solving, collaborating and so much more!

On the Older Pod Patio, our friends have been enjoying natural materials, recycled materials, and pets. Check out some of the amazing ways they’ve played with these loose parts.

Art on Older Pod Patio

In the month of September we emphasize the concept of lines. On older pod patio, we’ve been exploring lines through line collage art, negative space painting, golf ball painting and more!

Even clean up is fun! Check out our Room 1 friends as they work together to clean up colorful paint splatter around the art easel.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Older Pod Patio

The enrichment patio is an extension of our classrooms and it provides many of the benefits of the outdoor classroom. In the patio, we’re able to move our bodies, raise our voices, get messy and explore! Our friends in older pod have been hard at work, doing what they do best—PLAYING!

Check out some highlights of our play-based curriculum and your kiddos in action on the older pod patio!