Grocery Store Week II

Grocery Store Week II provided ample opportunities for the children to continue their interactive play and exploration. 

We built upon all of the academic concepts we had introduced and explored during our first week, and we provided two concrete experiences that broadened and deepened the children's learning.  On Tuesday, we made Pizza and ate it for snack.  As we prepared the pizza, we talked about the fact that all of the ingredients were purchased at the Grocery Store.  Cooking continues to be a favorite Math and Science activity for the children as they  count, measure and observe property transformations.  Of course, eating is always the most favorite part!

On Wednesday, we once again extended our classroom beyond its four walls as we made a Field Trip to the East Greenbush Price Chopper, where the children had a guided tour of the store and many of its departments.  The Field Trip, while great fun, also provided the children with the opportunity to make important connections between our simulated Grocery Store and an actual store, thus broadening and deepening their experiential base of understanding.  In addition to "eating" their way through the store, the children observed firsthand the workings of a real store.  This field experience proved to be a valuable tool in solidifying the children's conceptual thinking and learning.

Thank you to Hillary, our Price Chopper guide, for providing such a wonderful tour and rich learning experience, and to all of the parents who drove and chaperoned.  We could not have done it without you!

Many thanks once again to all of you who contributed to the class holiday gift.  We have used the funds to purchase items for Dramatic Play and Table Top Toys!  As the photos illustrate the children are already enjoying our new toys!

Looking Deeper:  Exploration and Learning through Play

This week let's take a closer look at the crucial learning connection between real and pretend!

During the week and a half prior to our field trip, the children played daily in their "pretend" grocery store, while we read and talked about the "real" grocery store each day at Story Time. Our field trip to Price Chopper served as an important "bridge" between pretend and real.  Playing in our pretend grocery store began the learning process that was deepened in the real store.  Learning connections were made, understanding was deepened and concepts reinforced as the children saw and experienced in Price Chopper the various departments which we had previously "talked" about in the classroom.  This magical combination of pretend and real is the function of play, and it is the surest vehicle for solidifying learning during the Early Childhood years!

Have a fun and restful weekend!