Red Week!

Red Week was filled with Apple Exploration!  Apple stories were read, and Apple songs were sung daily.  Apples in one form or another were found at the Art and Fine Motor Tables.  On Wednesday we traveled to Indian Ladder Farm to pick (and eat) "real apples"!  Then "real apples" appeared all over the classroom!

Looking Deeper: Exploration and Learning through Play

This week I would like to guide you through a closer look at our Field Trip

For young children learning is rooted in experience, and it is for this reason that we fill our days with endless experiential activities through which the children learn and grow.  Prior to our field trip we explored apples in many ways.  At the Art Table, we glued and printed apples.  At Story Time, we read books and sang songs about apples.  At Music and Movement time, we took a pretend field trip to Indian Ladder Farm, and picked pretend apples. This past Wednesday we extended our classroom beyond its four walls!  At first glance one readily sees how fully engaged the children are in their Apple Picking Field Trip, and how much they enjoyed eating the apples that they picked!  Each photo clearly illustrates how absorbed they are in studying every facet of their field experience!

A closer look will reveal that making our field trip to Indian Ladder Farm enabled the children to claim ownership of the apples they picked, and perhaps more importantly, broaden their understanding and achieve deeper conceptual connections to other subject areas.

"Our Apples" were used as printing implements at the Art Table.

"Our Apples" were used to teach and illustrate the Math concept of balance.

"Our Apples" were used in a Science Lesson involving simple machines, 
and cause & effect.

"Our Apples" were used to teach and illustrate the Math concept of length.

We ate "Our Apples" for snack, and as we did so we had a book review session!  Earlier in the week we read "The Little Red Hen" for "Red Week"!  As you may remember the other animals would not help the Little Red Hen plant the seeds, care for the wheat, make the flour or bake the bread.  When it was time to eat the bread, all of the animals wanted to help, but Little Red Hen explained that since they did not help with any part of making the bread, now they would not help to eat the bread.  As we all ate our snack, we talked about the story and the children expressed; "We are not like the animals!  We helped to pick the apples.  We helped Ann slice the apples.  We helped to put sugar and cinnamon on the apples, and now we all get to eat the apples!" 

Field Trips are crucial in helping the children to deepen their understanding as they make connections between their classroom and their world!  We can't wait to visit Ioka Valley Farm!

Have a Fun and Restful Weekend!