Harvest Feast Week!

Harvest Feast Week was comprised of two very special days; soup making day and harvest feast day!  The children were very proud of the vegetables they contributed and were fascinated by the soup making process.   As the photos illustrate they were captivated as they watched Ann add the broth, and remained so as we took our soup pot down to the kitchen and placed it on the stove to cook!  Today was a very "high energy" day!  The children were so very excited to have their family members at school to share in the Harvest Feast!  They prepared a terrific meal, gave a wonderful performance, and had a great time sharing their toys and activities with parents, grandparents and special friends back in the classroom!  Many thanks to all of you who assisted with each step of our preparations, and for sharing in our special day!  Your assistance helped to empower the children to host this very special event for their loved ones!  

Looking Deeper:  Exploration and Learning through Play.

Let's take a closer look at our Harvest Feast!

The Harvest Feast is the culminating event of our entire Fall focus!  Back in early Fall, the children looked out our classroom windows, and as they did so, I said, "The leaves are still green, but when all the leaves on all the trees have turned colors and fallen to the ground, Fall will be over and Winter will be here!"  Imagine my delight and the children's amazement when the ground was indeed covered with snow on the day of our Harvest Feast!

Our "Gifts from Earth" unit began with our Indian Ladder and Ioka Valley Farm field trips, when the children personally picked apples and pumpkins!  We have reinforced this theme again and again over the past six weeks as we collected leaves, and examined chestnuts, acorns, gourds and squash.  We talked about the importance of caring for the Earth that gives us so many gifts, and talked too about earth's long ago caregivers, the Native Americans.  We talked about how the Native Americans shared their gifts with the Pilgrims, and in turn we shared our gifts of food with people who do not have enough food.  This past week we used earthly gifts of pumpkin, chocolate chips, and vegetables to prepare a simple meal to share with our loved ones!

Experiential learning not only educates children it empowers them!  Throughout the past six weeks we have strove to have the children "experience" Fall and its gifts.  We have weaved threads between gifts, caring and sharing!  All of these threads came together today in a tapestry called "Harvest Feast"!  It was a joy and a privilege to share our "tapestry" with you!

Happy Thanksgiving!