From Observation to Creation

Fall Explorations

The children have enjoyed exploring the autumn changes through all their senses. We have explored a variety of leaves on the light table to really see the details in the leaves. The children noticed similarities among the leaves (color, shape, size) and also recognized the differences between the leaves. One of the children mentioned, "This one has bumps (the oak leaf) and this one is kinda spiky (the maple leaf)!" The children enjoyed going on a nature hunt in the playground and found many signs of fall including fallen leaves, chipmunks, birds, pinecones and spiderwebs.

We investigated how the pumpkin felt, both the inside and the outside. The children drew pictures of the pumpkin before we cut it open. We also predicted what might be inside the pumpkin. While some of the children knew there were seeds inside, some of the children suggested "Birds" or "Toys."

Brandon says, "I don't hear anything inside the pumpkin. Do you think there is anything inside?"

The children also had many conversations about what the pumpkin might taste like. "I think it tastes like ice cream!" I bet it tastes like chocolate!" When the children were drawing the gourds, they noticed the gourds looked similar to watermelons. "It's a yellow watermelon!" We discussed how watermelons and gourds look similar because they both have  green stripes on the outside.

The children took turns smelling the inside of the pumpkin and feeling the pumpkin seeds and the pulp. Some of the children enjoyed playing with the pulp and the seeds while other children simply looked at the inside of the pumpkin.