Corn, Cornhusk Dolls, (and Binoculars too!), and Love Chants

Highlights of our Day

To go along with these week's theme of corn, we did several things using it. A few days ago, I shucked fresh corn and put the husks aside. When the children arrived this week, we soaked the husks to make them soft, and then we made cornhusk dolls. They were much easier than I thought they'd be and it was something the kiddies got excited about.



We have a head (with hair), arms, and hands, just need a torso, legs and feet.


All finished!





Fine Motor
We also removed the kernels from the Indian corn cob.

Practical Life (and more Fine Motor)

Next, we used the kernels for some additional fine motor fun with a transfer activity. The children used the spoon to transfer the kernels from one bowl to fill the other bowl. They also practiced pouring back and forth.



Sensory
Damon discovered the geometric puzzle cabinet today and played with the circle tray.


The children finally finished their bird binoculars from last week. These projects take time, so instead of rushing, we take our time, and get them done as we can. =)



Music



I love, love, LOVE Ella Jenkins' Call-and-Response rhythmic group singing! It's very similar to the djembe class I took this summer and the children and I have been singing and drumming along to these two songs in particular, both lead by a young 12 y/o girl. Take a moment to listen...

Love Chant from North Africa.

http://muzetunes.com/playback.asx?c=TPkZIUT52ay_Usslikl0pCoH81b2PRPV0l0NaWbYj_A=&f=B

Chant from West Africa

http://muzetunes.com/playback.asx?c=TPkZIUT52ay_Usslikl0pFpkCL81czPl7viY2VJoxOM=&f=B



Take note of Lulu's hair. Yes, she is shaking her head THAT hard to the rhythm.

Can you see why I love my job?



Other glimpses from this week...

The children have been playing with this botany flower puzzle. It's designed to help illustrate the different parts of a flower and for children ages 3-6. Got it so they could use it down the road, but already, they're intrigued and are doing quite well with it!

Bird Feathers, Sign Language, and Water Pouring

Do I have the most amazing parents, or what? *And what I mean by parents, are YOU all. That's teacher lingo in case you didn't know. As teachers and caregivers, our students become 'our kids' and their parents become 'our parents'. Lisa knows what I'm sayin, right? ;) Have you all heard that joke about the teacher in the grocery store who sees a man, goes up to him and says, 'Hello, you're the father of one of my children', and the man freaks out, until she explains what she meant was the father of one of her students! Tee hee hee...

Ok, back to business...
--

Highlights of our day

Today, Gwen arrived with some birds for our show and tell. A hummingbird, penguin, a goldfinch, and a duck! Austin brought in two super cool items (one book and one pamphlet) on local birds and he also had a big envelope from Redmond, Oregon, sent by his grandmother Ria. It had feathers in it! So the kiddies got to feel feathers from a seagull, a mourning dove, a turkey, and another dove! What I love about these stuffed birds is they make a very accurate sound when squeezed. The kids enjoyed listening to the sounds after we read our stories today, and we even could hear birds in the backyard during our storytime because we had the patio doors open. Talk about perfect timing. We then went outside and listened and watched for birds. Lulu is convinced she saw an Eagle.

Mama Allison even showed us the signs for the following birds today.
Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Eagle

Lulu showing Mama Melissa and Gwen items on the nature table.



Fine Motor and Practical Life
Pouring Water



So what's the big deal about having the kids pour water? This sums it up well.

Pouring water from one container to another, prepares children for more complicated work like washing a table or flower arranging. It also helps children function better as they’re able to pour their own drink at snack time or when they’re thirsty. They will also learn about the proper way to clean up after themselves if they’ve spilled. It gives children the opportunity to demonstrate grace and courtesy when they are able to offer and pour visitors a drink of water. =)

Pouring ultimately enhances control and coordination. This gives the child more independence. It is a self-correcting work that needs no teacher intervention. With every turn, the child is learning with improved results and gaining confidence. It maybe frustrating or messy at times, but resist the urge to help. The process is enjoyable for the child and he/she is learning fine and gross motor skills, as well as developing eye-hand coordination, in a safe, prepared environment.

Bottom line, they LOVED it!

As they emptied their small bottle, they learned how to dunk it underwater in the large bowl to refill it. Once their bottle was filled, they'd pour it back out into the large bowl and start again.









Gratitude

A big thank you to Gwen and Mama M for the gift of the birdhouse windchimes for the casa.
Now we have an additional serene sound we can hear while we play on the patio. Thank you!!

~Andrea

Apple Pie, Autumnal Painting & Washing

What's on our shelf this week:



It's been a bit of a slow week here at the Casa.
Two kiddies were out this week due to illness, so we've been hangin' low.

We read The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall, which has great illustrations for the kiddies and is easy for the kids to understand. As you probably figured out, this week, our focus has been on Apples and today, after the story, the girls and I made, you guessed it, Apple Pie!



They helped mix the ingredients for the crusts, rolled the dough, and spooned in the filling and it was our dessert after our lunch.









Art
We talked about Autumn and how the colors of leaves start to change during this season. Then followed up with Art using the colors, yellow, orange, and brown. Art is still very much a sensory experience for the kids and they love mixing up the colors, and at times, some even use their hands to apply the paint. It's not about the end product, but rather, the process. ;)





The girls did very well today using the potty. They are proud to wear their undies and during this transition period, I keep their shorts or pants off for easy potty runs. They're even beginning to head to the restroom without me at times, and are being self sufficient in getting started.

I couldn't resist posting this image of the girls cleaning up the art materials.


I cut up a sponge and they began to help me wash everything off. They love to help!


*And we have some art smocks arriving tomorrow.
Two mamas have volunteered to stitch some for the casa, and we have a few down. Yippee!

Spanish
Words we've been talking about often this week:

Yellow=Amarillo
Orange=Anaranjado
Brown= Café

Mama Tanya reading the girls a story.

Pizza! Pizza!

Highlights of our Day

We made homemade pizza yesterday. Toppings were roma tomatoes and zucchini. The children's grater was a bit challenging, lots of coordination going on there, but after a bit of practice, they got some shredded cheese. I also contributed with my big grater. ;)







It was very tasty!! I am impressed with my little chefs.



Emergent stages of stick people.


Art by Lulu