November

The Centaur, Sagittarius, am I,

Born of Ixion's and the cloud's embrace;

With sounding hoofs across the earth I fly,

A steed Thessalian with a human face.

Sharp winds the arrows are with which I chase

The leaves, half dead already with affright;

I shroud myself in gloom; and to the race

Of mortals bring nor comfort nor delight.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The first week of November is a special time when we celebrate All Saint's Day and remember loved ones. We will also be discussing the many aspects, characteristics, and uses of fire this week.

Please bring a photo of a loved one for your child to share with the class this week.

Morning talks will look something like this:

Monday: We will be sharing happy memories of people who we have loved. Memories are special because they help us to remember the people we love and the things we do/did together.

Tuesday: Discussion of fire. Why is it important and how does it help us? What good things can fire be used for? If fire gets onto your clothing, what should you do? We will practice together.

Wednesday: Where can an adult make a fire safely? Should children go near fire?

Thursday: Firefighters

Friday: Elders. People who are older than us. Talk about grandparents. What types of things can someone who is older teach us?

This week we will make soul cakes, watercolor "flames", paper torches, having a marching parade, a very fun and peaceful fire drill, playing a fire bucket game, and visiting with an elder.

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens

And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Books we will share together:

Granny's Cozy Quilt of Memories by Pamela Kennedy

Runya the Fire Fairy by Simone Lindner

The Fire Children; A West African Folk Tale by Eric Maddern

Fire Race by Lanny Pinola

Forest Fire by Fraser

Making Memories by Janette Oke

The Secret of the Red Shoes by Joan Donaldson

Remembering Grandpa by Uma Krishnaswami

Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie

The Next Place by Warren Hanson

Felipa and the Day of the Dead by Birte Muller

The Memory String by Eve Bunting

A Ladder to the Stars by Simon Puttock

The Magic Memory Box by Debbie Haney

We will also focus on a story that will be told called Burg Hill's On Fire - A Celtic Fairy Tale by Elizabeth W. Grierson

This week's reflection:

"It is often said that something may survive of a person after his death if that person was an artist and put a little of himself into his work. It is perhaps in the same way that a sort of cutting taken from one person and grafted onto the heart of another continues to carry on its existence even when the person from whom it had been detached has perished."

-Marcel Proust

"Our loved ones truly do survive within our souls. Even though they are no longer physically here, so much of who they are still lives inside of us. Reflect on the beauty that has been brought into your life by loved ones who have passed on. Ask yourself what memories you are creating with the people in your life now and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that you leave a legacy of love."

-Little Acorn Learning

Pumpkins, Caves, Bats, and Spiders

We have had a fun week with many adventures!

Caves became a favorite focus as we discovered the many types of animals who live in these habitats and created our own "caves" to simulate the experience.

We heard a story of little gnomes who work hard to find crystals in caves and learned a little song they sing: "Hack, hack, the rocks we crack. To find some crystals for our sack"

Using different shapes from felt, we designed our own faces on pumpkins, carved actual pumpkins, observed the insides with all of our senses, looked at the seeds, roasted them, made a pumpkin collage, paper bag pumpkins, hanging spiders, watercolor paintings with orange, play-dough bats, clay caves, and pumpkin bread!!

Stellaluna was a popular book among the children and we read, sang songs, and acted out the story together.

Our Halloween circle time was filled with songs, stories, poems, and fingerplays that revolved around our theme.

Other books we shared together included:

Hello Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

Let's Take a Field Trip to a Cave by Kathy Furgang

Caves - Mysteries Beneath Our Feet by David Harrison

Pumpkin Fiesta by Caryn Yacowitz

Anansi the Spider by Gerald M. Dermott

Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin

Up, Up, and Away by Ginger Wadsworth

Dream Weaver by Jonathan London

Next week our theme will be Fire, All Saint's Day, and Remembering Loved Ones

Happy Weekend to everyone!

Soup Days and Sand

Soup Days are back every Thursday!
Please bring a vegetable to share on Thursdays. The children gain a great sense of satisfaction and joy when they are able to contribute something special to our meal. We all help wash, cut, and chop the vegetables together and participate in the making of a different soup each week. It is fun to see the result of each soup day!

THANK YOU to everyone who has helped out with SAND!!
We are in the process of putting together a nice big sand play area, which will be covered at all times except during our hands on sand time!!

There is a note coming home soon about parent participation.
It is a heavy load of many hours (about 15 every day) to run Apple Blossom Preschool and parent help and participation are vital components of any healthy school community. WE are a small program and requests will be made increasingly for help in a variety of ways as the children are growing and needing developmentally appropriate activities.
Thanks again for all your help and support!

Apple Day!

Apple Day was fun and successful!
The children enjoyed the peeling, slicing, and coring machine and participated joyfully in the making of homemade applesauce. The variety of apples sure made it sweet and delicious!
Thank you for sharing all the apples with us!
We talked about the different names for the apples, drew pictures of them in our nature journals, and learned special poems to go along with our day.
We have found apple stars, examined many seeds, made apple prints, and talked about picking apples at an apple orchard.

The Apple Star

Take an apple round and red.
Don't slice down
Slice through instead.
Right inside it you will see
A star as pretty as can be!


My Treasure Box

This is a little treasure box;
Although it has no keys or locks.
A wondrous treasure does it hold
More precious than a purse of gold
These shining pointed seeds you see,
Each one contains an apple tree.
But every little seed we've found
Must first be hidden in the ground;
And by and by, the fairy elves,
Sunbeam and Raindrop come themselves,
To make each little seed they see
Into a glorious apple tree.
How strong it grows! How green and fair,
Tossing its myriad leaves in air!
In spring, its white and roseate blooms
Scatter a thousand sweet perfumes.
And then, at last, one splendid day
Foretold by all the blooms of May,
A hundred rosy apples swing,
Sweet sequel to the flowers of Spring.
Hundreds of apples from one seed!
Ah! 'Tis a fairy tale indeed!
No wonder, tho' it has no locks,
I call this apple, "treasure box."

We have also heard a sweet German story called The Sleeping Apple which illustrates how we must be patient and wait for some things. When they do arrive, it is at just the right time!

Other books we have read and discussed:

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
Share and Take Turns by J. Meiners
How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
Autumn is for Apples by Michelle Knudsen
Apple Picking Time by Michele B. Slawson
Applesauce by Shirley Kurtz
Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
Our Apple Tree by Gorel Kristina Naslund
Out and About at the Apple Orchard by Diane Mayr


We did a floating fruit experiment, observed all the parts of an apple, learned circle time poems and fingerplays about apples, and acted out our apple stories.
Letter and word stamping have been fun ways to play with new words and we have been creating our own word collections in small recipe boxes, making our own poems, and constructing word boards where everyone takes a turn putting together different words to make stories.

This week's reflection: Patience

"Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself."
-St. Francis de Sales

" We are so very hard on ourselves. We have so many expectations of where we feel we should be or what we think we should be doing differently. Take time this week to stop and focus on totally loving and accepting yourself where you are right now. Forgive yourself for not being perfect. Allow yourself the space to be human. Look back on your life and see where you have come-all in good time. Be proud of the things that you have accomplished in your life. Continue to strive to do better and grow, but be patient with yourself in the process. Never give up and allow yourself the freedom to start over and over again."
-Little Acorn Learning

Moon & Stars, Harvesting

The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox and is often more bright and colorful than other moons. In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated at this time as a way to honor the end of the summer harvesting season.
We have been talking a lot about the moon and hopefully you have had a chance to observe the moon with your children over the last two weeks at night.
There was great excitement in putting together a solar system puzzle and we discussed the different characteristics and names of each planet. We made our own moon and stars with watercolor paints and glitter and heard a very special story called "The Star Dollars" by the Brothers Grimm. We gathered on our story circle rug while I told this precious story about a little girl who gave all she had to strangers in need of help. She was rewarded at the end with little star dollars sprinkled around her feet. We used little white felt cut outs of stars and passed them out to each child with a reminder to show kindness and help everyone around us who is in need.

Gathering In

Through the spring and summer hours,
Fed and warmed by rain and sun,
Bud has bloomed and fruit has ripened;
Nature's cared for everyone.
Now her messengers will scatter
Seeds for flowers another year
But with us she shares her bounty,
So our harvest time is here.
See! Our barns are brimming over,
So no winter's cold we'll dread
Let us thank our Heavenly Father,
Who has given us our "daily bread".

Books we have read:
Planets, Moons, and Stars by Laura Evert
Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher
Possum's Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter
When the Moon is Full by Penny Polluck
I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis
Bunny Lune by Kae Nishimura

This Week's Reflection: Harvesting

"Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace."
-Kent Nerburn

"What do you have right now to give? It may be something simple such as extra tomatoes from your garden...maybe you have knowledge in a specific field or craft...maybe you have patience...or the ability to connect with young children or animals. You may have the ability to show someone else the way to a more simple life. How can you share your gifts with others? Take time this week to think about how you can share your harvest with those around you."
-Little Acorn Learning

The Family, Working Together

We have completed a week focusing on our families.
Activities included:

Nature Journals with special attention to the birds we saw
Drawing our families
Talking about different aspects of family life each morning: family size, who does the cooking, brothers and sisters, helping out with chores and work around the house, parents' jobs, and games we play.

We played "Mother May I?" and learned many new fingerplays that were incorporated into our circle times.
"Little Thumbkins", "The Happy Family", and "The Finger Family"

It was fun to see the children recognizing many of the trees and nuts we have learned while taking our nature walk this past Wednesday.

Art projects have included A Family of Hands with watercolors, making our own play dough, and a bird chart.

Nature Walk verse:
"The crickets are calling,
The red leaves are falling,
The meadows are brown and sere;
The birds are not nesting,
The earth begins resting,
Because it's the fall of the year"

Books from the week:
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
I Loved You Before You Were Born by Anne Bowen
If You Were My Bunny by Kate Mcmullan
My Dad/My Mom by Anthony Browne
A Circle of Friends by Giora Carmi

This Week's Reflection:

Working Together

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
-Henry Ford

"Without the love and support of others in our lives, our riches lose their value. Without our own hopes and dreams, our souls long for more. How do we create harmonious relationships with those around us while pursuing to our own desires and passions?

Balance is the answer to so many of our questions and problems. We each have strengths that we can contribute to the whole of our family or workplace. We also have talents and interests that should be fostered separately, which in turn fill our soul and enhance our relationships.

Do you strive to bring out the best in others or do you point out their weaknesses? Do you shine light on the gifts and strengths of those individuals that have been placed in your path? Do you nurture their hopes and dreams? Do you encourage them toward greatness?

Do you take time for yourself daily to sit and think/reflect? Do you follow your passions and make time to express yourself creatively? Are you making yourself a priority? How do you feel about who you are? Do you focus on your beauty, gifts, and talents? Are you thankful for all you have? How do you nurture and love yourself daily?

As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we often tend to everyone else's needs and forget our own. Spend time this week finding the balance you need in your life."
-Little Acorn Learning

Happy Fall to everyone!
This next week brings our attention to the moon, stars, and harvesting.

Squirrels, Nuts, and Preparation

Little squirrel living there

In a hollow tree,

I've a pretty cage for you

Come and live with me.

You may turn the little wheel,

That will be great fun?

Slowly round, or very fast,

If you faster run.

Little squirrel, I will bring

In my basket here

Every day a feast of nuts?

Come then, squirrel dear.

But the little squirrel said,

From his hollow tree,

"Oh! No, no! I'd rather far

Live here and be free."

So my cage is empty yet

And the wheel is still

But my little basket here

Oft with nuts I fill.

If you like, I'll crack the nuts,

Some for you and me,

For the squirrel has enough

In his hollow tree.

We have had a wonderful two weeks studying squirrels and nuts!

Our activities have included a daily morning talk about squirrels, looking for and observing squirrels with binoculars, collecting nuts, cracking them open, and making our own nut butter.

The children's nature journals are coming along nicely, we made tree bark rubbings, and played lots of fun games with baskets of acorns, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts.

We also incorporated a new "Mystery Box" game where we knock in different patterns to make the box open, close our eyes, and reach in to pull out one item at a time. This week it was a collection of different art prints that we would then look at and discuss.

This past Friday we played with an anatomy game where the children worked at placing different stickers of body parts on a body outline card.

Our nature walk verse:

The bright eyed squirrels, furry, fleet,

A-gleaming go with puttering feet.

Brown nuts polished by early frost

On the moss below by the winds are tossed.

Some of the book titles we have read this week:

Berries, Nuts, and Seeds by Diane Burns

Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks by Mel Boring

The Legend of the Kukui Nut by Brandon Henderson

Nuts by Paula Gerritsen (group favorite)

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Animals in the Fall by Gail Saunders-Smith

All children need to be adequately dressed for the weather. Especially when it is wet and/or rainy, everyone needs to have rain boots and pants to protect clothing. We play in all weather and it is extremely messy when children don't have appropriate footwear or clothing covers. There is only one child who consistently brings rainboots and rainsuit so we really need to work on this! Our new parent guide is coming soon and one of the new requirements will be that every child must have rain boots and rainsuit that stays here at school. New parent handbook will be going into effect starting October 1st. Thanks for your help!!

This week's reflection: Preparation

"If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first hour sharpening the ax."

-Abraham Lincoln

"Taking the time to evaluate our current situation and to prepare for upcoming events can save us a lot of time and energy. Our lives are so full it is often hard to find the time to think ahead.

This week spend 5 minutes each day in silence focusing on the present moment. Let your mind be at peace with where you are now. When your time is up, take out a pen and paper and make a simple list of areas of your life that would be wise to prepare for in the upcoming year. Keep this very simple and stay grounded in the present...it is the only moment we ever fully have."

-Little Acorn Learning