Welcome to October!!

This week we experimented with fruits and vegetables. We sampled papaya and starfruit. We also picked apples from our playground apple tree and made applesauce. We used our "wavy chopper" to chop up the apples. I cooked them while they were sleeping and then they used the food mill to make them into sauce. We had so much fun with it, that we did it again on Friday.

Other Fall Fun....

Apple "Stamping"

Dry Erase Pumpkins 

Pumpkin Babies

Finding our rhythm.

I cannot believe the month of September is over already.

I have been feeling so guilty lately that I haven't had more time, energy or inspiration for many blog posts. 

The truth is we are so busy... All. Day. Long!  If I even remember to pick up my camera during the day, there is certainly not enough energy later to pull my laptop out of the case.

It has officially been a month since many of our new friends started. We have a new teacher, a new intern and whole bunch of new friends. We have gone from being a classroom of 8 children to a classroom of 12 children. We had so many big kids leave for kindergarten this year and many new little friends start.  After a month of hustle and bustle I feel like we are finally starting to find our rhythm. 

Everyday drop-offs get easier. 

Tears are less and giggles are more. 

A beautiful thing is happening. 

We are becoming a community. :)

International Fairy Tea Party 2014

This is the second year that we have participated in this growing event created by Fafu and Interaction Imagination. You can see our photos from last year here. 

Of course I always have a lot of big plans on pinterest, but it is a busy time of year and I need to remember to start preparing ahead of time!!  When the day arrived I decided to keep it simple and stick with an Autumn colors theme. We talked a lot about what colors we find in autumn. In the morning we made crowns covered with Fall-colored scribbles and paper scraps and fake leaves. Outside they walked around with their tape covered sticks to add collections from nature. 

Then we prepared the feast. Leaf shaped peanut butter toast, with red and green fairy sprinkles. We picked apples and grapes from our playground. I added a tiny bit of juice to the water to make pink "fairy juice."  

While they ate their picnic, I read them "Wild Child," by Lynn Plourde.

They made "soup" with the leftover grapes and apples and offered it to the woodland creatures.

If you have a blog post about your International Fairy Tea Party Celebration, please add a link into the comments. :) 

This post will be added to the Outdoor Play Party.

Check out some of the other outdoor fun going on around the world!

Happy New Year.

For the New Year, I decided that it would be fun to look back at the dramatic changes that our playground makes from season to season. Nature is an amazing classroom. I am so thankful that we have a place where the children can see so many changes happening around them naturally. I really should choose a couple places on the playground to take the same photos of each season... that almost sounded like a resolution.

March 2013: Snow is starting to melt.

May 2013: New Growth

June 2013: Fern Gully  (notice our apple tree hiding in the background)

September 2013:

November 2013: Wide open spaces 

December 2013: Under the apple tree.

I am looking forward to another year of adventures in 

this magical space!

Scarves and Sticks

A couple weeks ago, I brought our scarves outside on a breezy day. They ran with them for two minutes and then handed them back to me.  I think it is easy to give up on a material if children don't seem interested. I was a little disappointed at first that they had already lost interest. 

I tied one to the end of a stick and handed it to a smaller child who was playing alone.  I didn't really know why. I just thought it would help him carry it without it dragging on the ground.

Within minutes of noticing him, the rest of the children were bringing me sticks and 

asking for me to tie the scarves on. 

The imaginary play that took place for the next thirty to forty minutes was priceless. They were knights, mermaids, fairy-capturers, and many other roles. 

The best part though was that they were all playing as a group. 

I realized that they needed a little nudge or suggestion on what to do and then they took it and let their imaginations run wild.

Here are some of the other ways that we have enjoyed these scarves in the past. 

http://growinginchbyinch.blogspot.com/search?q=scarves