Day and Night are Equal

This week we are focusing on the Autumnal Equinox.  Today's lesson was Day and Night are Equal.  We talked about the winter, when nights are longer than days, and the summer, when days are longer than nights.  Then we talked about the Autumnal Equinox, when day and night are equal.  That's now! So, we made a Day and Night are Equal paper picture.

Rain play

Who says it's no fun to play outside in the rain?  We have great fun chasing chickens, making cozy caves with the hay bales, mashing up blueberries and cornstarch to make a paint, mixing rainwater and dirt or sand, splashing in puddles.  When it's time to come inside, the warm, dry clothes feel even softer, and the room feels even cozier than it did before.

Circle Time Transition

We use this original song as a transition to Circle Time.  The kids have caught on to the lyrics, the tune, and the motions.  It's so sweet to see their eyes light up with a knowing smile when they hear someone singing it.

I've got 2 hands to clap, clap, clap.

I've got 2 feet to step, step, step.

I've got a body to twirl, like the clouds in the sky

and make my way to circle time.

Story-song of an apple

We've had apple week this week, during our Harvest theme for the month.  During circle time, I have come up with this story, included many songs about the journey of an apple seed.  The kids are quite engaged when I tell this story.  Why not try it at home?   ~ Katie

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who ate an apple.  She ate it right down to the core, until she could see little black dots inside.  Do you know what those were?  Yes! Seeds!  She dropped the apple core on the ground, and a seed fell out onto the dirt.  A bird came by and picked up the seed and carried it while she flew over the field, over the river, over the hills and mountains and sea, until . . . oh! She dropped that little seed, and it fell down, down, down to the ground.  

Well, the wind blew (whoosh!) and some dirt blew on top of the seed.  The seed was feeling hungry and cold and lonely.  But then, it started to rain, and the rain fell softly and gently.  If fed the seed and made her feel a little better.  Song: Listen to the rain falling down. . . Now that the seed wasn’t hungry anymore, it fell asleep in it’s new home underground.  When it woke up, it felt something wonderful. . . the sun!  It felt so warm, and the light shone right through the top layer of dirt.  The seed soaked up the sun, and the seed sang, “Oh, Mister Sun, Sun. . . “  

After awhile, the seed got so cozy and warm that you know what happened?  Roots started shooting out beneath it, deeper into the ground.  They stretched and stretched as far down as they could go.  When they reached as far as they could, guess what happened next?  A little shoot popped up out of the ground!  And it grew, and grew, and grew, and GREW (raising hands up higher and higher) until it was a big, tall tree!  That tree was strong and sturdy and soooooo tall.  Being up so high, the tree enjoyed the rain even more, and the sun even more.  

Soon, little white flowers began to pop out of it’s branches.  The tree became covered in white, sweet-smelling flowers!  I bet you know what happened with those flowers. . . they turned into. . . apples!  The apples started out small, but they grew, and grew, and grew and GREW until they were as big as my fist.   Apples grew all over that tree.  Song: Way up high in the apple tree. . . 

One day, one of the apples fell to the ground – plop!  Since an apple fell down, you know what that meant?  It was time to pick the apples.  (here I stop and let the children pretend to pick my fists, the “apples”).  So, a man came to the tree, ready to pick a bunch of apples. Song: Do you know the Apple Man? The Apple Man picked and picked and picked.  He was collecting his apples in his Little. Red. Wagon.  (I think it’s time for all of you to get in your wagons right now!) Bumping up and down in my Little Red Wagon. . .  

Once the wagon was full, the man pulled it all the way home.  Some apples dropped out along the way.  Maybe their seeds will have a journey not that different from this one.  Some apples made it all the way back to the Apple Man's house.  Some of them were cooked and mashed into applesauce.  Some were cut up and munched on by small, hungry mouths.  Some got peeled and sliced, and baked in a pie.  All the apples were happy, because they had a reason for all their growing.  The reason they did all that growing was so that they could fill up a hungry belly, let people enjoy a tasty treat, and for some, make another tree full of new apples.