Dear Families,
We have had so much fun this week as we have begun to study Thanksgiving. While we have read some books discussing the history of why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, we have largely focused on the concepts related to Thanksgiving that are most relevant to young children. We are learning that Thanksgiving is a time to be with special friends and family members; that we “feast” on Thanksgiving; that we celebrate the harvest and eat related foods on Thanksgiving; and that we feel and express thankfulness on Thanksgiving.
We began our studies by creating centerpieces that will first adorn our tables at our feast in school (with the “Bears” classroom) and perhaps later adorn your own Thanksgiving tables. The children first painted Indian corn with acrylic paint, and then glued on some glitter. The centerpieces look beautiful, and the children are feeling very proud!
The Indian corn piqued our interest in corn. On Wednesday, we studied popcorn kernels. The children first touched them on tray, scooping them and moving them with their hands. This is a soothing sensory activity that also builds fine motor skills, as the children learn to use a pincer grip to pick up the tiny seeds. At Morning Meeting on Wednesday, Morah Larissa had the children close their eyes and then placed a popcorn kernel in each of their hands. The children then each used a word to describe the kernels. They noticed that they were hard, round, gold, and had a pointed tip at one end. Discussions like this rooted in observations not only build the children’s observational skills, but also build their vocabularies. In the Owls Room, we are constantly introducing new vocabulary words, as recent research studies have shown that having a broad and deep vocabulary in preschool is an even greater predictor of later reading success than letter knowledge.
The popcorn kernels later appeared at the Math Center this week, where the children used tweezers to count out popcorn kernels and place them on a small plate with a number (1-10) written on it. The children had much fun pretending to shop at the “Popcorn Store.” The activity supported the children’s ability to recognize written digits, to count with one-to-one correspondence, and also helped the children to strengthen the hand muscles used for writing.
We also did an experiment with the popcorn kernels. We placed a small handful of popcorn kernels in plastic bags with some vinegar and food coloring. The children each made a hypothesis about what would happen to the popcorn kernels and were generally in agreement that they would change colors because of the food coloring. The popcorn kernels are still drying, but the children (and teachers!) have begun to wonder if the kernels will be different colors when popped!
We could not really wait to try popping some popcorn of course, and on Wednesday, we all walked to the kitchen and brought along some chairs. The children listened and watched as Morah Larissa read the popcorn recipe on the popcorn jar. They then watched and listened as the popcorn popped on the stove. A few pieces even jumped right out of the pot. This was hilarious for all of us, and there was much, much laughter. Later, after eating our healthy choices at lunch, the children enjoyed tasting the popcorn. They were amazed to discover how the popcorn increased in volume. We popped just 3 Tablespoons, and yet there was enough for everyone to try! On Thursday, Morah Kate read us one of her very favorite books, The Popcorn Book, by Tomie DePaola.
On Thursday, we cooked something else with corn…corn muffins for our Thanksgiving feast next week. The children all read and studied the simple recipe first. Morah Larissa wrote out the recipe for the children with very simple illustrations so that they could “read” it with the adults. Reading recipes supports children’s learning in so many ways. The children learn to sequence (what they should do first, second, and third). This helps them to learn how to organize their thinking to complete more complex tasks. They also engage in a rich literacy experience that is different from the fiction texts they are more familiar with. Finally, there is much math involved in recipes! The children practice measuring and counting. We made mini-muffins, and had to count out 24 muffin wrappers to place in the tin.
With so much cooking happening at school (and perhaps at home too), we placed some cookbooks in the Dramatic Play area. This is a wonderful way to expose the children to the different ways that adults use text. At home, you might try showing and reading to children text outside of the typical bedtime stories. Children might help write or read a shopping list, look at a synagogue newsletter that has arrived in the mail, look at a catalog, or even look at instructions on how to use a new appliance.
We have also begun to study another popular Thanksgiving food in class this week: cranberries! The children painted with the cranberries by coating them in paint, and then using a tray to roll them on paper. They also tasted three different kinds of cranberry juice: cran-apple, cran-grape, and cran-strawberry. They wrote their initials down on charts to indicate whether or not they liked each kind of juice. We counted out how many children liked and disliked each kind. Finally, the children voted on their favorite juice by using a graph. Graphing is fun for four-year-olds because they can express their own preference, but it also allows them to write their names, to read other’s names, to count, and to compare quantities. On Friday, we will experiment with cranberries in the water table and see if they float or sink!
This week we began writing in journals. The children loved receiving their very own journals, and keep asking when they can write in them again! The journals have a space for a picture at the top, and a space for writing at the bottom. We will use these for both teacher-directed writing and drawing (for example, children might be asked to draw their families or themselves) and for self-directed work.
Shabbat Shalom, and best wishes for the weekend,
Morah Larissa and Morah Kate
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