Fall is finally here, and we are loving every colorful moment of it! The leaves outside are putting on a beautiful show, and we’ve been bringing that autumn magic into our classroom all week long.
Our little learners have been busy exploring everything fall leaves again this week. From collecting and sorting leaves by color and shape, to using them in art projects, we’ve been combining nature, creativity, and learning in all the best ways.
This week we dove into the colorful world of autumn with two delightful books: We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming. These books sparked lots of curiosity and conversation.
In We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt, the children went on a pretend adventure through forests, over mountains, and across steams in search of beautiful fall leaves — much like our playground leaf hunts. This book helped us learn about sequencing, vocabulary, and following directions, all while having fun with some of the predictability of the text. Try and take a nature walk with your Ladybug this weekend, and ask them about the different leaves they see. You might just find yourselves going on your own leaf hunt!
The Leaf Thief gave us lots of giggles, as we followed a very confused squirrel, who was convinced that someone was stealing his leaves! This story sparked great conversation about the changing seasons, why leaves fall, and how nature prepares for winter.
Our fall-themed activities and centers helped us to strengthen important skills like observation, fine motor development, early literacy, and science discovery — all while having fun!
The sensory table was a big hit, filled with colorful leaves, acorns, dried corn kernels, and sensory alphabet. All loved scooping, sorting, and exploring textures, while strengthening fine motor skills and engaging the senses. We were encouraged to seek out the letters in our own names.
At the art table, we had the option to express ourselves through free choice art, or a fun name recognition activity — finding and decorating our names using real corn kernels! We also opened up the easel this week, and our little Picassos created beautiful seasonal masterpieces with paint. Large tree and leaf stencils were also available!
We added some new fall-themed books to our library corner, encouraging cozy read-alongs and independent “reading” time with friends.
In our dramatic play area, we whipped up some delicious fall treats — from apple pies to other warm treats — letting our imaginations shine. We also dressed up as princesses and fire people.
We introduced Magna-Tiles this week, and all LOVED building! We explored shapes, symmetry, and structure, while working together to design creative buildings and sculptures.
While I was away attending fall conferences, Miss Jenn, Miss Mary (Tuesday), and Miss Debbie (Wednesday) stepped in and brought so much fun, creativity, and learning to the classroom. It was such a treat for the children — and for me too, knowing they were in such great hands.
Fall really seems to be a wonderful springboard for talking about Science, so Miss Jenn brought some exciting science magic to our week! The children all had a blast with hands-on experiments like:
Sink or Float - making predictions and testing fall objects to see what would happen in water.
Dancing Popcorn - watching popcorn kernels bounce in water with Alka-Seltzer.
Fall Leaf Art - using coffee filters, markers, and pipettes to create beautiful and colorful leaves, while exploring how colors blend and spread.
These activities sparked curiosity, encouraged observation and critical thinking, and of course, gave our Ladybugs a chance to get creative and have fun!
We’re so grateful for the extra hands and hearts in our classroom this week. Be sure to ask your Ladybug which experiment was their favorite — they’ll love telling you all about it!
I truly enjoyed meeting with each of you during our conferences. Thank you for taking the time to connect, and for sharing your amazing Ladybugs with me. It’s a joy to partner with you on this journey! Also, thank you to the conference fairy for the sweet surprise! :)
In Chapel with Pastor Lee, we learned more about how to grow closer to God by following three simple but powerful rules:
Do Good
Do no harm (Don’t hurt)
Love God
He talked about how these guiding rules help us to build strong, loving relationships — with our families, friends, and everyone around us. It’s truly beautiful to watch our Ladybug’s hearts grow, along with their minds, as we nurture the whole child — spiritually, emotionally, and socially.
Our time with Miss Vicki is always a favorite! All had a blast using a colorful stretchy band during music and movement. All worked together to twist, turn, stretch, and move at different speeds — fast, slow, and in between! Activities like this are not only fun, but help develop rhythm, coordination, and teamwork in such an engaging way.
Many of our Ladybugs have probably come home singing all (or parts) of our prayer song, so I’m adding it here so they can continue practicing it at home. We always start our prayer with, “in Jesus’ name we pray…,” and then sing our prayer song.
It’s been another joyful, hands-on week, full of seasonal inspiration and discovery. We love seeing the children grow, create, and play through these carefully planned activities — and can’t wait for more fall fun to come. Next week — PUMPKINS!
Picture Day is next week- We will have our pictures taken on Tuesday and Wednesday around 9:30, before we head to the playground!
MINI PUMPKINS - We have all pumpkins ready to go for our MWF Ladybugs, but have not yet received all for our TH class. Please be sure to send in a mini pumpkin on Tuesday if your Ladybug hasn’t brought one in already.
Looking Ahead: Halloween will be here soon! Our MWF Ladybugs will celebrate on Wednesday., October 29th and TH Ladybugs will celebrate on Thursday, the 30th. We will have a short parade with the Frog class at 9:30. Parents will need to help with costumes at 9:15, and are encouraged to stay for the “parade” and take pictures. After our parade, we will have a party in the classroom. More details coming soon :)
Have a fantastic weekend! We hope you are enjoying all the fun fall activities with your little ones.
Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn