Sweet Potato Observational Drawing
In the beginning of the week, the children continued observing and exploring sweet potatoes. They did a sweet potato observational drawing with what we harvested at last week's dig. They picked the most appealing sweet potato to them (many chose big ones while others chose smaller ones!), and drew what they saw using the colors and shapes they observed in front of them. The children did a great job taking their time in completing their artwork!
Sweet Potato Stamping
We also did some stamping...using, you guessed it, sweet potatoes! The teachers cut the potatoes in many different shapes and sizes and the children enjoyed using different colors to stamp them with. They children quickly learned that they needed to use their muscles and push down hard to make their light stamps darker.
Dissecting Autumn Food
During Circle time, we checked on the two sweet potato experiments we conducted last week. Everyone agreed that nothing had happened to the potatoes, and we made sure to pour water on the paper towel to make it wet again as it had dried up over the weekend.
We also decided to cut up a sweet potato, tsunonasu (orange, pointy fruit) and mini pumpkin to see what they looked like on the inside. When we cut the sweet potato, many friends agreed it was yellow inside. When we cut the tsunonasu, Wesley said that it was green inside and Emma said she could see seeds in the middle. Zoe even commented that, "it looks like a cucumber." The children were excited to see seeds when we cut the mini pumpkin and we listed other fruits and vegetables that contain seeds: tomatoes, apples, strawberries and watermelon.
We also decided to cut up a sweet potato, tsunonasu (orange, pointy fruit) and mini pumpkin to see what they looked like on the inside. When we cut the sweet potato, many friends agreed it was yellow inside. When we cut the tsunonasu, Wesley said that it was green inside and Emma said she could see seeds in the middle. Zoe even commented that, "it looks like a cucumber." The children were excited to see seeds when we cut the mini pumpkin and we listed other fruits and vegetables that contain seeds: tomatoes, apples, strawberries and watermelon.
Sweet Potato Pie!!
A highlight of the week was making sweet potato pie, which we had been talking about for a while ever since reading "Gigantic Sweet Potato." In preparation for the sweet potato pie, the children helped the teachers wash the sweet potatoes and pour water into the bowl before we cooked them. The children watched and cheered as the teachers peeled and cut the sweet potatoes. Once the sweet potatoes were cut, the children tried mashing (which we explained was to break into smaller pieces) the uncooked potatoes using a masher but they said it was "really hard" and couldn't mash it very well.
While the potatoes were boiling, we had a special visitor come in to help us prepare the rest of the ingredients of the sweet potatoe pie. Zoe's mom brought in the pie crust and helped our friends break eggs, pour and mix ingredients (including sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, salt). The children sat so patiently, waiting their turn to help. We were SO proud of them. Thank you, Laura, for all your help!! Please click on the link for the sweet potato pie recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/sweet-potato-pie.html
Once the sweet potatoes were cooked, we tried to mash them again. This time, the children discovered that the potatoes mashed and crumbled easily! We mixed all the other ingredients together one last time and added it all to the sweet potatoes. To puree the potatoes, Zoe's mom brought in a special electric blender, which the children were also able to help with. Finally, the pie was ready to be baked. The children were very patient as the teachers explained that it would take about an hour for the pie to cook and that they would be able to eat the pie for dessert at lunchtime.
Finally, the sweet potato pie was ready to eat! Everybody said that the pie was "yummy" and they finished their whole piece. Thank you Nursery friends for helping to make the pie! It was a HUGE success!!
The kitchen in our classroom's dramatic play area has always been popular among the children. Recently, however, the play food has ended up in piles on the tables and floor. The teachers wanted to try something new to see if the children's play changed in a more productive way so they made some changes. They invited friends into the kitchen area and decided to ask some friends to collect all of the food, leaving only dishes. The children immediately started playing using their imaginations, pretending to serve each other tea and talked about elaborate meals they had prepared. Soon, pompoms and wooden popsicle sticks were added and the children used them in the most creative ways! They even brought in the picture blocks with their picture on it and the mini pumpkins that they decorated to add to the fun. The teachers were so impressed with their new kind of play and will continue adding new materials to foster their creativity.
Mini Pumpkins
As Halloween is approaching at the end of this week and pumpkins seem to be everywhere, the children were so excited to be able to decorate their own mini pumpkins. The children chose the one that they liked and decided to decorate them with markers and stickers. Some friends even wrote letters on their pumpkins!
BIG Pumpkin
The children also noticed that we had a BIG pumpkin in our classroom and wanted to observe it. They touched it and said it was smooth and cold. We asked them if it looked heavy or light and they agreed it looked heavy. We had many volunteers come up to the class to show off their muscles and see if they could carry it (they all did it!).
When asked what they would like to do with the big pumpkin, and as we have been reading some Halloween books this week, the children suggested that we make a jack-o-lantern. The children decided on BIG circle eyes and a triangle nose, which they kindly drew for us. We also voted on a happy-faced jack-o-lantern.
The next day, we carved the jack-o-lantern together! When asked what might be in the pumpkin, some friends suggested seeds! Other friends said that the pumpkin would be dry inside while some others said that it might be wet. We have many brave friends that were able to touch the inside of the pumpkin and the pumpkin seeds!!
Halloween Sing-A-Long
The Nursery friends joined the other classes in the Community room today for the Halloween sing-a-long. They did a great job singing different Halloween songs that they have been practicing with Teacher Mayuka. Well done nursery friends! Please enjoy a video of one of the songs, "Pumpkin, pumpkin" under 'Sights and Sounds.'
Halloween Cookies!
As tomorrow is Halloween, we had a special treat ready for the children. A big thank you to Anna's mother for baking circle and heart-shaped cookies and Chase's mother for making delicious frosting for us. Before decorating the cookies, we discussed what some fun Halloween colors might be. Mia had on Halloween stockings and after looking at her stockings, some friends decided that Halloween colors would be black and orange. Michael decided that blue could be a Halloween color (some costumes could be blue such as Captain America) and some witches can be green. We added those four colors of food coloring (black, orange, blue and green) to the white frosting and our friends helped mix them.
Once the frosting was made, the children got to decorate their cookies with the colors they wanted as well as sprinkles. It was a messy but delicious experience!!
Once the frosting was made, the children got to decorate their cookies with the colors they wanted as well as sprinkles. It was a messy but delicious experience!!
Happy Halloween!! We wish everybody a super fun weekend!
- Julie and Natalie
- Julie and Natalie