Thankful for Apples

Children are quick to give thanks for the things they enjoy. We began our month of Thanksgiving with a favorite fruit - Apples.




We used our senses to observe, touch, and taste.

Art activities used the apples themselves for printmaking and for drawing and painting inspiration.


The tasting was our favorite! We tried three different colors of apples and chose the tastiest to vote for. Our graph was useful to see the winning color of apple appear and we were able to count and compare numbers as we worked together.














New vocabulary words we listed: core, stem, flesh, peel, seed.




The cool tool we used to prepare apples for snack: The apple peeler-corer-slicer!
Our arm and hand muscles worked to turn the handle.






























What can you do with apples at home? Look for a yummy treat that your child can help prepare and share.

Halloween Week

We had fun preparing for one of our favorite holidays with simple activities, games, and songs.




"Spiders" were hiding in the rice table waiting to be found. Our hands and fingers became eight-legged creatures with a little black paint.










Even our playdough was a spooky color for creating and manipulating. We read some not-so-scary books. Our bodies moved to the words we read in Brooms are for Flying.






Our friends felt safe enough at school to wear their costumes and pretend to be someone else for awhile.

They were brave as they visited our neighbors and trick-or-treated together.

They were delighted with the special snack and treats sent home on Wednesday.

Pumpkins: Part 2

Here are some of the sweetest pumpkins in the patch!

We read one of my favorite books, Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. Check it out from your local library or order your own copy from Destinations Booksellers in New Albany.

Sometimes the simplest things bring about the most discussion and learning as a community.


The humble pumpkin was our theme of the week and we shared our prior knowledge and learned a bit more.





We used all our senses to explore the pumpkins in our classroom.


We used them to inspire our art. We understood how thick and dense they were when we hammered golf tees into them. We experimented with them to see if they would sink or float.

We're working on a class book about Pumpkins that will make it's way home with every child in the next few weeks. When we put into print a child's words and actions, we make a powerful and relevant connection to writing and reading.

Pumpkins: Part 1

Our week included a day of school photos, a visit from the local firefighters and a canceled field trip to the pumpkin patch. Aside from all that, we still made time to begin our study of pumpkins.
We talked about the color Orange and how it is made from two primary colors. We tested this to make sure red and yellow really do produce such a "pumpkiny" color. We painted with orange and used small paper mosaics and glue to create another beautiful pumpkin piece of art. On Wednesday, we made paper bag pumpkins in lieu of the real thing.


At grouptime, we used our items from home that were either orange or round and compared them to our real pumpkin.
We used hula hoops to divide the items into groups.



When we had to cancel our field trip because of the weather, we "sweetened" things up with a special snack that included graham crackers, icing, and candy corn!



We're ready for some sunshine and more Pumpkin experiences next week!

Changing Leaves and Growing Children

Fall is in the air and in our discussions at school. We talked about the changing leaves this week and the beautiful colors that we'll soon be seeing all around us.

Our art activities reflected those colors as well.
We missed some outside time because of rain, but found ways to use that energy inside!
We sang several new songs about the season and added movements to the words.
Our class is growing in many ways. 1)We are kind to one another. 2)We share almost all the time.
3)We recognize when a friend is not at school and miss him/her. 4)We are helpers to Ms. Lisa & Ms. Amy at clean up time. 5)We use our words to share our feelings.
If only the whole world could do all that!

Pets and Preschoolers

This week we rounded out our first month of school and our theme: All About Me. We've shared about ourselves, our families, and finally, our pets.

We used "pet" stamps for a math activity as we counted how many stamps of each animal.

We read some wonderful
books about Cats, Dogs, Birds,
and Fish as pets. A favorite: My Dog Rosie by Barry Moser.

We practiced tracing around large "pet" shapes at the writing center. This was tricky work!

For a language activity, we used alphabet blocks and spelled out the names of the most usual pets. Some friends even tried to write those words on their own.

Our favorite activity was sharing about our very own pets (or the pets of good friends!) during group time. Every child stood in front of the group and talked about their paper they had completed at home.
Thanks to everyone for the Home-Links!

What do FRIENDS at Lafayette Academy Preschool do?
They model dough together. They share the materials with each other. They practice over and over as they make shapes and handle a favorite sensory medium.

They read together. Sometimes it's just looking at pictures. Sometimes it's a made-up story.

They eat together at snack time. They talk about what they like and don't like to eat. They ask for seconds and clean up their places when snack is finished.


They glue and create art together. They share their space at the table and take turns when they need to.




They build together. Wooden blocks, cardboard blocks, and legos.
They learn to ask before knocking down a friends structure.


Sometimes, friends just hang out together at school.
It's great to be friends at LAP!