Buffalo Dramatic Play

November 29, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

During Circle Time, we talked about the vast array of American Indians that composed what we call the United States today. A favoite of this week was the Plains Indians and their continual dependence upon the buffalo for their survival. Before the Europeans (and our Pilgrim friends) arrived, American Indians would hunt these large beasts on foot. Your little historian was introduced to this exciting ritual, where Plains Indians would often disguise themselves as wolves to assist them in the chase. To encourage our understanding of this adventure, we decided to recreate our understanding of the buffalo hunt. Using plastic buffaloes, grass, plastic indians, and dirt, we reconstructed the Great Plains.

Turkey Feather Addition

November 29, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

With the aid of colorful illustrations, including a story and manipulatives, we reinforced the anatomy of a turkey, and its role in the Thanksgiving feast.

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Each child was given the opportunity to include their understanding of what was Thanksgiving was (following cues – allowing them to formulate their own sentences), and asking open-ended questions.

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This provided them with a positive environment to reinforce their attempts to talk and speak in complex sentences. We then added a counting element to this activity. Using feathers, baby food jars, and a paper turkey, we practiced adding and subtracting turkey feathers.

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Using real life items illustrates this complicated concept for young children, and enables them to make connections not allotted by simply using a paper and pencil. Manipulating colorful materials also provides instant feedback, which forms the cornerstone for more advanced critical thinking.

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Nut Sorting

November 28, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

The Wamponoags showed the Pilgrims how to gather nuts during their first winter. Using pictures, and real nuts, we sorted walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts into three piles. Sorting and classifying objects help children begin to notice how items are alike and different, and creates an awareness that is vital for math learning. Learning to distinguish between things feels like a major accomplishment for preschool children, and using real nuts made the activity that much more fun!

Q is for Quail

November 28, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

There are many myths surrounding the Thanksgiving feast. According to historians, this festive celebration most likely occurred between September 21st and November 11th in 1621. Though turkey is the professed staple of this holiday, it is more likely that the American Indians introduced our colonist friends to an array of fowl.

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Having never experienced a North American winter, these newcomers were inexperienced in gathering and hunting the sustenance necessary for their survival. The Wampanoag Indians remedied this situation by introducing the Pilgrims to quails.

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Your little pilgrim learned about the history of the quail, and its role in the Thanksgiving celebration. They then used feathers, plastic eyes, pipe cleaners, and clay to create their own version of a quail.

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Manipulating malleable materials, like clay, has a calming affect on young children. As they roll, coil, and mold their creations into an observable shape, they are engaging in a process of discovery and exploration. Clay also provides immediate tactile and visual feedback.

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Husking Corn

November 24, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

Corn was a staple of the first Thanksgiving celebration, so we have incorporated it into our Thanksgiving curriculum! We not only learned about the history of corn, but its anatomy, how it grows, and most importantly, how to eat it!

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Using our fingers, we removed the husks from sweet corn, cooked it, and ate it for snack! When children are involved with food experience and food preparation, they are more interested in trying it.

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Husking corn gives children an opportunity to see how corn looks when it leaves the field. They are learning that corn simply does not come out of the freezer or a can off the shelf. It is an opportunity to touch, see the husk of the corn kernels, and hear the snap and crackle of the corn husk as it is pulled off of the ear.

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Fine Motor Maize

November 24, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

When young children are using tweezers to pick up, manipulate, and sort materials – they are practicing their fine motor skills in the process. As they are continually exposed to activities that encourage this process, they are being prepared to write, type on a computer, throw and catch a ball, and open a door – the list is endless. Each experience strengthens the muscles that will eventually lay the foundation for higher learning. For this activity, we practiced tweezing kernels of dried corn and sorting them by color into ice cube trays.

Corn Begins with C

November 24, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Thanksgiving Leave a comment

Young children need a variety of ways to learn about letters. Between the ages of three and five, your little one is just learning how to distinguish letters from shapes, identify the sounds they make, and are working on strengthening the tiny muscles in their hands.

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Using our large tweezers, magnetic letters, and kernels of corn, we searched for the letter C, and then placed the correct letter onto a mat with its match! This activity improved your little ones’ fine motor skills, encouraged hand-eye coordination, and fostered their ability to differentiate between items that are alike and different.

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Sink or Float

November 16, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Halloween Leave a comment

Young children enjoy learning about how things work.

By participating in a vast array of science activities, they are learning important critical thinking and observation skills.

These activities also promote their inherent sense of curiosity about the world.

For this activity we experimented with sinking and floating.

Using real pumpkins, we placed them in water to observe whether they would sink or float.

Black and Orange Sequencing

November 16, 2013Miss Carrie's Corner Halloween Leave a comment

Young children are constantly assessing the patterns in their worlds.

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From how items fit together, to the similarities between objects in their environments, their awareness of logic and order compose a significant part of their play.

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