Updates/Reminders

  • Wednesday, Oct. 23 Picture Day
  • Thursday, Oct. 31 ECC Halloween Parade from 9:30a-10a- Parenting adults are welcome to dress up too!
  • Friday, October 25- Regular School Day for Caterpillar class
  • Friday, November 1 Fall Conferences- They will be in the Caterpillar classroom unless otherwise discussed

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Pumpkins Galore!

The classroom is covered in pumpkins! We’ve been satisfying the play urges of transporting and stacking using baskets and our hands to carry pumpkins around the porch and build with pumpkins in the construction area. We washed gourds and observed them under magnifying glasses. We’ve also taken a peek inside the pumpkins and made pumpkin bread.

 

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year began with Rosh Hashanah on October 2nd. In honor of the holiday we read It’s Shofar Time! and listened to the shofar being blown. It was a much requested track to listen to both inside the classroom and during outside time. We also ate apples and honey, a traditional treat to have a sweet start to the new year.

Indigenous People’s Day

Indigenous People’s Day was on Monday, October 14 and in honor of both preserving the legacies of and the continuous stewardship of indigenous people, we have been retelling an abridged version of the Haudenosaunee creation tale of Sky woman and how Turtle Island (aka Earth/North America) came to be. It is a tale of mutual care, gratitude, and sacrifice. We also shared how the land we live on is stewarded by the Ohlone people. Additionally we engaged with olive branches from the yard and pomegranates, important foods to Palestinian people. We looked at photos of Palestinian’s harvesting olives and planting olive trees.

Music with Aaron

We had a blast during out first Music session with Aaron. He played his accordion and drum while we danced and used egg shakers. Some friends joined in at circle and some tuned in from the snack table.

Art with Julianne

Julianne extended our inquiry into the pumpkin art of Yayoi Kusama, bringing in play dough and pumpkins for us. We practiced rolling small play dough balls and squishing them on the pumpkins. The results are still a favorite tactile experience in the classroom. See more here

More Caterpillar Happenings

Lots of building, and art- and we made a frittata! Most Caterpillars enjoyed the preparing of it more than the mixed up flavors of the product itself 🙂

On Our Bookshelf & Songs We’ve Been Singing

Stumpkin

It’s Pumpkin Time!

Pumpkin Eye

Little Boo

Go Away Big Green Monster

It’s Shofar Time!

Gustavo the Shy Ghost

Vlad the Fabulous Vampire

There’s A Monster At the End of This Book

We All Play

We Sang You Home

These Olive Trees

Punky Aloha!

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on A Gate

5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on A Fence

Five Little pumpkins sitting on a fence (put up 5 fingers)

and a witch came flying by (flip a 2-fingered peace sign over and “fly” it through the air)

“Ha ha!” said the witch, I’ll take you home (point at child or pumpkin)

and make some pumpkin pie (motion like you are stirring a pot)

*make eating noise*

**Repeat with 4, 3, 2 & 1 pumpkin**

Zero Little pumpkins sitting on a fence (put up fist)

and a witch came flying by (flip a 2-fingered peace sign over and “fly” it through the air)

“Boo Hool!” said the witch (pretend to rub eyes)

no more pumpkin pie