Halloween Is In the Air!

Aloha everyone!! The energy of Halloween is definitely in the air. 🙂 We have been enjoying celebrating this time of year with a variety of crafts, songs, and stories around the Halloween theme. Our crafts have been processed based, inviting the child to explore different objects to paint with and including a variety of techniques. Your child may bring home: a jack o lantern they have cut and glued, a spider web made by rolling a marble in white paint, a stencil of a spider web printed with a sponge, and/or apple stamped pumpkins. Seeing the variety of techniques and creative expression has been so interesting. We are getting to know everyone’s individual style.

Continuing Our Practical Life Curriculum

In our Practical Life area, we have added in a few beginning sewing activities. These activities involve a real sewing needle and require a certain level of organization of materials and memorization of sequence of steps. In addition to these good practices, sewing can also be a bit frustrating. I feel this is a good activity to work through these difficult feelings, making the end product so well earned. Threading the needle and tying knots are a couple of the challenging steps involved. Sewing is also a great activity to practice fine motor control, leading to a strong hand ready for writing.

The first activity in this series is learning to sew a large button. After a little practice with this, they are invited to begin sewing smaller buttons on felt to make bracelets. Then, to embellish them with beads. The idea with this area in the classroom is that, like the art area, it becomes a place for expression with free invitations to create with materials after basic sewing skills are acquired.

Song to Share

Jack o’ lantern, Jack o’ lantern,
You are such a funny sight
As you sit there in the window
Looking out at the night.

You were once a yellow pumpkin
Sitting on the sturdy vine.
But now you’re a jack o’ lantern
See the candle light shine.

Happy Halloween!!!

Warmly,
Ms Eva