To start the fall season, we have decorated our classroom with various fall materials. One of the things we have added is some orange pumpkin stickers onto our window. The toddlers have been interested and pointing out the pumpkins so we decided to bring in some real pumpkins to explore. The toddlers were given the pumpkins and given the opportunity to use them however they wanted. Most of the toddlers decided they wanted to roll the pumpkins, they took turns rolling the pumpkin from one person to another. The toddlers were explaining how the pumpkins felt very cold and were very heavy. We thought about what else we could do with the pumpkins. The toddlers love to get messy so we decided why not paint the pumpkins! We had some helpful toddlers help carry the heavy pumpkins outside to paint. We used red, yellow, and white paint to colour the pumpkins. To expand our pumpkin exploration, we decided to make pumpkin cookies! The toddlers helped pour and stir our ingredients in and we waited to see them turn into yummy cookies we got to eat for snack.
The toddlers are exploring their interests and expanding on what season we are in. The toddlers are able to explore their abilities including; fine motor skills, gross motor skills, learning to take turns, sharing, their senses, and much more. It was important to us to allow the children to explore the materials and their imagination to decide what they wanted to do with each material. The toddlers continue to get excited and point out the painted pumpkins outside the classroom door.
The toddlers seemed to really enjoy touching and feeling the pumpkins and explore what we can do with them. Maybe we can add some more fall materials like leaves, gourds, tree branches, and even maybe some fall like smells. It is important to allow the children to use their imagination and capable minds to decide what they want to do with their materials. Maybe we can even make some more pumpkin treats!
