Seasonal changes can provide learning inspiration for preschool children who are full of curiosity. The preschool friends are exploring this change of season by engaging in various fall activities. The group has been going for walks with their educators and observing their surroundings with curious eyes. On one occasion, they appeared to enjoy the walk, be expressing the feeling of the cooler air temperature and observing the various colours of the trees around them. In particular, children had so much fun picking up pretty leaves to bring back to our classroom. Rowan, smiling brightly with the leaf in his hand, looked so happy to have found a coloured leaf.
The children did various activities using the leaves they collected during the walk. In front of a table full of leaves, magnifying glasses, and small items, Layla and other friends shared many stories about their favorite seasons and foods with the educators. After sharing Lylah said, "I'll make the soup with this for you, Mia. Wait a minute," with a warm voice tone to educator Mia. "I'm done with the soup. Now you can try it, Mia." Layla said after stirring leaves with the magnifying glass. She looked happy to show what she made to Mia.
Through observations, the educators had predicted the children would search for or see some bugs on the surface of the leaves through the magnifying glass. However, the children’s creative thinking took them in a different direction by making “warm soup” for the educators, recreating the world with their own imaginations through the provided materials. Another activity where the collected leaves were used, was when the children made a big tree with the leaves by using glue to paste the leaves on the paper. The process of attaching leaves to the paper with glue was not easy, but the children persevered as they actively began to make their own autumn trees. As the children made the tree, they began feeling the texture of the rustling leaves and touching the sticky glue. It was so great to watch the children observe and enjoy the various activities with the leaves.
To continue fostering the interest of the season change, we provided a beautiful sensory play bin with autumn colours for the children to explore. As the children manipulated and observed the various autumn-related props in the bin, they also had time to discuss the observed colours with the educators. "What colour is this water?" the educator asked. The children answered with various opinions, such as "Yellow" or "Orange." The children filled various containers with water using the small props, practicing the freedom of decision making and fine motor skills. The children continue to develop their self-regulation skills in the process of manipulating the water, and learn the process of experiencing and understanding one another through dramatic play with their friends.
Seasonal changes stimulate children's curiosity, foster the children's ability to predict patterns, and make them feel the changes in temperature firsthand. We are already looking forward to seeing how we will enjoy the rest of autumn with our preschool friends.
