Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

One of our parents gave us two cases of apples and oranges. Now.. we eat a LOT of fresh fruit but even we would have a hard time getting through that much before it spoils. So, we are getting creative. Today, the kids got a lesson on where we get orange juice from. Many thought the grocery store. They made orange juice for snack this afternoon !

After squeezing Randy put all the orange half on the tray and we estimated how many oranges the kids thought were there. It was really a good math lesson. I explained how two halves make a whole.

It took 33 oranges to make that pitcher of juice !

Another math lesson today when we patterned . We made a flag ! This type of activity is always done in small groups of 3 or 4 children.

One of my favorite " sneak a peaks" today was when I found a group of kids playing doctor. Audrey and Geneviette were the doctor and Cohen and Malia were the patients. I was told that Cohen had strep throat and Malia had a belly ache. Audrey and Geneviette had papers and squiggly lines and letters were drawn on it. They said this was their list of names to call when it is their turn. It is so fun to see those literacy skills developing and kids using their imagination. ( Audrey was most likely the instigator of this game. Yesterday afternoon she became a BIG SISTER. Sylar Dash was born. He weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce. Mom and baby are doing well. Audrey was so excited to bring in pictures of Sylar to show off this morning. )

People and Places that Keep us Healthy

Oh Monday ! I knew you would get here!

Today we kicked off a new unit from Adventures in Learning that will help us learn more about people and places that keep us healthy. We talked about what " healthy" means. We added new songs that were about being healthy - like Five Monkey's Jumping on The Bed.

We also noticed today that more and more leaves are turning colors and falling from the trees.

You wonder what happens to the " junk " that comes into the art center. This was a creation made my Noah today. Pretty cool huh ?

It was muffin tin Monday!

Another thing we did today was work on patterning. We do patterning with toys a lot and colors but today since we were talking about keeping our bodies healthy, we patterned with body movements.

I found this interesting article about WHY we teach patterning.

Fun Family Activities Teach Patterns

By Sugandha JainTopics: Family Activities, Growth and Development

We are surrounded by patterns – the squares in a tile floor, the stripes on a shirt, birds flying in formation. Encouraging children to observe patterns is an important, pre-math skill that helps them make sense of what they see, hear and learn.

Patterns teach children how things work together and allow them to predict what comes next. These skills, in turn, can help children become problem solvers.

Many college math professors feel that all students would benefit from a solid understanding of patterns right from childhood. The importance of strong mathematics skills means children will perform better throughout school and even in their adult lives.

The human brain is good at decoding patterns; it can only operate when it finds meaning. Child development research shows that unless we help children find meaning in what they see and experience, learning will not take place. The brain seeks patterns from birth through life. But if you want your child’s brain to work to its maximum, you have to provide the right activities.

So, today we would do simple patterns like :

Clap Stomp Clap Stomp Clap Stomp - this is called and ABABAB pattern

Next I made it a little more difficult and we tried...

Clap Clap Stomp Clap Clap Stomp Clap Clap Stomp - AAB AAB AAB

I even asked the kids to make up their own patterns.

Mr Randy added a pattern that he likes !

Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes ....