Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down!

Even though we are now experiencing New Zealand's winter, we did explore autumn and all of its beauty a few weeks ago. The children brainstormed of things that reminded them of the fall season.



Then, we explored outside and collected fallen leaves. We also found insects, seeds, sticks and a stunning rainbow on our adventure!



Once we got back to the classroom, we observed our leaves. We sorted them based on their vibrant colours. We had many brown and red leaves. We also had one with hints of purple in it.

  

Based on the children's observations, they made a connection to autumn. Not only do the leaves fall to the ground, but they also change colour. I wonder why?

We watched a couple of videos to help us answer our pondering question. In the end, we learnt that they change colours and fall because it is cold and they aren't getting enough sunlight. How interesting!

Lastly, the children reflected and shared their new learning of autumn leaves in their writing books.

S'mores!

For our Unit of Inquiry, the children connected with Ms. Ely's American culture! First, the children came to school and were introduced to a peculiar-looking pizza box. They had many wondering questions around the box!

After they wrote down their questions, they were given three little clues to help them make connections to what we were going to do that day. They were confronted with chocolate, crackers and MARSHMALLOWS! The children roared with excitement after seeing the goodies!

These clues led the students to wonder and ask more specific questions relating to the pizza box and the treats. But, the children needed some more assistance as to what they were going to make!



So, we explored online and Googled the three ingredients. S'mores was the answer to our question! They also made the connection that s'mores are a traditional camping treat enjoyed in America and that I am also from America!

The kids made their own individual s'mores and cooked it inside the solar oven. They loved making observations throughout the day on the status of their melted chocolates.



By the end of the day, it was snack time! Not one bad review from the class! They also wrote about the s'mores using their senses and included many WOW words in their stories. What a delicious connection!