Peek at my Week (7)

It's beginning to look a lot like Fall!  

Growing up in California I never really experienced the true "seasons" so to speak.  I mean I just spoke with my family who informed me that the weather is still in the 90's!  Sheesh... I miss that.  HaHa  But, living here in the UK I can say that I'm actually experiencing the 4 seasons.  The past few weeks, mornings have been crisp, leaves have started to change colors, there's a breeze in the air, and my fall wardrobe is coming out!  Oh what fun it would be to go on a leaf hunt with a class here!   I mean the kids wouldn't have to "pretend" to see signs of fall.  Well this week my plans would be all about fall!  Here's a Peek at what my Week 7 might look like if I were in the classroom:

What are the four seasons?  What do you know about fall?  What happens to the weather in fall?  Why do leaves change color?  These questions and more would be discussed this week.  Our focus story would be Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger.  I love how kids get so excited about this story, it's repetitive nature, and the segway it provides to actually going on a real leaf hunt.  I also really like the book Fall Leaves Colorful and Crunchy by Martha Rustad.  It's a great kid friendly introduction to the purpose of leaves, changing seasons, and why leaves fall.  I'd totally use it for science!  In math we'd still be focusing on numbers 1-10 and my math tubs would include a variety of centers with a focus on the domain counting and cardinality.  For some art fun we'd make some salad spinner leaves.  I found the idea on Pinterest.  The idea came from Allison McDonald from "No Time for Flash Cards."  Click the image to go to her site and see the how to.

 It'd be a fun fall week with more fall topics to come.  Spiders?  Bats?  Pumpkins?  You know it!  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and wishing you all a Happy start to the Week!