This week, the children have been exploring autumn, harvest and seasonal change through a range of pumpkin and apple experiences. As part of our Autumn Cooking Week, the children made pumpkin soup during group time and apple crumble using apples picked from one of our school apple trees during an autumn walk. These hands-on experiences provided meaningful opportunities for learning across many areas of development.
The children were encouraged to explore, investigate, describe and discuss pumpkins, apples and other signs of autumn through sensory, creative and practical experiences. While cooking, they developed their mathematical skills by counting, measuring and comparing ingredients, and strengthened their speaking and listening skills by following instructions, learning new vocabulary and sharing their ideas with friends. Physical development was supported through washing, peeling, stirring, mixing and carefully chopping ingredients with adult support.
Across the week, the children took part in a variety of pumpkin-themed activities. They added cinnamon to our orange playdough and used it to create pumpkins and pumpkin faces, decorating them with pipe cleaners, pom-poms and coloured matchsticks. The children also made pumpkins from recycled plastic bottles by wrapping orange paper around double-sided sticky tape before adding googly eyes or drawing faces with black pens. On the computer, they designed their own pumpkin faces and explored different ways to represent their ideas creatively. The children also used wooden autumn leaves to identify, match and sort different types of leaves, developing their observational and early mathematical skills.
As part of our pumpkin investigations, the children used a claw hammer, tack hammer and mallet to hammer golf tees into pumpkins. Before beginning, the children took part in a safety discussion where they learned how to use the tools responsibly by holding them correctly by the handle, keeping them below head height and checking there was enough space around them by stretching their arms out to ensure they could not touch anyone nearby. This activity helped to develop hand-eye coordination, control and concentration.
During our Friday outdoor session, the children explored the inside of pumpkins, investigating the different textures and using their counting skills to count some of the pumpkin seeds. After our activities, the pumpkins were composted, helping the children learn about reducing waste and caring for the environment.
Rights Respecting Articles:
- Article 24: Every child has the right to good quality food, health and a clean environment.
- Article 28: Every child has the right to an education.
- Article 29: Education should help children develop their talents, abilities and confidence to their full potential.
- Article 31: Every child has the right to play, explore and take part in creative and cultural activities.
