1st-7th October
Using the ideas that the children had given me I decided to use the book “Leaf Man” by by Lois Ehlert. Again we played a number of team games to start off with and then during our circle time we discussed why the leaves fall in the autumn. It was wonderful listening to some of their ideas-some suggested that it was because there were no bees in winter and the leaves needed the bees/confusion with flowers and pollinators, and some did suggest it was because of the light. So I shared the fact that during the winter the deciduous trees shut down, (hibernate) and because there is not so much sunlight they no longer make the chlorophyll /green pigment that collects and processes the light to make their energy. When all the chlorophyll is removed from their leaves we can see the other pigment colours -reds, yellows, oranges and browns.
We all then went and collected leaves from around the grounds and looked at their different shapes and I explained how each tree has its own unique leaf shape. We had a go at identifying the leaves and which trees they had fallen from. The children then had a go at making leaf pictures and collages and some wanted to make leaf crowns and necklaces which they wore with pride.
At the end of the session, we discussed what we had learnt/ went back over the facts and then talked about what they wanted to do in the next session. They decided together that they wanted to have a go at some more autumn leaf crafts.
8th-17th October
Using the children’s thoughts and ideas again I thought we could have a go at making some autumn leaf bowls and clay leaf prints. I also wanted to sow some wildflower seeds ready for the spring encouraging more bees and insects into our grounds. We again started with a running around game and as it was wet I also put up a number of tarps around the sit to keep us dry. We sat and had our snack and story which was “The Leaf Thief” by Alice Hemmings and recapped why the trees lost their leaves in Autumn. I also wanted to extend their knowledge, so we discussed why we had the season of Autumn, and I took a globe in to show them how the earth travels around the sun and how in the winter the northern hemisphere does not get as much sunlight. We then split into 2 groups some chose to come with me to sow wildflower seeds while others had a go at making leaf bowls and clay leaf prints.
We then re-joined in the fire circle to discuss our learning and what we wanted to do next week. As a group they decided that we should have an autumn celebration as it would be our last session before the half term holidays and they wanted to continue activities based on the autumn leaves and suggested paint and leaf printing.
18th-24th October
During the past six weeks I have been doing my baseline assessments and it is so interesting to watch and understand their play types/schemas and social and emotional areas of learning. As a teacher our focus is mostly on their academic achievements and the planning is based on the curriculum not following their fascinations and ideas really at all. I have weaved into my planning what I have observed and what I feel they need to develop. They have come up with session ideas and most of the time they have taken part in the craft link to their suggestions, but they also wander off and create/play and produce other things with the materials that are on offer.
In week seven this was very much the case. We started by playing several running around games that they had suggested and then went into the fire circle to chat/share their news have a snack and I had brought with me the story “Summer Green to Autumn Gold” by Mia Posada which again explains why the leaves change colour in the autumn. During this session the weather was really wet so we huddled under the tarp together. We then had painting and printing leaves as an activity on offer which was done under another tarp. Some children wanted to do this and happily used the paint, but they also made some wonderful posters for Canopy Forest School which I loved. Others wanted to climb trees, so I supervised this. Other found the string that I had left out to make leaf garlands but instead they used it to make spider webs. The web that they created was wonderful. They played with knots and pretended that there was a giant spider that lived in the tree.
I really loved watching them work together as a team and their conversations and discussions were wonderful.
We then came back together and had a little award ceremony where we talked about all we had learnt, and each child had a certificate. Our parent helper had made up a song about Canopy Forest School which we learnt and sand. We discussed how the weather and light was going to really change in the half term and how we needed to make sure we wore the right clothing so we won’t get cold and also bringing a head torch or a torch would be a good idea as the nights draw in. The children wanted to do something Halloween based on our first session back, so we chose magic potions and magic wands to be our focus.
During the half term holidays I am really going to sit down and carefully think about each child and what their individual next steps will be and how we can bring in more of their fascinations to each session.
25th-31st Oct
It is half term and a chance for me to rest and look back over my baseline assessments and use this to plan Autumn 2 as well looking at our next steps as a group. I am also going to start my next essay which is on behaviour. This is an area that I am very interested in and studied for my master’s around 10 years ago so it will be good to dig back into the theories and developments in this area of study.
I have ordered lights and high visibility jackets for Autumn 2 because I am very aware that the hours of light will slowly creep away during this half term, and it will be interesting to watch how the children respond to this seasonal change. I have also worked on our Risk and Benefit assessments for this half term and added in the light changes and extra risks and benefits that this will bring.
