Leaves

Down, down,  Yellow, Red, Brown.

Fall the leaves all over the ground.

Rake them up, Oh So High!

Then we jump in, my friends and I!

Leaves are amazing art just the way they are.  Bring in your findings!  Kids are great collectors and remind us all to slow down and really look at our world.   Georgia O’Keeffe once lamented:

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.

Leaves can be the same way.   We walk on them.  We use them on our gardens or sweep them in the street.  We get rid of them.  Leaves mean work to many adults.  We’ll try to really look at our leaves and explore their shapes and colors in our games, songs and art.

  
This is my leaf (pat, pat)

This is my leaf (pat, pat)

This is my leaf (pat, pat)

This is my leaf (pat, pat)

What do we notice about our leaves?

Spin around __________ leaves, spin around ________ leaves, spin around ______ leaves.  

Sit down leaves.

Wow is it hard to wait!  And what fun when it is our turn.

Oil Paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe  Top:  Autumn Leaves, Lake George, 1924  Bottom:  Pattern of Leaves, 1923

How I will Use My Blog in My Classroom

I am a preschool teacher for McMinnville Playschool's Creative Art and Play program.  I plan to use my blog to connect more effectively with the families enrolled in Creative Art and Play and to connect with families who are interested in joining McMinnville Playschool's Preschool in 2015.

The Creative Art and Play class is a parent/child class held 3 times per week.  Adults and children, ages 2-4, come to our school to create art and play in our open ended art studio and play room.  During class time, adults are focused on the the children's activities in the room.  I currently try to share ideas and information with parents as they are playing and creating with kids, at the beginning or end of class or through a weekly hand out.  Communicating with parents when they are focused on assisting preschool age children and giving them a paper to take home and read are not ideal ways to communicate.  Having a blog might be a fun way to share.

Next year, the McMinnville Playschool is looking to re-start their Cooperative Preschool.  We are looking for new ways to connect with the community to find families to join the Co-Op.  A teacher blog about the school might be a new way for families to learn about the Playschool.

On another level, I also want to write a blog because I believe that reflection makes me a better teacher. I am a writer and an artist.  I figure things out by writing and drawing and sculpting.  If I make blogging part of my practice as a teacher, I will be creating a space for me to reflect on what is happening in the classroom. It is my goal to work toward teaching an emergent curriculum based on what I observe.  Perhaps creating a blog can help me see what's happening in the classroom in a new way.