We Decorate: Finding The Perfect Tree

Using the story "Night Tree" we created a checklist of things we wanted 

to do that are the same in the story. "Don't forget the hot chocolate!" 

After gathering the popcorn strings, birdseed pinecones, and apples 

and bread crumbs the children got ready for outside. 

Rielle put our actions to song "Hi Ho the derry oh we'll find the perfect tree!" 

The children hung the decorations with care

and then we laid out the blanket and drank hot chocolate.

Just like in the story the children chose songs to sing as we admired the tree.

ABC's and Old MacDonald were their choices.

Decorating the tree

There were lots of speculation as to when the animals would come and 

we agreed to come back on Tuesday and Wednesday to see if any had been eaten.

Just as we were leaving our tree the children noticed a two squirrels way up in the canopy

travelling along the branches towards our tree!

"Good bye squirrels, enjoy our decorations!"

Pinecone decoration

Drinking hot chocolate

We Decorate: Decorations That Help Continued

 

 

"A Night Tree" by Eve Bunting continues to inspire the children 

to make edible decorations for the animals in the forest. 

They pressed suet and seeds into pine cones that will hang from the tree.

On Monday we will go into the forest and find "our special tree" 

and hang the decorations they made. 

Just like the family in the book we will bring hot chocolate and a blanket and admire our tree.

The children made a paper version of a scene in the story by decorating their own tree

We Decorate: Decorations That Help

"Night Tree" by Eve Bunting launched today's activities. 

The children understand that decorations are used to make things beautiful, but can they be helpful? 

In the story the Night Tree a family goes to the forest every year and decorates a tree with edible decorations for the animals to eat.

The children discussed the animals that live in our forest. I let them know that it can be difficult for animals to find food in the winter because things aren't growing. Alan commented on how there are no more blackberries and we have to wait until next year. I asked the children if they'd like to make edible decorations for the animals in our forest and I received a resounding "YES!" 

Waiting for the kernels to pop!
Hot air popcorn makers are such a thrill! 

The children carefully made popcorn strings and nibbled while they worked.
We will continue this project tomorrow.

Working on hand-eye coordination

Such concentration!

We Decorate: Decorations Tell Stories

 Decorations Tell Stories

The story "Selina and the Bear Claw Quilt"by Barbara Smucker is a story a little girl who delights in watching her grandmother sew pieces of fabric together to make quilts. One day her family must move far away, grandmother feels she's too old to travel and stays behind but first sews Selina a quilt to take with her. Before she leaves, curled up on her grandmothers knee, Selina hears the story behind where each piece of fabric came from. 

Many years ago some children from Creative Minds helped to sew a quilt, gosh, it must have been about 16 years ago as my son, who's now almost 20, was one of the sewers! 

The children were intrigued and eager to take turns finding similar patterns 

in fabric and identifying the shapes of fabric used.

Using tangrams everyone had an opportunity to use problem solving skills to cover a puzzle. This is similar to a quilter have to problem solve as he/she thinks of how the pieces of fabric will fit together to create the design 

they want.

We Decorate: Are Decorations Important?

The children know that decorations can be found on people and things.

"Are decorations important?"

We took a poll and discovered that everyone in the Fire Group thinks decorations are important. Rielle prompted the next question when she added "It makes stuff beautiful!" 

I asked everyone to explain their thinking "Why are decorations important?"

"My mom wants to see my pictures" Sophie

"My mom wants to see decorations" Jayla

"My mom likes my pictures." Tyreese

Byron and Rylan didn't know why they think decorations are important.

"What would the world be like if there were no decorations?" 

Rielle offered "It won't be beautiful. People would look and say let's decorate it 

but there would be no decorations!"

The story "The Big Orange Splot" by Daniel Pinkwater illustrates what life would be like with no decorations. When a seagull accidentally drops a blotch of orange paint on his house it prompts him to decorate his house to reflect his dreams. The children created their own "Street of Dreams" using watercolour to decorate their house.