A Week of Pumpkin Fun!

Pumpkin Fun this week included all of the children in our homeschool co-op.

On Monday, we went to Bandy's Pumpkin Patch.

Zac with his kitten, Goldilocks

All of the Elementary children got their finished knitted kittens to take home, and their pictures together are so cute!

On Tuesday, we painted pumpkins for the Carbondale Public Library Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest.

from left to right

Reddy Fox from Old Mother West Wind, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss,
Charlotte and her Web, Frog from Frog and Toad are Friends "A Lost Button," Mickey Mouse, Jenny from The Little Kitten, Scooby Doo, Green Pea Shooter from Plants vs. Zombies, Dorothy Gale from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

On Thursday & Friday we decorated pumpkins (some painted, some carved) for the Pumpkin Glow at Oakland Nature Preserve. We contributed a variety of designs made by a wide range of children, from ages 17 to 2. The Pumpkin Glow happens for one night only... tonight from 6 - 10 pm!

Thank you so much to the family who donated a large pack of colorful construction paper and bottles of glow in the dark paint for helping us make our pumpkins absolutely perfect. Our students won four prizes at the Pumpkin Glow and one at the Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest!

For the Early Childhood program, we continued with our Songs, Verses & Movement for classroom routines and making Stone Soup on Thursday.

Circle Time

#1 - "Good Morning, Dear Earth" verse

#2 - "Morning Verse"
from A Child's Seasonal Treasury, page 13

#3 - "Rumble, Rumble, Deep in the Wood" verse
from The Breathing Circle, page 89

#4 - "Swooping Gulls" verse
from The Breathing Circle, page 91

#5 - "Johnny Hammers with One Hammer" verse
from The Children's Music Studio, page 104

#6 - "I'm a Tall, Tall Tree" song

#7 - "Pull on My Rain Boots!" verse
from The Breathing Circle, page 88

#8 - "Old English Apple Picking" verse
from A Child's Seasonal Treasury, page 41

#9 - "Eat An Apple" finger play

#10 - "Rocks to Stones" finger play
from The Breathing Circle, page 84

#11 - "The Squirrel" finger play
from A Child's Seasonal Treasury, page 49

#12 - "Five Little Pumpkins" finger play

Stories for this week were "The Pumpkin Hotel" (and puppetry) from Old Gnome through the Year, p.39 on Tuesday, and "The Harvest Fair" from Apples, Pumpkins, Carrot Pie: Autumn Tales Two, p.27 on Thursday.

Both of these books are by Suzanne Down from Juniper Tree Story and Puppetry Arts. For "The Pumpkin Hotel" I used a hollow pumpkin-shaped basket, a small felt mouse (made by my mother many years ago), a piece of berry cluster stem from our dogwood tree (for the spider), some marbleized maple leaves cut from cardstock, and a snowflake stamped white silk.

Stone Soup this week included Better than Bouillon Mushroom Base, sweet potato (white flesh), yams (orange flesh), red potatoes, carrots, shallots, red lentils, and fresh sweet corn. It was sweet and savory and oh-so-delicious!

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