Fall Stew: Preschool, Nature and Seasons

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I started homeschooling Grace a few weeks ago and one of the biggies around here is outside playtime.  We are pretty home bound as we don't get to have the car during the day.  

...THIS HAS BEEN MISERABLE...

But, it's temporary.  So, in the meantime, I try to get the kids outside at least for an hour a day and I usually try to keep it educational.

I take my cues from Montessori for the most part, like properly presenting an activity or lesson...but this was completely random and off the top of my head.  However, it was a HUGE hit.

Introducing, Fall Stew.

First we gathered our materials.  To make Fall Stew you need:

Leaves of various shapes and sizes

Grass cuttings

Tree bark

Sticks

Water and Red Food Coloring

Cooking Supplies - pots, spoons, etc.

Doesn't that look appetizing?

We named the leaves.  There was one that kind of reminded me of rosemary.  We called one a bay leaf.  The sticks were deemed cinnamon sticks.  And as Grace was wafting the imaginary aromas into her little nose, she informed me that it wasn't quite ready.

So she stirred, and stirred.  She whisked and poured.  Sister sat by, watching very closely all that was happening.  Grace was very busy at work and this stew needed to be perfect.

Grace transferred water to the larger pot with the turkey baster...a favorite of hers.  She often asks why it doesn't have feathers.  *smile*

She examined the leaves and made exciting discoveries about each one, which I of course had to check out.  She loved the sieve and was quite intrigued with that for quite a while.

That face is what you call sweetness.

We talked about the leaves and why they weren't green anymore.  We talked about why there were so many leaves on the ground.  She tried to remember the number that she saw and then said, "There were a million-bagillion-trillion!"

It was very serious work as you can see.  And I don't think it was ever "ready", but they both had a great time.  We wound up being out there for almost three hours.  I eventually ran out of things to talk about and just let them both do their own thing while asking questions here and there throughout the rest of Grace's play.  

There's my big baby.  She was doing her "So Big" gesture, but to me she just looks like she's about to bust out some sick rhymes.

I loved this playtime we had.  So many lessons were learned through the simple act of playing.  Fresh air, smiling babies, amazing weather and a perfect pot of Fall Stew made this Momma and her babies very happy.

All the things Grace learned through play:

Measuring

Comparing

Patterns

Pretend/Imagination

Colors

Shapes

Counting

Sharing

Fine Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills

Seasons

Nature

It was a lot...and it showed.  She took a three hour nap that day.

Until next time...