Last week’s Harvest Fest was a great culmination to another successful trimester. The PK children were eager to share a past classroom experience with their families - making homemade juice, because as one child stated, “We’ve done it with us kids but not with our families.” That was reason enough for us. This time, we decided to let the children choose the type of fruits they’d like to use, as we thought this may open up the opportunity for more research, math, writing and experimentation.
Each child had an opportunity to look through a fruits and vegetables book for inspiration before deciding upon what juice they’d like to make. Although many had their minds made up much earlier! Next, we asked each child to create a recipe. For some, this meant using the internet with a teacher to research just how many strawberries or apples were needed. For others, such as those who decided to make orange juice again, it meant recalling the steps taken previously, and determining just how many oranges they thought they would need to serve themselves and a parent. In all cases, we were able to push the children to reflect upon the orange juice project and adapt those steps to create a recipe for their chosen fruit. In addition to dictating the necessary steps for the recipe, each child drew illustrations of the fruits that they selected.
Each child had an opportunity to look through a fruits and vegetables book for inspiration before deciding upon what juice they’d like to make. Although many had their minds made up much earlier! Next, we asked each child to create a recipe. For some, this meant using the internet with a teacher to research just how many strawberries or apples were needed. For others, such as those who decided to make orange juice again, it meant recalling the steps taken previously, and determining just how many oranges they thought they would need to serve themselves and a parent. In all cases, we were able to push the children to reflect upon the orange juice project and adapt those steps to create a recipe for their chosen fruit. In addition to dictating the necessary steps for the recipe, each child drew illustrations of the fruits that they selected.
The day before the Harvest Fest, we determined that we should have a market set up in the classroom with all the fruits the children had listed. Two children worked together to make a large sign welcoming families to the market, and were careful to include a drawing of every fruit their peers had selected.
After counting down the days until our parents and grandparents would visit, Harvest Fest finally arrived. The children were thrilled to participate in a full morning of school with their loved ones. In addition to making juice, students explored clay and Legos in the TinkerLab and relaxed with yoga in the Indoor Play Space.
Observing the children take the lead in the classroom and guide their visitors through the juice making process was truly powerful. Our PK students are building their self-confidence and sense of self, and it was truly evident as they selected and weighed their fruits, helped peel and chop, and fed their fruits through the juicer. The children also measured their finished product, engaging in delightful numeracy conversations.
Observing the children take the lead in the classroom and guide their visitors through the juice making process was truly powerful. Our PK students are building their self-confidence and sense of self, and it was truly evident as they selected and weighed their fruits, helped peel and chop, and fed their fruits through the juicer. The children also measured their finished product, engaging in delightful numeracy conversations.
The morning ended joyfully with an All School Story and Family Lunch. When mentioning to outsiders that we have three Harvest Festivals a year, we often hear, “isn’t winter a bit late in the year for a harvest?” However, we were very intentional about choosing the word harvest, as in its true sense of the word-it really is a gathering and sharing of the knowledge and experiences that have been had over the course of the trimester.