Spooky Pumpkin Playdough

Pumpkin Pie Playdough

so many wonderful ways to present playdough

I thought it was interesting how one of the children used the cookie cutters as part of their sculpture.

I tend to collect new sparkly and interesting items each season.Can you ever have enough ?...I don't think so ;)

the picture below is from several years ago.

I no longer use packages of kool aid....instead I now use spices...essential oils and natural food colourings.

The Color of Halloween

What Colour is Halloween?

that was the question I asked before reading

Shivery Shades of Halloween

by

 Mary McKenna Siddals.

The answer {before the story} was : orange and black

after the story I introduced the "Shivery Shades" tray...

we went through the story again..page by page...the children searching the items to find the colours that were in the story.

I left the book and the tray out for the morning and added the mats we use for mandalas.

This sensory tray full of beautiful {and slightly frightening}loose parts is a popular request.

The answer to the question asked at the top  of this post is now rainbow...purple...green slime

spooky white ghosts...blue

and of course orange and black

Happy Early Childhood Educator and Child Care Worker Appreciation Day

Witches and Broomsticks Sensory Bin

I was inspired by Julia Donaldson's book

Room on the Broom

when I was putting this fun and oh so "spooky" sensory bin together.

After removing most of the autumn elements from the bin

leaving the beans and lentils,I added lot's of Halloween items.

Most were found at dollar stores  including the little witch stuffy

that laughs very wickedly when dropped.

googly eyes....bats and spiders...orange and black "jewels" etc.

the children dig and dig through the treasure trove of 

sparkly and scary fun.

This morning they were making Halloween soup.

adding wooden spoons...cinnamon sticks and a cauldron to mix it all in

enhances creative ideas and imagination 

the children love this story

it's one we read over and over 

Witches and Broomsticks Sensory Bin

I was inspired by Julia Donaldson's book

Room on the Broom

when I was putting this fun and oh so "spooky" sensory bin together.

After removing most of the autumn elements from the bin

leaving the beans and lentils,I added lot's of Halloween items.

Most were found at dollar stores  including the little witch stuffy

that laughs very wickedly when dropped.

googly eyes....bats and spiders...orange and black "jewels" etc.

the children dig and dig through the treasure trove of 

sparkly and scary fun.

This morning they were making Halloween soup.

adding wooden spoons...cinnamon sticks and a cauldron to mix it all in

enhances creative ideas and imagination 

the children love this story

it's one we read over and over 

Fabulous Fall and all Things Autumn

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

                                          by L.M. Montgomery  (Anne of Green Gables)

I love everything about autumn

the colours...the scent...pumpkin and spice

even the sounds of autumn

crunching and rustling of the leaves

so many inspirations to create a sensory bin

we started off with dried beans and lentils...glass acorn beads and beautiful felt leaves

then....we added 

fall gourds and colourful cobs of corn and cinnamon sticks

so beautiful and inviting

the children love to pick at the corn cobs which then take on a whole new feel once the kernels are gone.

They scoop the beans and lentils with the tiny wooden spoons...sorting them into piles...decorating the piles with flowers and autumn glass beads.The smell of the cinnamon sticks is amazing.

Some of the books we have been enjoying this month

Listen Listen is full of beautiful illustrations depicting seasonal activities and scenes throughout.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert is a favourite

More on this one soon after our walk to collect leaves from the storm we had this weekend.

I can hardly wait to see the creations that the children come up with

I love the illustrations in Helen Cooper's 

book....Pumpkin Soup

a heart warming story of friendship...sharing...and solving a problem

lovely details throughout 

We will be making pumpkin soup after our trip out to the pumpkin farm next week

come back soon to see all of our leaf man art and to 

"taste" our pumpkin soup

perhaps there will be a recipe.