Apple Adventures part 2: A Gentle Shift into Autumn

Oct 14

2 min read

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Better late than never, right? Last week we finally had our first real taste of autumn weather, and with that, we gently eased from our Apple Unit into all things fall. Normally, we explore apples closer to the beginning of October, but this year the unseasonably warm weather had us holding onto summer just a little longer.

Here at Little Squirrels, we don’t rush into the seasons just because the calendar says so. We follow the rhythm of the world around us, observing, noticing, and letting the children make real connections with what they see, feel, and experience outdoors.

Our Apple Unit was the perfect bridge between the last warm days and the cool, crisp ones that followed. The children created beautiful watercolor apple paintings, exploring color blending and brush strokes while noticing all the shades of red, green, and gold apples can be.

We also set up a loose parts apple invitation on the light table, sparkling red materials that encouraged sorting, pretend play, and creativity.

There were songs, our favorite being “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”, complete with our fun Apple Tree Circle time prop from last year, lots of excitement about who would get to take off the next apple, and wiggly fingers .

One of our highlights was practicing washing and cutting apples for snack. No pictures of that moment (too many little hands needing supervision!), but the joy and pride on their faces as they helped prepare their own food said it all.

We read so many fun apple-themed books, practiced counting, and explored letters and sounds through playful apple games.

I’ll be honest, September was our gentle ease back into learning. We took our time, spent long stretches outdoors, splashed in muddy puddles in rain suits, and let curiosity lead us. ,