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Today's apple theme was upstaged a bit by the fun and enthusiasm that always goes into our bread making.
The children began by adding yeast...
....then sugar (usually we use honey, but we were out!)...
...then a mix of flaxseed, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, millet, and cornmeal...
...and then flour...
...more flour...
... and extra flour followed by a good stir and lots of kneading.
While our bread rose and we waited, the children and I set out for an end-of-summer walk. Since some of the children are still practicing holding hands and staying safe, we stayed in the neighborhood. We found ourselves visiting an interesting area with a few small trees at the one dead end in our neighborhood. There was plenty to see...
First, we spotted a giant grasshopper.
Next, the children watched the sunlight filter through the leaves on a cottonwood tree and they noticed the leaves were beginning to change color. We watched the leaves dance in the breeze.
After that we found several sprays of shining yellow goldenrod. We talked about the color of the flowers and how they are flowers that come out at the end of summer and they signal the approach of fall.
We even spotted a few pale asters growing up at the end of the tarmac. We talked about how brave those little flowers are to grow so close to the road where there isn't much dirt.
Last, the children gathered some of the fallen leaves from the cottonwood tree and brought them back home to examine them further. We talked about the shape, color, and size of the leaves, then let them go back outside.
When we came back from our walk, the children and I saw that our bread had risen high and was ready to knead and form rolls. We sang our customary bread making song ("This is the way we make our bread...") as we pushed and pulled the dough. At last, the rolls were ready and came out golden and lovely once they were baked; they were the perfect accompaniment to vegetable soup.
Later in the day, the children and I read Robert Munsch's classic tale The Paper Bag Princess and we had a little discussion about how brave the princess was. The children took turns telling me what they would do if they met a dragon. The responses varied from "run away" to "ROOOOAAAAARRRR!" If I were a dragon, I'd stay away from the Blue Sky Daycare children because they are very, very brave!
See you tomorrow!