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The children and I have been waiting for weeks to harvest the seeds from the giant sunflowers that we grew, and today was the day! The seed heads have been drying, and it was relatively easy for the children to pluck the seeds from the petal-like structures that surrounded them. It was work that took diligence and and lots of fine motor skill, but after about a half an hour, the children were rewarded with a big bowl full of seeds.
We'll keep some of the seeds to plant next year and use the rest to feed the birds when the cold winds really start to blow. We talked about nice it is to share with our animal friends and we agree that we should do what we can to help the animals find good food so they can live comfortably.
With frost quickly approaching, it was also time to harvest the last of our ripe tomatoes and peppers. The children had a wonderful time plucking the red (and sometimes green!) tomatoes from the vines and gently placing them in a bowl. We ended up with about five pounds of tomatoes in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.
The littlest Blue Sky Daycare child has been busy working on her tummy time skills. Her neck and bak are getting stronger by the day, and she has plenty of encouragement from the big kids. She just loves watching them and gives them lots of adorable smiles.
It's heartwarming for me to see the sibling-like relationship that develops between the older and younger children in my care, and I believe that all children benefit from interactions in a multi-age group. The big kids get to explore their gentle, nurturing side as they learn to speak softly and move slowy near infants, and the infants get lots of auditory and visual input from the big kids.
We ended our day with another reading of The Paper Bag Princess and a few seasonal poems about fall.
See you soon!