Little Saints Preschool :: Fall is Here!

Folkmanis Puppet Sequoia Wildlife Set • Mini Barn Owl Finger Puppet 

This week we jumped ahead to the "Fall is Here!" theme in the Little Saints Preschool Program. I pulled out all of our fall themed picture books (and favorite fall puppets!) and then headed to the library with my little ones to pick up more. We had a break from the summer heat, with a couple rainy days to welcome fall, but the sun is back and the forecast says it's going to hit 95˚ by Monday...

Acorn Fairy Home • Gray Squirrel Finger Puppet • The Complete Peter Rabbit Library • Tree Finger Puppet Play House

.: Picture Books :. 

Nuts to You!
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Where Does the Brown Bear Go?
Woody, Hazel and Little Pip
Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks
Johnny Appleseed
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Why Do Leaves Change Colors?



Little Saints Suggested Books from the Library:
Every Autumn Comes the Bear
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf
All In the Woodland Early

Extra Fall Themed Books from the Library: 
Leaf Man
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Leaf Jumpers
Christopher's Harvest Time
Miss Maple's Seeds
Four Seasons Make a Year
The Little Yellow Leaf
Mousekin's Woodland Sleepers
Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic

.: Learning Games :. 

 

Counting Apples

I tossed our old, homemade and very well-loved flannel board a couple years ago so we used one of the couch pillows instead... The apples were great for practicing his number sentences for "some, some more" and "some, some went away" stories. 

 

Away up high in the apple tree. 

10 red apples smiled at me. 

I shook that tree as hard as I could, 

And down they came

And mmmmmmmm, were they good! 

Forest Friends Block Puzzle
This fun puzzle from our collection made a nice addition this week!

A video posted by Jessica (@showerofroses) on Sep 21, 2016 at 6:01pm PDT

September Poetry Review

"Today it is summer; Tomorrow is fall." 🍃🍂🍁 

#primaryartsoflanguage

.: Arts & Crafts :. 

Fall Walk & Nature Study followed by...

Leaf Man :: A Picture Book Inspired Craft for Fall

Branch & Twig Colored Pencils • Stockmar Beeswax Stick Crayons

Fall is... 

Craft with Template from the Little Saints Program

.: Fall Recipes & Snacks :. 

 

Apple Puff Pancakes 

A "Second Breakfast" on September 22nd to celebrate the First Day of Fall and Hobbit Day!

I've been making this recipe for years... It's at the top of the list of fall favorites around here.
We quadrupled the recipe and saved the last piece for Sean. 

 

Apple Pie

They used the recipe from How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and served it topped with some vanilla ice cream, of course! The market happened to be open when we ran down to pick up apples the other day... though the power did flash while we were in the store! 

Any (and every!) puddle will do...  #firstrainydayinmonths

"Remember that apple pie is delicious topped with vanilla ice cream, which you can get at the market. But if the market happens to be closed . . . YOU CAN EAT IT PLAIN!"

Acorn Donut Treats

Made with Donut Holes, Pretzel Sticks, Melted Chocolate, Chocolate Jimmies, and Sliced Almonds

Edible Fall Tree

Inspired by Meet the Dubiens, using leftover pretzel sticks from last week...
...along with Cheese Slices, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Orange Pepper, and an Oak Leaf Cookie Cutter
We made a simple dip with some plain yogurt mixed with Deliciously Dill

I had hoped to make Leaf Rubbings and My Blessings Handprint Trees, but ran out of time... Fitting all these fun activities on top of the rest of our school schedule and the 15-20 hours I've been spending at the office each week has been a challenge, but so worth it... I'm really enjoying sharing these great picture books and fun activities with my littlest ones! Next week, with Michaelmas and the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels coming up, we'll be focusing on "Colors/Guardian Angels"...

You can find more of Our Little Saints Preschool posts, Our September Book Basket, Our October Book Basket, Our November Book Basket and Thanksgiving Stories in the archives. 

Leaf Man :: A Picture Book Inspired Craft for Fall

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

After a rainy morning, the sun came back out so we headed outside to gather some fall leaves for an afternoon craft inspired by a picture book we picked up at the library today...

"This is the same type of craft you used to do with us when we were little... only cooler!" 

- Captain, age 16  (I think this is what he's remembering... hahah!) 

Little Saints Preschool :: Alphabet Fun

I'm not sure how much of the Little Saints Preschool Program we will actually get to this year... However, considering it could very well be the last year we have a pre-schooler (our "baby" will turn five in December... how did that happen?!), I'm going to try and fit some of it into our schedule.

My very loose "plan" is to not let myself try and "do it all" like I crazily attempted with our first two preschoolers all those years ago, and just pick and choose from the program's themes as I can fit some of them in, using what I have saved from the older children, and adding in additional books, toys and games from our collection. We will do what we can, keeping it simple and fun!

Our little guy will also be joining Rose in some of her studies this year (we've started learning about Early American History and memorizing poetry!) and Rose (as you will see in the pictures below) is loving being included in some of her brother's "schoolwork" too... along with the rest of their older siblings on occasion. Hahaha! Who can resist all the wonderful picture books and fun pre-school activities?! Our school year is off to a great start!

.: Picture Books :. 


I can't believe I had never read Chicka Chicka Book Boom to him! It was his favorite this week. 

The Alphabet Book

On Market Street

Albert B. Cub & Zebra

ABC Zoo Borns!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

The Letters are Lost

ABC Cat

A is for Annabelle

An Alphabet of Saints

A Catholic Child's Picture Dictionary

(I taught my 4th grader to use a dictionary this past week so he could look up his vocabulary words for his first lesson of Fix It! Grammar. In addition to our old dictionary, I pulled out this one too!) 

Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book 

(Last week the kids received copies of this coloring book for the canonization of Mother Teresa, since it includes a couple pages dedicated to her. This week they started coloring the "The ABC's of Life")

.: Learning Games :. 

PlanToys Alphabet A-Z

.: Arts & Crafts :. 

"Look, Mom! I spelled ZOO!" 

"On the Coconut Tree"

(using the coloring pattern from Little Saints, Mr. Sketch Markers, and Foam Alphabet Stickers)

.: Snacks :. 

ABC Coconut Tree 

(We had to do this one again, it was such a hit last time!) 

We ended the week with one last fun snack... but first they had to spell their names! Of course, as soon as the older kids came in and saw the cookies, they wanted to spell their names too... ;)

You can find all our past Little Saints Preschool posts listed here or scroll through them all here.