Pre-School Dendrologists Explore the Wonders of Fall

Fall has arrived at Barnesville, and our Pre-K students are diving leaf-first into the wonders of deciduous trees! Our youngest dendrologists have been observing the changing leaves on campus and feeling the crunch of acorns and leaves falling from the tall oak trees on the playground. Through hands-on exploration, they’ve learned that deciduous trees lose their leaves each autumn to conserve energy for the winter, and that buds and blossoms return in the spring, eventually growing into full, green summer canopies that will transform into vibrant fall colors once again.

Our smart students have made amazing connections between the life cycles of trees and other natural rhythms, including butterflies, human growth, the days of the week, months of the year, apples, and more! Many more!! They are recognizing that all living creatures have their own life cycles!! Together, they created a detailed chart to document the annual changes of deciduous trees, such as apple trees, capturing the full cycle from spring blossoms to fall foliage.

When learning about apples, the class discovered that every apple begins as a flower! They observed how bees help pollinate the blossoms and noticed that remnants of the petals remain on the bottom of the growing fruit. This close observation sparked excitement as students connected the dots between pollination, growth, and the delicious apples we enjoy.

In addition to science, Pre-K students explored social-emotional learning through the story Sweep. In this fall-themed book, the protagonist Ed’s bad mood grows like leaves falling from a tree, and he learns to manage his emotions with the help of a broom. The story inspired ongoing classroom discussions about strategies that would help identify and manage emotions. A great example of how our teachers integrate social emotional learning with science and literacy!

Students also compared paintbrushes and brooms using a Venn diagram, discovering the similarities between the two tools. Then, they mixed things up and used mini brooms to “paint” with fall colors! Their creativity continued as they gathered sticks and cardboard to build deciduous tree trunks and branches, then added their broom paintings and Eric Carle–style collage papers to create vibrant autumn leaves and fall scenery. The results were stunning and beautiful works of Art!

Our Pre-K class will continue to explore the natural world with curiosity, creativity, and JOY in fun and meaningful ways throughout all the seasons this school year.

Come… IMAGINE… EXPLORE… GROW… and ACHIEVE… with us!