A Very Pumpkin Weekend

Our weekend: Family in from out of town, Halloween party at the farm, trip to the cider mill for donuts and pumpkins this time, Annual Pumpkin Carving party, a birthday party, a wagon ride, a bonfire, several costumes, hot spiced cider and pumpkin pie. Oh what a perfect pumpkin weekend!

Week 9: Halloween Is

Week Nine (Oct 27-31)

Book of the Week:

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

Expansion Book:

Halloween Is

Halloween Is

Letter of the Week: I

I is for Iris

We will be coloring the Iris page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.

Craft for the Week: Quilt Square

Once a month, we will be decorating a 12 inch quilt square to reflect something we are currently learning about. At the end of the school year, I will turn all of our squares into a keepsake quilt.

Field Trip Idea:

After last week’s craziness we could use a quiet week.

Baking Recipe for the Week:

Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 c. solid packed pumpkin

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 t. cloves

1 2/3 c. (13 oz.) evaporated milk or light cream

1 9 inch pie shell

DIRECTIONS

Mix filling ingredients in order given. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temp. to 350 and continue baking for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center of pie filling comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Poem of the Month for October:

Harvest

Now all the farmers from far and wide

Have gathered their bounty of countryside:

Corn and barley from field and wold,

Honey from beehive and wool from the fold,

Fruit from the orchard all ripe, red and gold,

Log for the fire to keep out the cold.

by Dorothy Hancock

Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time

Week 8: Pumpkin Pumpkin

This might be a quiet week for me in terms of posting. We have a lot on our calendar and quite a bit of family coming in from out of town. Fun, Fun, Fun.

Week Eight (Oct 20-25)

Book of the Week:

Pumpkin Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pumpkin

Expansion Book:

Pumpkin Circle

Pumpkin Circle

There is a lovely DVD that goes with the Pumpkin Circle book if you can find it at your library. It is a bit too pricey for me to recommend buying it but Scholastic does carry it if you are interested.

Letter of the Week: H

H is for Herb Twopence

We will be coloring the Herb Twopence page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.

Craft for the Week: Painting Pumpkins & Gourds

I think we will paint a couple of the little ‘baby pumpkins’ and gourds for some fun decorations.

Field Trip Idea:

A trip to the pumpkin patch of course!

Baking Recipe for the Week:

Pumpkin Muffins

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick spray coating

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar plus 2 packets heat-stable sugar substitute, or 1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1/4 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Spray twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with nonstick coating; set pan aside. In a medium bowl combine the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar plus sugar substitute or the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In another bowl combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, oil, orange peel, and orange juice. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

3. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins are light brown. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Poem of the Month for October:

Harvest

Now all the farmers from far and wide

Have gathered their bounty of countryside:

Corn and barley from field and wold,

Honey from beehive and wool from the fold,

Fruit from the orchard all ripe, red and gold,

Log for the fire to keep out the cold.

by Dorothy Hancock

Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time