Pumpkins and preschoolers

Hi everyone, I'm excited to introduce you to Miss Maggie Stella, a preservice teacher at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. I've been following Maggie, who is majoring in Early Grades Preparation and Special Education, on Instagram for a while now. You can find her here. Maggie recently did a really cute pumpkin activity with her preschoolers, and I just had to share it with all of you. So here she is, Maggie Stella (round of applause).

I am currently working at an Extended School Year program during my summers, where I have developed a passion for special education. I'm also taking a field course at Goddard Preschool every Monday and Wednesday. Recently, I did a pumpkin activity with them that turned out better than expected! Keep reading to find out more about what we did.

As I mentioned, I am currently at a Goddard Preschool. Recently, I was asked to create my center activity for the students. For my activity, I had the students create a Jack-O-Lantern using an orange paper plate and pre-cut shapes. They were each able to pick out shapes for the eyes and nose, but they had to tell me what shape they chose for shape identification, with options of squares, triangles, and circles. Then, I would give them all the same mouth shape for them to glue on. This was a great activity for shape recognition and student creativity.

My main goal was to have the students create unique Jack-O'-Lanterns, and I definitely achieved that. One unexpected aspect of the activity was the collaboration among the students. They were eager to help each other, which was heartwarming to see. The key to engaging them was my own enthusiasm for the activity. I've learned that preschoolers pick up on our energy and are like sponges, absorbing everything around them. This made the activity run smoothly!

An unexpected challenge I encountered was the different paces at which students worked. Some grasped the instructions quickly, while others needed more support. I learned to adapt and provide clearer directions, which was an important takeaway for me. Overall, the activity was a success and we all had a lot of fun making the Jack-O'-Lanterns!

During this activity, I learned the importance of putting energy into a lesson and how to adapt to students' needs. It was a great learning experience for everyone!

Now what? Comment below and share your spooky Halloween ideas.

Remember, friends, you have the EduMagic in YOU!