Happy first day of fall. In kindergarten rooms across the nation, I’m thinking there are changes. A fall decoration, doubtless, adorns the door. Inside, children and teacher step into a new unit on autumn.
I enjoyed teaching math, science, reading, and art in units. The children and I would look for signs that the season had changed. Somebody would hear the first flock of geese flying over. Leaves of all shapes and colors would come into the room in small hands. We’d read fall stories, write and illustrate our own stories on autumn, count and classify leaves and acorns, learn about planet rotation and why days are getting shorter and nights longer. We’d delve into many fascinating facts, all on a five-year old’s understanding level.
I miss the children and the fun times, the eager, curious minds and engaging in learning in happy ways. In those days, kindergarten was an introduction to formal learning, although there wasn’t much formality in my bustling classroom. To my way of thinking, if a child’s first year at school was a happy one, he or she would look forward to the years to follow. We learned a lot, but we learned it in a fun way, and that, to me, was enjoyable.
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