In Saturday's lesson, pupils talked about autumn: when it arrives, how we can recognise it and what changes it brings to nature. The class also recalled all four seasons and considered what characterises each of them. The discussion was accompanied by the ‘Przyszła jesień’ (‘Autumn Has Come’) board, and the children consolidated what they had learnt with autumn worksheets.
Astronomical autumn begins on the day of the autumn equinox, around 22–23 September, when day and night are almost exactly the same length. After that the days grow ever shorter, the leaves on the trees turn golden and red, and shiny conkers appear in the parks.
Then the real autumn magic began. The children brought autumn's treasures with them: conkers, colourful leaves and sticks. All it took was some plasticine and a little imagination to produce conker creations – among them teddy bears, ladybirds and a conker caterpillar laid out on a yellow leaf. Every piece of work was different and every one was special. Making little conker people and animals is, in fact, one of the favourite autumn activities in Polish pre-schools and schools.
Creative activities like these develop creativity and imagination, and at the same time are excellent exercise for small hands. Moulding, kneading, shaping and joining pieces together support the development of fine motor skills and manual dexterity. That is exactly why we love lessons in which we can create, experiment and have fun.
More autumn artwork can be seen in the gallery.
