Autumn is a season of change. The weather is starting to get cooler and more closed, and life is returning to a blessed routine. However, the transition from a period of holidays and time with the family to a period when returning to everyday settings may be a bit difficult, especially for preschool children.
When I plan the lessons, before I approach the content and structure, I think about the atmosphere I want to instill in the kindergarten - an atmosphere of calm. It is important to me to create a time and a place for the children where they can, amidst the difficulties of adaptation and regeneration (which are sometimes also accompanied by difficulty), metaphorically rest their heads and rest a little from the outside noises.
Therefore, I have collected fall songs and tunes of a more relaxed nature. And yet, I remained flexible and attentive to the team; In the daycare, they asked to end the bird lesson with the "bird dance" to release energy, and this is part of paying attention to the needs of those around me, since they are the ones who are with the children and need their strength.
Autumn is a season of nature - a whole world that calls us to go out, observe, explore and marvel at the wonder of creation. How I would like to dance with the fall leaves, run with the water lily, crawl with the snail and feel the coolness when the sun comes out and hides again. There is no better learning than tangible experience in nature itself. Since it is not always possible, I strive to bring nature to the garden, in the most vivid and tangible way, and to integrate basic concepts in music - in an experiential way adapted to all ages.
First, I focus on the birds - a clear sign of autumn. The birds are around us all year round, but in autumn they are more noticeable thanks to their migration to the warmer countries. The flight of the bird flowing in front of the pecking at the food reminds me of the opposite concepts staccato and legto. The song "Morning Light" (lyrics: Yehoshua Margolin, music: Daniel Samborsky) performed by Nurit Weiss Levy and produced by Daat, illustrates these concepts well, and the children internalize them through play and movement.
After that, I move on to fall leaves. When I remember how as a child I loved stepping on them, sometimes hard and sometimes weak, and hearing the changing sound - from this was born a recitation for fallen leaves, which I use with real leaves to illustrate the feeling to children. The leaves fall from top to bottom, and this calls to me an ascending ladder and a descending ladder. The song "In the wind of autumn" (lyrics: Ammi, melody: Joseph Haydn) evokes the experience of a descending scale through movement, playing and playing, and I like to sing it with the children and play the melody in a mind-set that incorporates the sounds of a descending scale.
Another characteristic of autumn is the fickleness - one moment it is cloudy and cold, and the next moment the sun comes out and becomes a little warmer. The song "Shemesh and Cloud" (lyrics and music: Ina Kribinski, production: Daat) talks about exactly that and invites us to a game of hide and seek. When the song is played in the kindergarten, I show the children how to hide or hide body parts and accessories, and the music also plays hide and seek with us - jumping and disappearing, running and hiding. This creates an experience that connects the child's inner world with nature and music.
The period between the holidays and Hanukkah is almost the only time of the year without holidays or days off, and it is an opportunity to go through an in-depth process with the children. This process, anchored in nature, gives them knowledge and experiences that will accompany them further along their path. I pray, every year, that this shared time will become meaningful, fulfilling and enriching.
Summary:
In the lesson plans for the fall, emphasis is placed on connecting with nature and the season of change, while encouraging a calm atmosphere in the garden. Paying attention to the songs, melodies and games connected to the characteristics of autumn - the birds, the falling leaves, and the fickleness of the weather - allows children an educational and sensory experience that will enrich their world over time.
