The document describes a student teacher's curriculum project on leaves based on observations of preschool children. The project involved 6 planned activities centered around leaves, including sorting leaves by color, exploring leaves' textures by putting them in water and sand, comparing leaf colors and shapes, making leaf crafts, pretending to be squirrels collecting leaves, and dancing to leaf songs. The goals were to enhance the children's development in various domains like cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language skills through hands-on exploration and investigation of leaves.

1. Curriculum: Project Development
Topic: Leaf
ANECDOTAL OBSERVATION POSSIBLE CUES
On September 25, 2012 at 3:30 pm, the Developmental cues:
student teacher went with ECE teacher Sort objects logically on the basis of one
and the children for a community walk. dimension, such as colour, shape, or size.
The children were then asking questions
about the leaves. We answered their Understand basic size, shape comparisons.
questions. In addition we said to them, Able to classify by colours and types.
“How does the colour of the leaves
Understand simple questions appropriately.
change at the time of season
change.”Most of them collected leaves Develop animism crediting inanimate
and said, “Fall is coming, all leaves are objects with life and lifelike properties such
in the ground, and we will jump, crunch, as “Leaves are bored, they don’t like one
and crunch.” Also, most of the parents colour.”
said, “Children are very interested about
leaves. They collect leaves from the Interest Cues:
playground, the park, and whenever Interested in nature.
they find leaves they start collecting
leaves.” The children brought leaves to Collecting leaves and comparing.
class and started comparing the leaves Stories of how leaves fall.
with one another. They also exchanged
their leaves and mentioned the colours
while exchanging. As the children
started playing, they developed more
clear understanding of leaves and their
nature. Their conversations included:
”Does the leaves walk?”
– “No leaves fly. Fairies wind blow and
leaves fall down.”
“Why do you think these leaves change
colour?”
– “They are bored, they don’t like one
colour.

2. Possible Interests Web:

3. Anticipatory Web

4. Rational
Dear parents,
My name is Sayeda. I am a doing my placement in Muppets Children’s Centre.
In couple of weeks I am going to implement six planned activities based on my observation,
and children’s cues and interests. My selected topic is related to children’s everyday
experiences with leaves. After observing the children and speaking with them at circle time, I
have discovered that they are so much interested in leaves. Most of the children enjoy playing
with leaves, and most of the time they are talking about the leaves, and they enjoy encounters
with different leaves. Moreover, leaves are available all around the place. We can integrate
leaves in the curriculum to utilize as tools in order to enhance their development of all
domains. According to Vygotsky, the difference between what a children can do without the
support of a more experienced caregiver and what the children can do with that support (Kail,
R. & Zolner, T., p. 248). Preschoolers are naturally curious and they will have many
opportunities over several weeks to explore leaves, and they will be benefited in all
developmental domains. For example, they will feel texture; they will count leaves and define
different types of leaves. It is an open ended experience which they can extend more. The
children will learn how many colours the leaves change, and when leaves change colour, so
they will learn about the seasons. Therefore, these experience and environment will work for
children as a third teacher. This experience is beneficial for preschooler children because they
are now at preoperational stage, and they will learn how to use symbols, such as words and
numbers, colour and texture.
During this time, the children will:
• Sort, classify, and categorize leaves.
• Explore and crunch leaves
• Compare and contrast the similarities and differences
• Make leaves of different colour with play dough
• Goop with leaves, using leaves as paint brushes and draw leaves
• Collect leaves and pretend that children are squirrels and getting ready for
winter
• Make head gear and waist gear with leaves and wear them and dance with
leave songs.

5. We will be posting evidence and samples of our work. Please check in often and share
this experience with your children!
Thanks for your cooperation,
Sayeda Sultana, Student of Centennial College.
Documentation Panel
Documentation reflects children’s learning most effectively, when children are
actively involved in learning experiences, interact with others participating in everyday
experiences. A documentation panel is a visual process. It helped me show children’s work to
the parents more visually. I made my panel with children’s work. I made all activities in
different ways. I put science, math, music, drama, social studies, creative and art activities. I
visited the community park to collect leaves. The guest speaker read out a book on leaves.
Accordingly, I placed all of my activity pictures on the documentation panel. To grab the
parents’ attention, I put on my documentation panel the Rationale, KWHL Chart, First Circle
Web, Anticipatory Web, and Final Web. First, I discussed with my ECE teacher about where
I should put my documentation panel. The ECE told me about the location. I placed the
panel board at the dramatic centre and kept it at the eye level of the children. The location
was close to the entrance so parents could see easily. When I set the panel board all children
came over and saw the panel. A child said, “Wow! What a beautiful board!” Pointing to her
picture on the board, she called other children and said, “Look, this is me.” My mom said, “I
did good job.” When parents came to pick up the children most of the parents saw the panel.
They became very happy to see that their children did lots of activities. Also, they noticed
that their children were very excited about what they did. Parents always feel happy when
their children are happy. When S’s mom came in, S held her mother’s hand and brought her
mother in front of the documentation panel and said to her, “Look, mom, this is my picture.”
From my observation, children are very curious. Children always want to explore their own

6. role. The children looked at their pictures and could recognize when it happened. Whenever I
finished an activity, I used to make a board along with some pictures and put the board at the
eye level of the child. It helped them remember what they did previously. It also helped
children see the connections between their experiences and learning. According to book titled
Next Steps toward Teaching: the Reggio Way, “the role of collaboration and the co-
construction of knowledge, the independence of individual and social learning, and the roll of
culture in understanding this interdependence. Dwey, Piaget, and Vygotsky agree that the
individual child is active in constructing his or her intellectual and social development;
Malaguzzi also emphasizes each child’s active role in development.” ((Hendrick, 2004, p.28)

7. Documentation Panel
Documentation Panel Displayed in the Dramatic Area

8. Sorting and Counting game (math activity)
Picture description
Children are doing math activity and they are sorting leaves by colour. This experience will
support their fine motor skills as they are holding, sorting and counting the leaves. It will also

9. enhance their cognitive development by identifying different colours and sorting objects
logically on the basis of one dimension, such as colour, shape or size (Allen & Marotz, 2007,
p. 134). Moreover, it will provide the children with the opportunity of a sensory experience
of touching leaves. This experience will enhance their language skills as they are asking
questions and using words like smooth, red, yellow etc. The children are helping one another
in the sorting activity. This will contribute to their social and emotional development through
collaborative performance. This will also bring about the development in physical (fine
motor), cognitive, social, emotional and language domains and support the development of a
Whole Child. According to Piaget, a teacher is a guiding mentor, who encourages initiative,
experimentation, reasoning, and social collaboration. She arranges safe, supportive
environments for spontaneous exploration where learners are free to choose from many
alternatives. Like Montessori, Piaget believed that to be effective the teacher need to be a
careful observer so that she can set up environment and experiences that challenge children.
Explore and Crunch activity (science activity)

10. Picture description
The children are doing science activity. A science activity develops sense of curiosity
and interest in investigating new ideas and concepts. These activities fulfill children’s desire
to explore and discover the world by getting direct hands-on experiences. Here, the children
are exploring leaves’ property by putting them in different environments such as in water and
sand. This activity supports the children to explore open ended materials to develop their
cognitive skills. By touching the leaves in the water or the sand, they are developing their fine
motor skills. By feeling the texture, they are developing sensory skills too. When the children
are giving answers and asking questions, they are developing their language skills. They are
showing their feelings for the leaves by saying “Leaves are happy”; this develops their
emotional skills. They are working collaboratively; this enhances their pro-social skills.

11. According to Dewey, “Children as active, in fact, “intensely active”. The question for
educators, Dewey said, is how to take hold of the children’s activities and give them
direction, “The law for presenting and treating material is the law implicit within the child’s
own nature.” “The content of a social curriculum is best when it grows out of children’s
social life.” (Hendrick, 2004, p. 29). Through this activity, the children learn about the
different textures that a leaf assumes in different environments.
Goop with Leaves activity (creative and art activity)

12. Picture description:
The children are doing Creative and Art activity. The children are very interested to use
leaves as paint brushes and Goop as paint to make art on the paper. This activity support
children to develop their cognitive skills as they are using leaves as paint brushes and goop as
paint for painting on a paper. They hold leaves as paint brushes; this develops their fine
motor skill. They touch the goop and feel it; this develops their sensory skills. Sensory skills
help the children to improve their fine and gross development. They are getting hands-on
experience of manipulating materials. This also promotes scientific exploration and
discovery. Basically, children are learning from their senses and sensory activities improve
their cognitive and learning skills. They were talking about the leaves, painting on a paper
and subsequently putting their artwork in trays for drying. Some of them decide to take their

13. artwork home for their mothers. These contributes to the development in their language,
social, and emotional domains. According to the book titled Creating Environment for
Learning, “Children increase their artistic knowledge, skills, and creativity while enhancing
emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development as they participate in art. They also
are more likely to develop a “love of the arts” when they are exposed to art at a young age.”
(Bullard, 2010, p. 249).
Squirrels are getting ready for the winter (Dramatic activity)
Picture description:

14. The children are doing dramatic activity. They are pretending that they are squirrels and
taking preparation for the winter. In this activity, the children use symbolic representation
and engage in cooperative play with one another which develops children’s cognitive skills.
According to Piaget, “preoperational stage is the stage of cognitive development during
which children use symbols to represent objects and events. (Kail & Zolner, 2012, p. 237)
According to Vygotsky, “Dramatic play allows children to practice skills they learned in real-
life situations, to assimilate information, and to try to make sense of it. While engaging in
socio-dramatic plays, children gain literacy, self regulatory, cognitive, social, emotional and
creative skills (Bullard, 2010, p. 230). Therefore, this activity supports the children to
develop their all domains.
Make Different Colour Leaves with Play Dough activity (Social studies activity)

15. Picture description:
The children are doing social studies activity. They are making leaves with the play dough of
different colours and learning how leaves change colour from one season to another.
Vygotsky believes that child development proceeds through a series of five stages. He
focuses on the social aspects of learning, that is, the role of adults and older children in
supporting cognitive, self-regulation, and language development. (Charlesworth, p.15).
Therefore, this activity supports cognitive, emotional and language development. It also
enhances their fine motor skills when they roll the play dough. By touching the play dough
with leaves, they develop their sensory skills. They are demonstrating their understanding of
others’ perspective by saying “my mom loves green one” etc. This develops their social

16. skills. From this activity, the children learn that in the summer, leaves are green; in the
spring, they start to change colour; in the fall, they are red, yellow, orange and green; and in
the winter, there are no leaves in the tree.
Tribal Dance activity (Music activity)
Picture description:
The children are doing the music activity. They wear head gears and waist gears made of
leaves, hold one another’s hand and dance with the “fall leaves” music. This activity provides
the children with the opportunity to explore and develop their different domains. When they
are dancing, they are developing their gross motor skills. When they are singing a song, they
are developing their language skills. By holding hands and sharing their experience and

17. feelings about wearing head gears and waist gears, they are developing their emotional and
social skills. The children are also learning about a special aspect of the native’s cultural
tradition. This develops their thinking skills. According to the book titled Children: A
Chronological Approach, Gardener (1993, 1995) believes that schools should foster all
intelligences, not just the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences.
Teachers should capitalize on the strongest intelligences of children. Some students may best
understand unfamiliar cultures, for example, by studying their dance, while other students
may understand these cultures by studying their music. (Kail & Zolner, 2012, p. 341).
KWHL Chart

18. K (Know) W (What do we want H (How will we learn it) L
to know)
Fall, winter, When do leaves Make leaves of different The children have learned that in the
spring change colour? colours, with play summer leaves are green; in the
dough. spring leaves start to change colour;
in the fall leaves turns red, yellow,
and green; in the winter there are no
leaves in the trees.
Green, yellow, How many times do Make goops of different The children have learned that
red, brown leaves change colour? colours. Do paintings on leaves can be of different colours
paper using leaves as such as red, yellow, green, orange,
paint brushes. and brown. Leaves of different
colours can be used for different
purposes.
Red, yellow, big, How are leaves Collect many leaves of The children have learned that
small, round, different? different sizes, shapes, leaves are different in shapes,
square and colours and sort colours and sizes. We can sort
them. leaves by colour, size, and shape.
In winter all the What happens to the Collect leaves and The children have learned how
leaves fall down. leaves in the winter? pretend that children are animals such as squirrels etc.
What happens to the squirrels and getting survive during the winter.
squirrels? ready for winter.
Smooth, rough, How do we feel when Place leaves in water Children have learned that a leaf can
and dry. you touch a leaf? and sand, to explore and have different textures in different
crunch. environments.
Make happy How do leaves sound Make head gear and Children learn about a special aspect
sound, crying, when wind blows? waist gear with leaves, of the native’s cultural traditions.
laughing. wear them and dance
with leaf songs.

19. Final Web