Kindergartners at Austin Road Elementary School recently got a hands-on lesson in how apples become apple cider when environmental educators from the New Canaan Nature Center visited their school. Center representatives brought an old-fashioned apple press with them, allowing students to view the traditional way of making cider.
The visit built on weeks of classroom exploration, as students read books about apples, discussed what they observed and learned new vocabulary along the way. During the cider-making experience, they had the chance to put some of those ideas into action, exploring concepts such as matter, properties, forces and motion through hands-on activities.
The kindergartners also practiced early writing skills by labeling their work and using descriptive language to share what they learned. It was a memorable way to connect classroom learning with the natural world, and, of course, sample some apple cider!
Thank you to the Austin Road PTO for supporting the experience and to the New Canaan Nature Center for bringing this engaging lesson to our school.
