Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These sweet little guys are the perfect treat after a long day at work.  Soft pumpkin cookies with melty chocolate chips. Yum.

I make these with oat flour (oats that have been run through a blender until they are the consistency of flour), but regular all-purpose flour can easily be substituted 1:1.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp brow sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, honey, and egg with a mixer.  Add in brown sugar.

In another bowl, combine cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and oat flour.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Pumpkin Donut Holes

This might be my roommate's all-time favorite thing I have made.  Pretty sure he decided his life was complete when these appeared at home one night.

And then I took these to work.  And all the girls thought they had died and gone to Heaven.

Warm donut holes make me happy.  And when there's pumpkin involved, it's even better!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a 24-count mini-muffin tin with Pam.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spice with a whisk.  In a larger bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk with an electric mixer.

Slowly stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and combine.  Don't over-mix!

Spoon about 1 Tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. 

Bake about 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let muffins cool in pan about 2 minutes.  Combine sugar and cinnamon in one bowl, and keep melted butter in another bowl.  Dip each muffin in the butter, then in the cinnamon-sugar.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

If Your Clothes Have Any Color

Another great song for the beginning of the school year - or any time, really - is this one.  It incorporates thinking about your own body and clothing, color recognition, and listening and following directions.

If Your Clothes Have Any Color (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It”)

If your clothes have any red, any red,

If your clothes have any red, any red,

If your clothes have any red,
 put your hands upon your head. If your clothes have any red, any red.

If your clothes have any blue, any blue,

If your clothes have any blue, any blue,

If your clothes have any blue,
put your fingers on your shoe. If your clothes have any blue, any blue.

If your clothes have any green, any green,

If your clothes have any green, any green,

If your clothes have any green,
wave your hands so you are seen. If your clothes have any green, any green.

If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow,

If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow,

If your clothes have any yellow,
wiggle like a bowl of jello. If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow.

If your clothes have any pink, any pink,

If your clothes have any pink, any pink,

If your clothes have any pink, close one eye and make a wink. If your clothes have any pink, any pink.

If your clothes have any white, any white,

If your clothes have any white, any white,

If your clothes have any white,
 give yourself a hug real tight. If your clothes have any white, any white.

If your clothes have any black, any black,

If your clothes have any black, any black,

If your clothes have any black,
 pat yourself right on the back. If your clothes have any black, any black.

If your clothes have any brown, any brown,

If your clothes have any brown, any brown,

If your clothes have any brown,
smile big just like a clown. If your clothes have any brown, any brown.

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

We went on a really fun wine tasting trip for my friend Joe's birthday.  I knew they had plans for breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the tour, but I wanted to make sure he got a cake...and I wanted to try a pumpkin cake recipe!  Joe failed at gathering breakfast for the group, so we dug into the cake first thing in the morning and everyone loved it!  After wine tasting, we came back and finished off the cake.  You could say this recipe was a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 3-4 splashes milk
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a bundt pan.

Combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin with an electric mixer.  Pour into pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cake rest on counter in pan for 10 minutes.  Invert cake onto serving plate.  Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, and milk with an electric mixer until creamy.  Stir in cinnamon.  Frost cooled cake.

This cake was perfect for fall.  I can't wait for an excuse to make it again.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

Where oh where is my friend?

Last week, one of our songs focused on helping children learn each other's names in a fun way at story time.

This is sung to the tune of "Michael Finnegan."

Where, Oh Where, Is My Friend?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where could s/he be?

There s/he is! (pointing to child)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

We're so glad you're here!

(Repeat for multiple children)

This was a really sweet song that the children had a lot of fun with and I can't wait to see the children continue to enjoy it next week on the patio.

The Sand Area

I got to spend the first week of school in our wonderful sand area.

We were in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures above 100 degrees throughout the week.

It felt a little like being at the beach.

We have certain materials always available in the sand area, such as buckets, shovels, and cooking supplies.

Trucks are another favorite and are often separation aids for younger boys entering the classroom.

There is so much work being done in the sand area.  Large motor, fine motor, spacial reasoning, problem solving, and social problem solving, just to name a few.

We also have a new slide going from the top of one of our hills right into the sand area.  The children love it!

The sand area at Bing is a magical place.  Even on an unbearably hot day, when a child brings you a birthday cake made out of sand and water, everything is right in the world.

A little more information on our sand area and what is happening there in the life of a child:

Along with blocks, clay, paint and water, sand is one Bing’s five basic materials.  It is an excellent open-ended, malleable material that allows for a myriad of possibilities, including (but certainly not limited to) digging, cooking, pouring, sifting, building, landscaping, irrigating.  While being mindful of our water usage during the drought, we will usually offer water to extend our sand area exploration.  Sand offers both fine and large motor challenges, as well as opportunities for executive function (planning) and collaboration.  For a deeper perspective on Bing sand play, take a look at Center PM Head Teacher Nancy Howe’s 2011 Bing Times article: 

http://web.stanford.edu/dept/bingschool/cgi-bin/bt/october-2011/the-pedagogy-of-sand-play/

It is impossible to reflect on the sand area and not mention the monkey bars.  An iconic playground apparatus, the monkey bars offer children intense large motor practice, including some of the vestibular system focus mentioned in last week’s email.  While we do provide physical support to children who are becoming acquainted with the bars or attempting more challenging moves, we avoid moving children from bar to bar.  When children gain monkey bar skills through their own extended trial and error, their physical competence and growth mindset expands exponentially.  If you spend time at the monkey bars with your child, please ask her to make her own best effort.  Although she might not be overjoyed at your lack of help, the resulting resilience and confidence will be a gift that keeps giving.

Pumpkin Magic Bars

Magic cookie bars are just so good.  They are one of those desserts that are perfect for potlucks because you know they will go quickly and be enjoyed by children and adults alike.  I was a little skeptical about adding pumpkin into the mix, but boy oh boy, it was worth it!  My teaching team DEMOLISHED these during our meeting one week (hence why the only picture I could get was on a paper plate - they were eaten too fast!)

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works too)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer.  Spread in bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, combine milk, pumpkin, and spice.  Pour over cake batter mixture in the baking pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and then coconut.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes on counter before cooling in the fridge for 2+ hours.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama