Market Day
The weather is turning cooler and the leaves are slowing changing, so it can only mean one thing – Opal Early K's annual trip to the Farmer's Market! This field trip is a favorite and gives us the opportunity to embrace the wonderful community event of a farmer's market with our new classroom community. It also gives us a chance to jump in and explore the market and all that it has to offer with all of our senses!
Before we set out, we read Northwest author and illustrator, Nikki McClure's, To Market, To Market. In her beautiful book, she wanders the market and her own shopping list and slows down to enjoy the yummy food, treats, and goods, as well as those who bring these things to the market. After enjoying this book and its gorgeous paper-cut illustrations, the children were eager to create our own list to collect things to bring back to our classroom community! (Click here:You can see a collection of McClure's work this month at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. )
So, we set off towards downtown on the MAX (one of the highlights of this trip), 
waited for the Market to open (we were told by the ringing of the bell), and were surrounded by many things to….
taste…
feel…
smell…
hear…
and of course, see…
We also had many opportunities to interact with the farmers, bakers, beekeeper and florist that make up the vendors at the market! 
When we returned to the classroom, we set up provocations and areas for the children to reflect on their experiences at the Market.
We wondered:
What do you see when you look closely at something? 
What does taste look like?
What memories from the Farmer's Market did you bring back?
The children visited these areas with all their memories and experiences from the morning with them. We even offered them items that we brought back to taste!
Here are a few of their reflections:
"I am bringing home when I was holding the flower. It was so smelly. I sucked on it to see if there was any honey in the flower." (L.H., age 4)
"I am noticing all the dots and when I look close I see lines on the pumpkin." (C.C., age 5)
A.H. helped the class in understanding how to look for a taste. He explains that "you put it in your mouth (what you are tasting) and in your brain it goes around and around. You close your eyes and some colors come in your mind. It lets you draw amazing detail."
He explains his painting of tasting a strawberry and other fruits and vegetables in the following way: "These are all the tastes connected."
Thank you to everyone who helped volunteer and donate funds to make our trip to the Market an amazing one!
