autumn

  • Fine Motor Orange Pomanders

    Have you ever made orange pomanders? I remember making these in preschool, but I haven’t seen them around much recently.  I always love to refresh some of the activities that left an impression on me personally, so it seems like this one might be a keeper.  They are very easy to make, you just need some oranges (any kind will work – even little clementines), whole cloves, something to poke holes with (a toothpick, push pin, screw, etc.), and some twine or ribbon.  Start by showing the children how to poke starter holes into the skin of the orange. Once the starter holes have been made it is easy to…

  • Spice Painting

    Historically, spices were often used to create paints because many of them have very distinct colors.  Making your own spice paints is a great way to explore spices and their scents at the same time! All that you have to do is mix a good amount  of a single spice with a small amount of water until the paint is the consistency that you want.  You can also add a little cornstarch to make your paints go a little farther.  Here are some spices to try and the colors that they will make: Paprika = Orange Turmeric = Mustard Yellow Saffron = Bright Yellow Parsley = Green Cinnamon = Brown…

  • Sensory Spice Jars

    Thanksgiving lends itself to a completely unique sensory experience due to all of the wonderful smells associated with the holiday.  This is the perfect time to explore your sense of smell, and there’s no better way than creating a set of smelly spice jars for your science center. There are so many different ways to make these, but the key is to make sure you still get the scent without actually leaving any spices in your jars – you don’t want to deal with the sneezing that will come from inhaling the actual spices. I love to use the actual spice containers that the different spices come in when I…

  • Pumpkin-Themed Show and Tell

    Oh I love show and tell.  Seriously, I do. I know that for some teachers it is probably their least favorite thing, and I know teachers that refuse to do it because it create chaos in their classrooms – but I love it.  There are so many ways to use show and tell to support what you’re learning in the classroom (check out this post for ideas). One way to make show and tell really work for you is to link it to whatever theme or project you are currently working on.  Since October and November are all about pumpkins, here are some ideas for pumpkin related show-and-tell: Ask children…

  • Friday Freebie – Autumn Scavenger Hunt

    Happy Friday, I hope that you had a wonderful Halloween! Some people are all about Christmas as soon as Halloween is over, but I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving, so let the fall fun continue! Today’s freebie is a fun little scavenger hunt that you can use to encourage your students to pay attention to the world around them. It would be a great activity to send home for families to do together.  Download your copy and have a wonderful weekend!

  • Autumn Science Experiments

    Are you looking for some science experiments to help get your students excited about autumn?! I’ve rounded up a few that are guaranteed to get them asking questions and exploring new concepts. Leaf Science Vanishing Ghosts Pumpkin Seed Growing Apple Science Indian Corn Sprouting

  • Friday Freebie – Leaf Matching

    Happy Friday! Today’s freebie is a fun way to practice colors while celebrating autumn.  This leaf scavenger hunt asks children to find leaves that match the leaf on the card, what a fun game for outdoor time! Download your copy from Edventures with Kids and have a great weekend!

  • Autumn activities for preschool

    Autumn is a great season to explore in the classroom because there are so many natural materials the you can bring into your environment.  This also means that it is really important to have other materials in your centers that are related to those natural materials.  Here are some of my favorite autumn centers; Autumn vocabulary cards– These are great for reinforcing the new vocabulary words that students are learning.  This set includes the words acorn, apple, leaf, corn, leaves, pumpkin, tree, orchard, squirrel, and turkey and are wonderful for a writing center. Acorn matching set – This set includes letter matching, number matching, and color matching, making it easy for children…

  • Autumn Dramatic Play Themes

    I love autumn – pumpkins, sweaters, apple cider – it is my favorite season.  There are so many fun things to do in the fall, and those activities translate to wonderful dramatic play themes.  Here are some fun ideas to invigorate your dramatic play center. Leaf clean up: Inspire children to help rake the yard with this fun dramatic play center. Consider adding some of the following materials to inspire play: Rakes Gardening gloves Play leaves Leaf bags Apple orchard: Nothing says autumn quite like a trip to the orchard, it’s easy to create your very own orchard with some of these materials: Play apples (or real ones!) Bushel baskets…