autumn
-
Acorn Science
Acorns are great for autumn inquiries because they naturally lead to a variety of questions, such as; Why do the acorns fall off the tree? If we plant an acorn, will it grow? What would it grow into? What is inside of an acorn? Do any animals eat acorns besides squirrels? These questions can lead to wonderful investigations about autumn, hibernation, and plant life. If you’re looking for some additional science activities to do with acorns you can easily adapt year-round favorites to help your students understand acorns better. You could: See if acorns sink or float, and then explore the same question with other types of nuts Talk about…
-
15 Things preschoolers can observe in the fall
Autumn gives us plenty of examples to explore changes in our world. Here are 15 different things that you can use to practice observation skills with preschoolers: Leaves changing colors Leaves falling off trees Leaves on other plants (Are they falling off too? Is it just trees that lose their leaves?) Trees that are not changing colors (Why do some trees change colors while others do not?) Bugs (What are they doing? Is this different from what they do at other times of the year?) Squirrels Other animals (What animals do you see? What are they doing?) The temperature Weather patterns The clothing you are all wearing (Is it different…
-
Friday Freebie – Pumpkin Spice Gift Set
Happy Friday! I have something a little different for you this week. This freebie is designed to spread the autumn love and it’s a blog exclusive so you can only get it right here! Brighten someone’s day with this sweet little pumpkin spice set. Whether you send your favorite teacher a Halloween surprise, get a co-worker a little autumn pick-me-up, or share a latte with a good friend, this set is the perfect way to celebrate a love for pumpkin spice! It includes the orange tag card, the lattice pumpkin coffee sleeve, and some additional little circles that you can use as stickers or sprinkle around like confetti. Cut out…
-
Friday Freebie – Candy Corn Sorting
Happy Friday! I love all things fall, especially the food and that includes Halloween candy. My all time favorite is candy corn, I refuse to buy any at the store before October because I will eat it as soon as I buy it, so I try really really hard to only have it in the house for one month. This cute Sort and Count Freebie is perfect for my candy corn addiction. It requires a bag of the mixed variety. You know, the one with the regular candy corn, the big pumpkins, and the chocolate candy corn. This is the perfect excuse for me to start buying it now! Even…
-
Autumn Field Trip Ideas
My brain is stuck on all things autumn, so I’m going with it. I’m a huge fan of field trips, I think they are an amazing way to make learning real-life and to expose children to places and concepts that they otherwise might not come into contact with. I also think that they are perfect for introducing children to all of the concepts that you’ve been exploring in the classroom. I completely understand that not all programs are equipped to take field trips for a variety of reasons – I’ve worked in programs where this was certainly the case, so I’ve got a lot of tips for working around this…
-
Autumn Cooking Projects
Autumn is a great time to explore cooking in the classroom because the season naturally lends itself to so many food-related experiences. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites, along with some great ideas from other bloggers, to give you plenty of recipes to choose from! Apple sauceMaking apple sauce is a great experience for preschoolers because they can be a part of the entire process. Apples are soft enough that they can be easily cut with plastic knoves, and this recipe is made in the crockpot, so you can do it all in the classroom while they watch – and smell! Mini Apple PiesPlay to Learn Preschool has…
-
Friday Freebie – Fall Certificates
Happy Friday! Now that it’s officially autumn I feel much better about posting all of these great fall products! This freebie is a great way to recognize positive behaviors and encourage children to be helpers. Go download these Autumn Certificates from Teacher’s Big Helper, and have a great weekend!
-
36 Autumn Themes for Preschool
I’m a Reggio teacher, but I love to throw some seasonal themes in my lesson plan too so that my students get to experience a variety of topics. The other day a teacher asked me for some new ideas for autumn themes because she was tired of the same old pumpkins and apples, I was able to think of a few! Here are 36 themes that are perfect for exploring in the fall: If you prefer plain old text, here’s the list: Leaves Trees Logs Campfires Mums Sunflowers Acorns Squirrels Owls Farming/Harvest Tractors Scarecrows Corn Pumpkins Gourds Apples Farmers market School safety Fire safety Candy Corn Spiders Monsters Bats Halloween…
-
More Autumn Decor
Yesterday I shared some cute ideas for making your classroom feel a little more homey during this autumn season, but if crafting isn’t your thing then I have something for you too! If you’re looking for printable classroom decor, you’ve come to the right place. I love my autumn classroom decor set because: It’s printable and EASY to put together You can keep it up for the entire season or just use it for a class party It’s something that you could print and then ask a parent volunteer to cut and put together when you’re done with it it can all go in a file folder to store for…
-
Autumn decor for the classroom
My philosophy about the classroom environment is that the classroom should feel like home. We certainly spend an incredible amount of time there, and also, I like my students to be able to interact with the same kinds of things that they come into contact with at their own homes. Since I routinely decorate my own home for different seasons, it feels natural to me to decorate the classroom seasonally too. Over the years I’ve found that if I add a few seasonal pieces to my collection each year, it is more affordable. I also do a lot of DIYing to create decorative elements. Oriental Trading has become my go-to…
