Fall / Autumn Theme

Pratt's Educational Resources

Apple Theme
Fall Leaves Fall! Lesson (including a song)
Tree and Rainforest Themes
Columbus Day Theme
Halloween Theme
Pumpkin Theme
Squirrel
Thanksgiving Theme
Turkey Theme




Books

Search for Fall/Autumn/Leaves/Squirrel, etc. Books at Amazon.com

                  

Fall Leaves Fall! Book Activities

1.  Read Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall.
2.  Go outside.  Talk about the different kinds of leaves (what they look like, sizes, colors, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, etc.).  You can go to: Fall Means Leaves to find various activities and learn more about photosynthesis and chlorophyll.
3.  Stomp on the leaves.
4.  Sing The Leaves on The Trees.
5.  Try to catch the falling leaves.
6.  Make a big pile of leaves and jump on them.
7.  Collect some leaves. Go back inside. 
8.  Art & Crafts

Do Leaf Rubbings.  Do it in different colors like red, yellow, orange, brown, and green.  Cut them out to have for the song and the words of the song for each child.

Fall Picture
Collect leaves, twigs, rocks, pine needles, etc. Glue them onto a piece of paper.  Make animals, people, or other objects.  Draw or paint arms onto them.

9.  Home Economics
Leaf Cookies
: Bake leaf cookies (Sugar Cookies or Dairy-free Sugar Cookies).  Frost and  then decorate them using sprinkles, etc.
Leaf Biscuits: Bake leaf biscuits.  Serve with jams, preserves, or jellies that are the same color as fall leaves (or use any flavor).

Music

The Leaves on The Tree
Sung to: "The Wheels on The Bus"
Copyright © 2000, 2004 Barbara Pratt.  All rights reserved.

The leaves on the tree are falling down,
falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the tree are falling down,
Red, yellow, orange, and brown.

Note: Drop leaves from above your head as the color is mentioned in the song.

The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch,
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.
The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch.
All through the fall.

Note: Have the child/children pretend they are crunching leaves on the ground while singing this verse.

Other Music / Songs
Autumn Day #247: LDS Church Music: Children's Songbook

Arts & Crafts
Leaf Painting
Using a paint brush, brush paint onto various leaves (vein side up).  Place the paint side down of the leaf onto the paper.  Place a piece of wax paper over the leaves.  Roll a rolling pin or bottle across the leaves.  Remove wax paper and leaves.

Leaf Rubbing
Place your leaf (vein side up) under your piece of paper (tape it on for younger children) and take a crayon and rub your leaf.
Do it in different colors like red, yellow, orange, brown, and green.

Leaf Art
Cut a leaf pattern (using the links on this page) out of thick paper or glue on a piece of cardboard. Design your leaf pattern by gluing cold cereal, noodles (colored or plain), oatmeal, or rice on it.

Feather Art
Take a small colored paper plate (or white if you like).
Glue a lot of feathers on the plate.
Make a hole using a hole puncher.
In order to hang it, place a piece of yarn and tie it in a knot or a small piece of pipe cleaner and twist it together.
Let the glue dry.

Crumbled Leaf Art
Collect some leaves. Let dry.  Brush some glue on paper and sprinkle the dried leaves on.

Fall Collage
Go on a walk.   Collect leaves, flowers, twigs, etc.  Brush some glue on paper.  Place the items you collected onto the paper.  Let dry.

Fall Picture
Collect leaves, twigs, rocks, pine needles, etc. Glue them onto a piece of paper.  Make animals, people, or other objects.  Draw or paint arms onto them.

Math
Leaf Math

Cut the number of a leaf pattern you would like.  For example, I cut 12 red maple leaves from Kids Domain (listed on this page).  Laminate.  Write various addition or subtraction problems on index cards. For example, 1+1= 1+2=,... Have the child use this as manipulatives to figure out the answer to the problems on the cards.  Make an activity sheet with the problems you have on the index cards.  Have them write the answers by the problem.  You can have older children write the problems you have on the index cards onto a piece of paper and write the answer by each problem.

Acorn Math
Follow the above directions except use the acorn patterns located at TeachNow.com for this activity.

Acorn
Acorn Alphabet Game
Using a frozen 12 or 16 ounce juice container, place construction paper around it.  Tape the seam closed with clear plastic tape and the top with clear mailing tape.  Go to TeachNow.com under "Free Pattern Archives" has acorn patterns and a squirrel with an acorn. You need to join to download them.  You will need to have one for each container.  Make 26 acorns found at the same site.  Print one page and then cut out 26 onto brown construction paper.  Write the lower case alphabet on one side and the upper case alphabet on the other side.  Laminate or place clear contact paper on them.  Have the child hunt for acorns scattered over the floor, put them in order, and say the alphabet.

Acorn Alphabet File Folder Game or Table Game
You can make separate acorns too.  Use 52 pattern acorns.  Write the lower case alphabet on 26 of them and then the uppercase alphabet on 26 more.  Follow the above directions.  Place one set in a file folder (or on a table or the floor).  Match the correct letter with other matching letter.

The Brave & Bold Little Squirrel - An illustrated story from "The Tales of Edgeriver Wood

Music
Ten Acorns in a Row @ Idea Box

Leaves
Information
Autumn Leaf Scrapbook Leaf Identification in Missouri New 8/15/03
Autumn Leaves - Why do leaves change color in Fall? @ Science Made Simple Including word scrambles.
Forest Watch Leaf Guide Description and images of different kinds of oak and maple leaves, Chinquapin, Box Elder, Sycamore, Tulip Tree/ Yellow Poplar, Elm, American Hornbeam / Blue Beech / Musclewood, Hop Hornbeam / Ironwood, Hackberry, American Beech, Black Locust, Black Cherry, Black Walnut, River Birch, American Basswood, Redbud, Cottonwood, Black Gum, Sweet Gum, Ohio Buckeye, Witch Hazel, Sassafra, Flowering Dogwood, different ash trees, Bitternut Hickory, Shagbark Hickory, and Hawthorn species.
Why Leaves Change Color?

Activities
A lot of these links were found by a member of my education group.
BBC - Gardening with children - Counting oak leaf points projects
Crayon Leaf Prints @ Explorer
Fingerpaint Leaf Prints @ Reach Out Michigan
Leaf Bug Hunt (Science & Art) K-3
Preschool Fall Activity Theme for Teachers @ Preschool Rainbow
The Activity Idea Place: Leaf Activities
Tree Journal @ Education Center

Leaf Printables and Activity Sheets
Autumn Counting Worksheet @ Activity Village
Bry-Back Manor: The Attic -Leaves Patterns
Coloring Pages - Free Fall Leaf Pages for Kids to Color @ about.com
D-lite Collections @ Bry-Back Manor Different leaf activity sheets.  One includes:How Many Leaves (counting and writing numbers).
Fall Leaves @ Hatchling Books
FOR - 65: Tree Tips Images of: sweet gum, white ash, dogwood, post oak, pin oak, sugar maple, red maple, and sassafras.
Kaweah Oaks Preserve Coloring Pages by Lee Wilson Valley Oak Leaves
The Laughing Leaf -- Language Arts: Primary (Grades 1-3) @ Teacher Created Materials
The Mulberry Picker Leaf image.

Maple Leaf Patterns
Maple Leaf Shape Pattern @ abcteach
Kids Domain Canada Day Coloring


Online Activities
Leaf Quiz @ Kansas Forests

Squirrel

Autumn and Fall Links

A Walk Into The Woods
A story about a boy going to the woods with his class.  Including: leaves and acorns.  It reviews numbers 1-12.
Autumn Celebration at The Holiday Zone
Arts and Crafts, Coloring Pages, Games, Language Activities, Poetry, Songs and Action Rhymes, and Recommended Books and Links
abcteach.com: October Themes
Autumn Activites @ The Activity Cupboard
Autumn Pages @ Activity Village
Bry-Back Manor: Fall Tic Tac Toe Game Acorns and Leaves.
Crayola Activity Book: Nature Walk
You need to become a member to view the printout.
Educational - Math Worksheets - Autumn Theme @ Activity Village For ages 2-5.
Fall theme for daycare or childcare @ about.com
Free Printable Math Worksheets: Autumn Themed @ KidZone Grades 1-5 (These can be used for other grades too; depending on the child.)
Monthly Themes for Kindergarten: Themes and Book Ideas
Perpetual Preschool: Harvest
Preschool Education.com
Preschool Fall Activity Theme @ Preschool Rainbow

Online Fall Activities & Stories

Seasons Story @ kidzclub

Copyright © 2000-2006 Barbara Pratt.  All rights reserved.