Fall Theme

FALL POEMS
It is the summer's great last heat,
It is the fall's first chill: They meet.
– Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

BOOK ACTIVITY
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.).
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/BAKING
Leaf Cookies: Bake leaf 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: Children's Songbook

ARTS AND 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.

I have some acorn math for sale at TeachersPayTeachers. Go to the below link to view them.
Acorn eBooks @ TPT Desert Blossom Learning

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.  You will need to have one for each container.  Make 26 acorns.  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.

Leaf Links
Information
Autumn Leaf Scrapbook Leaf Identification in Missouri
Autumn Leaves - Why do leaves change color in Fall? @ Science Made Simple Including word scrambles.
Why Leaves Change Color?

Activities
Make leaf rubbings.

Leaf Printables and Activity Sheets
D-lite Collections @ Bry-Back Manor Different leaf activity sheets.  

One includes: How Many Leaves (counting and writing numbers).

Squirrel Theme
AFUNK: Squirrel Coloring Book
Bry-Back Manor: Help the Squirrels - Match the squirrels with the correct number of nuts (acorns)
KidsRCrafty: Squirrel Dot-to-dot (a-m)

Autumn and Fall Links
Autumn Celebration at The Holiday Zone
Arts and Crafts, Coloring Pages, Games, Language Activities, Poetry, Songs and Action Rhymes, and Recommended Books and Links
Bry-Back Manor: Fall Tic Tac Toe Game Acorns and Leaves.
CrayolaActivityBook: Nature Walk, Fall Coloring Pages
Free Printable Math Worksheets: Autumn Themed @ KidZone Grades 1-5 (These can be used for other grades too; depending on the child.)