Fall Theme

Arts and Crafts

Collecting Leaves
Invite the children to take a walking tour around your yard, playground or neighborhood. Invite each child to use the collecting bucket ( see science activity). Talk to the children about the changing color of the leaves and invite them to put the leaves they like in their bucket. When you get back to your home or classroom give each child a large piece of construction paper. Invite the chilren to glue their choice of leaves (just to keep them still) onto the paper. Then as the children name the color, etc you write for them what they have said about their leaves. Then cover with contact paper.

Leaf Necklace
You will need 1 shoe string per child, a plastic drinking straw and some smallleaf shapes cut out and colored with crayons, markers or paint. Invite the children to cut the straw into about 6 pieces. Invite the children to sting a straw then a leaf shape, straw, leaf until all are strung. Tie at the ends. Be sure the necklace length is easy to get over the child's head.

Head Bands
Invite the children to cut paper strips to make a head band. They could use glue, staples or tape to keep the head band together. Provide the children with feathers, glitter, sequins or other materials for them to decorate the headband with. Invite the children to write FALL in the front. For younger children adult help may be required.

HAND PRINT ART
Need small amounts of assorted fall colors and tempera paint the palm and inside of fingers of one hand (excluding the thumb) with brown paint press hand on the paper so that the palm forms a trunk and the fingers form branches dip pad of thumb (thumbprint) in paint, one color at a time and stamp leaves onto the branches I hope you can picture this one... it is really cool! To put it on the wall get green butcher paper and cut out their trees and tape them to the hillside.

Wreath of Leaves
corrugated cardboard
yarn
poster board
glitter
fabric
newspaper
glue
scissors

1. Cut a doughnut shape from the cardboard to make a wreath. Wrap yarn completely around it.
2. Draw and cut out leaves from colored poster board. Working on an old newspaper, spread glue around the edges of the leaves and sprinkle them with glitter. Attach them to the wreath
3. Cut a strip of fabric and make a bow for a decoration
4. Attach a loop of yarn to the back of the wreath so you can hang it up.
   

LEAF COLORING
Paper towels cut out in leaf shapes, food coloring, water, bowls, and wax paper give each child two or three precut leaves and a piece of wax paper the children can choose which color they want to dip their leaves in the leaves can be dipped in more than one color so they can form new colors lay wet leaves on wax paper to dry and mount them just as they are.

LEAF BOOKMARK
Need construction paper, contact paper, leaves and scissors cut construction paper into 3x6 inches have them collect leaves on a nature walk children arrange the leaves onto contact paper. Put the construction paper over the contact paper and cut around the edges.

AUTUMN TREES
Large piece of paper, Crayons or markers, Glue, Leaves First go for a walk and collect leaves (the more colorful the better). To make a tree outline, trace the child's hand (with fingers spread) and arm (up to the elbow) on a large piece of paper. Color the inside of the outline, that is the tree. Now, glue leaves onto the branches and around the base of the tree. You can also cut out "apples" and glue them on the tree!

FALL LEAF MOBILES
Cut a 1 inch strip of cardboard & tape into a circle. Punch 6 holes in the strip & have kids collect 6 colorful leaves. Press them between pieces of wax paper. Punch a hole in the wax paper & tie each with a different length of string to the circular mobile.

GLYCERIN LEAVES
Place a small branch with fall leaves on several layers of newspapers. With a hammer tap the end of the stem until it is slightly crushed, Place branch in a jar with one part glycerine to two parts water. Keep for 2 weeks. Leaves will be thicker to touch, colors will have changed & they will not disintegrate or fade.

LEAF NECKLACE
Cut out many leaf cutouts using many fall colors. Have the child decorate with markers and crayons. Laminate the leaves!(optional), then punch a hole in the stems and give the child some string or yarn, and have them thread them on to make a Fall Leaf Necklace.

CLAY LEAF PRINTS
Use a rolling pin to flatten clay or a drying type dough. Lay a leaf on the clay & roll over it. Remove the leaf & let the clay dry. Paint the clay with fall colors of tempera.

AUTUMN BREEZES
Construction paper, scissors, feathers - Call a circle to discuss Autumn Breezes.- Spark interest with questions such as: How does a breeze feel? How does the wind feel? If you were an autumn breeze, what would you like to push, lift, or blow against? - After the breeze discussion each child chooses a feather and a sheet of construction paper.- The children FOLD their papers in half. They stand up, drop their feathers, and create a breeze by waving their papers. Who can keep the feather up?- Try it with - a leaf, a cotton ball, a balloon, a kleenex, a paper cup, paper, fan. Which falls quickest? Tell the children that they =choose one to share experience at home.

DRY LEAVES
Green construction paper, dry fall leaves picked up from the ground, glue, brushes Preparation: Cut a fairly large leaf shape from construction paper for each child. Have the children brush glue on their leaf shapes. Then let them crinkle dry leaves and scatter the pieces all over the glue. Can also Draw bare tree figures on pieces of construction paper. Then let the children crumple up the dry leaves and glue the pieces of their papers.

FALL COLORS
Draw a large tree on kraft paper. Have the children trace their hands onto kraft paper and paint them fall colors (red, yellow and orange). These become the leaves for the tree. The more the better. Glue the hands onto the tree and you have a beautiful handmade creation.

WELCOME WREATH
Put toilet paper rolls, paint and brushes on table. When each child comes to the table; let him paint a roll. When child is finished, stand roll up on end to dry completely. When dry, string rolls on piece of yarn and tie.

LEAF SHAPE PAINTING
Tempera paint in fall colors, leaf cut outs. The children paint a leaf in fall colors. A brush or sponge may be used for painting. Display in hall or windows.

WATER LEAF PRINTS
(outside activity) Provide paintbrushes and small buckets of water. The children paint fall leaves with water, then press them on the cement. Observe the pattern the print makes. Point out and discuss the vein in the leaf. This can be done indoors by using tempera paint instead of the water. The children paint the leaves and then press them on white construction paper.

LEAF COLLECTING AND SORTING
Take children outside to collect as many leaves as they can find. Go back to class and have children take turns putting the leaves into groups of small, medium and large leaves.

LEAF PAIRS
Collect 6 matching pairs of leaves. Press the leaves between heavy books for several days. Mount each leaf on index cards and laminate. let the children take turns matching the pairs of leaves. LITTLE SQUIRRELS They will pretend to be squirrels and gather acorns. Then each child will bury their acorns in a pot of dirt. We will see how many little trees we can grow.

FALL APRONS
Purchase a white cotton carpenter's apron for each child (art fabric paints. Collect a variety of leaves. Look for leaves that are still pliable. Tape the stem to a scrap piece of paper. Let the child brush each leaf completely with fabric paint that has been thinned slightly. Untape the leaf and place carefully, paint side down, on apron. Cover with paper towel. Place old phone book on top and let children count to 5. Repeat with several leaves. Write child's name on apron. Use for Nature walk to collect acorns, leaves, etc.

FALL COLLAGE PLACE MAT
Go on a fall nature walk and pick up things off the ground that have fallen off the trees. (leaves, acorns, pine needles, etc.) Come back to the classroom and discuss the different things the kids found. Discuss how the leaves are changing different colors, etc. Put down a piece of contact paper. Tape the sides to the table. Have the children create a collage out of their findings. Afterwards put a piece of construction paper against the contact paper.

FALL TREE CRAFT
Fingerpaint paper-tree trunk shape, cut out of construction paper and glued onto the finger

TOOTHPICK TREE
Have the children make a tree by gluing toothpicks on a piece of paper. Use a sponge and green tempera paint to add leaves to the top of the tree.

GLITTER PINE CONES
Dip pine cones into a bowl of white glue, and then dip them into a bowl of glitter. Let them dry, and hang them from the ceiling by a string.

FALL LEAF STAINED GLASS DESIGNS

• Colorful fall leaves
• wooden ice cream sticks
• paper towels
• old crayons pieces
• waxed paper
• paper clips
• kitchen towel
• iron
• tape

Take your class on a walk outdoors and collect 4 or 5 fall leaves.
Give each child a ice cream stick, paper towel, and some pieces of old crayon.
Ask each child to make crayon shaving over the paper towel by scraping the side of the ice cream stick against the crayon. Each child should make a handful of shavings.
Next, give your child 2 12" long pieces of waxed paper. Children will then arrange their fall leaves on one of their pieces of waxed paper. Have the children sprinkle colored wax in the spaces between the leaves. Ask each child to lay a second piece of waxed paper on top of his or her leaf arrangement.

Use paper clips to attach each child pieces of waxed paper together. Place a towel over the paper, to protect the iron. Then set the iron at a low temperature and iron each child arrangement. Then display in the window!

A Fun Art Project
Have each child bring in one large colorful leaf. Glue or tape this to a sheet of paper. Look in a magazine for a face, arms, legs, etc. Cut these out and glue on the paper with the leaf as the body. These make very funny looking pictures. You may want to make more.

Have children colour and cut out different leaves (3 or 4). Staple the leaves to a long strip of streamer or thick ribbon and staple a popsicle stick to the other end. Have children hold on to the popsicle stick and run and twirl around.

Autumn Trees
Large piece of paper
Crayons or markers
Glue
Leaves
First go for a walk and collect leaves. Take a tree outline and trace the child's hand (with fingers spread) and arm (up to the elbow) on a large piece of paper. Color the inside of the outline that is the tree. Now, glue leaves onto the branches and around the base of the tree.

Leaf people Picture
Leaves
Paper
Crayons or markers
Glue
Glue one leaf onto the center of the paper. Use the leaf as the body; draw head arms, legs, ect.

Leaf Prints
Leaves
Paint ("fall" colors)
Black Construction Paper
Paint one side of each leaf (not too thick). Carefully arrange leaves in one layer, paint side up, on clean newspaper. Place a piece of black construction paper over the top of the leaves and press gently!

Leaf Necklace
Cut out many leaf cut outs using many fall colors. Have the child decorate with markers and crayons. Laminate the leaves (optional), then punch a hole in the stems and give the child some string or yarn, and have them thread them on to make a Fall Leaf Necklace.

AUTUMN WREATH
One of my favorite leave art activities is to make autumn wreaths. Have different shapes and colors of leaves cut out of paper - acorns also. A stiff paper circle with the middle cut out (paper plates with middle cut out would work good too.) The children can glue the leaves onto their circles front and back. Put a hole punch through put a string through and hang - they look beautiful!

LEAF CROWN
Be a Fall Princess! Make a 2 inch-wide headband large enough to fit the child's head and staple. Glue leaves all around the crown.

Clay Leaf Prints
Use a rolling pin to flatten clay or another drying type dough. Lay a leaf on the clay & roll over it. Remove the leaf & let the clay dry. Paint the clay with fall colors of tempera.

Leaf Collage
Cut out large leaf shapes. Have glue and various seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flower seeds beans, etc.) for the children to collage.

Fall Colors
Glue torn brown construction paper onto large sheet of finger paint paper to resemble the rough trunk & branches of a tree. Randomly drop spoonfuls of liquid tempera onto the paper. Cover the paper with a large sheet of wax paper then press & rub the paint. Allow paint to dry completely then peel away the wax paper. Cut around the shape to make a tree.

Fall-leaf stained glass designs
Colorful fall leaves
wooden ice cream sticks
paper towels
old crayons pieces
waxed paper
paper clips
kitchen towel
iron
tape
Take your children on a walk outdoors and collect 4 or 5 fall leaves. Give each child an ice cream stick, paper towel, and some pieces of old crayon. Ask each child to make crayon shaving over the paper towel by scraping the side of the ice cream stick against the crayon. Each child should make a handful of shavings. Next, give your child 2 12"long pieces of waxed paper. Children will then arrange their fall leaves on one of their pieces of waxed paper. Have the children sprinkle colored wax in the spaces between the leaves. Ask each child to lay a second piece of waxed paper on top of his or her leaf arrangement. Use paper clips to attach each childs pieces of waxed paper together. Place a towel over the paper, to protect the iron. Then set the iron at a low temperature and iron each childs arrangement.

Leaf Rubbing
To help children notice the veins in leaves and the different shapes of leaves, let them place a variety of leaves (underside up) under a piece of light colored construction paper. Using the sides of crayons that have had the paper covering removed, children make crayon rubbing of the leaves.

Dry Leaves
Green construction paper, dry fall leaves picked up from the ground, glue, brushes Preparation: Cut a fairly large leaf shape from construction paper for each child. Have the children brush glue on their leaf shapes. Then let them crinkle dry leaves and scatter the pieces all over the glue. Can also Draw bare tree figures on pieces of construction paper. Then let the children crumple up the dry leaves and glue the pieces of their papers.

Fall Leaves
To make a leaf, pinch the end of a spring-type clothespin and insert a cotton ball. Dip the cotton ball in yellow, orange, green, or red powdered tempera paint, and then rub it on a piece of Manila paper. Repeat this process several times, overlapping colors, until the paper is completely covered. Shake the excess paint from the paper. Place the Manila paper on a sheet of newspaper. Using a water-filled spray bottle, mist the paper. When the paint is dry, trace a tagboard leaf cutout on the paper. Then cut on the resulting outline. Mount the leaves on a wall or bulletin board for a great fall display.

Wreath of Leaves
corrugated cardboard
yarn
poster board
glitter
fabric
newspaper
glue
scissors
Cut a doughnut shape from the cardboard to make a wreath. Wrap yarn completely around it. Draw and cut out leaves from colored poster board. Working on an old newspaper, spread glue around the edges of the leaves and sprinkle them with glitter. Attach them to the wreath. Cut a strip of fabric and make a bow for a decoration. Attach a loop of yarn to the back of the wreath so you can hang it up.

LEAF ART

Cut out leaf shapes. color with colored chalk or crayons. place colored shapes on plain white paper then use thumb and rub color of shape to white paper. after rubbing all around shape lift shape off white paper. Makes a beautiful art project.

1. Collect the largest whole leaves you can find . Have the children paint them any or all of the fall colors then make "prints" of the leaves by putting a neutral color (beige works really well) construction paper over the painted leaf. Have the children rub the paper until they can feel the veins of the leaves through the paper . Peel the paper off and you have a beautiful leaf print! Sometimes you can make more than one from the same leaf. After they dry you can even write "What I'm Thankful For..."and laminate them as a placemat for Thanksgiving too!
2. In our 4 year old class, we have the children cut out a tree with branches. They then glue colorful puzzle pieces(the leaves) on the tree. I usually buy a One Hundred piece puzzle at the dollar store.
3. Let the children cut out leaves, then marble paint with red, orange and yellow paint.
4. Glue a picture of a tree on construction paper, then the children thumbprint the leaves on the branches.
5. Have the children cut out a large leaf shape. Dip the paper leaf into water. Dab yellow, red, orange, green, and brown paint all over. Fold the leaf in half and smear the paint together. They turn out beautiful. You can also add a little bit of glitter to make them extra special.

Rake
Homemade rake/one large paper plate cut in half. Staple curved sides together looks like half circle) leaving a space at the top to slip a paper towel roll in. slip it down in the hole and staple it in place. Draw a line about 2 inches above the cut side. They cut (fringe) up to the line. Can curl them a little if desired by rolling them at the tips of the cut.

Leaf Splatter Painting
Use a lid from a box that is approximately 9 by 12 inches. Cut a rectangle from top of lid leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Invert the lid and place a wire screen over the opening. Tape the screen to the border. Arrange the leaves on a sheet of paper. Place the lid over the arrangement. Dip a toothbrush into thin tempera paint and brush across the screen. When the tempera dries, remove the leaves.

Coffee Filter Leaves
Coffee Filters (Cut out in the shape of leaves)
Water Droppers
Dye or Paint Various colors)
Mix the Paint or Dye with water then put it in the water droppers (different color for each water dropper). Let the children create their own leaves with the droppers The colors mix together to make great, original looking leaves.

Science and Math Science and Centers

Collecting Bucket
Invite the children to make a collecting bucket. You will need clean butter tubs, a hole punch and string or ribbon. Invite the children to paint their tub. When it's dry decorate with letters, stickers, markers or sponge paint. Punch a hole at the top edge of the butter tub and invite the child to put the string or ribbon through the hole and tie in a knot. Put the other end of the string or ribbon through the other hole and tie in a knot. Be sure the string is long enough to go over the child's head with lots of room to spare. They need to be able to bend over, pick up something off the ground then stand up and put it into their bucket.I make sure the bucket hangs just below the middle of their chest. Add the child's name and date.

Foliage Basket
Invite the children to color a sheet of construction paper. Provide them with leave stamps, leave die cuts , markers, crayons or paint. After their paper has dried fold into a cone shape, staple closed and add a paper handle. Be sure to put each child's name on their work including the date.

Popping Popcorn
What happens when you heat up corn kernels? Get an air popper and let the children watch the corn kernels pop. Be sure to let the children know that the container is hot. WARNING: Popcorn is a choking hazard and should never be served to children under the age of three. Children over the age of three should be directly supervised

Leaf Match
Use a glue stick to glue leaves plucked from 4-6 different trees on to a poster board. Cover with clear contact paper. Sandwich leaves of the same size and variety between two pieces of clear contact paper. Trim around each leaves leaving a sealed edge. Set the board and leaves on a tray. The children match the leaves.
Construction paper
Out of construction paper or tag board, prepare pairs of various-shaped leaves. The children can match the identical leaves.

Corn Starch Impressions
Cornstarch, baking soda, water, saucepan, waxed paper, nature objects such as leaves, twigs and flowers:In a saucepan, mix together 1-cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, and 1 1/4 cups water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Cool, and then flatten mixture between sheets of waxed paper. Let the children lay leaves, twigs, flowers or other nature objects on top of the cornstarch mixture and press them down firmly. Then have them remove the objects to see the detailed impressions they made.

Turning Leaves
Collect green leaves and place them on a tray to dry.... over time they turn brown without chlorophyll the leaf loses his green color.

In the past I have found a picture of an empty tree and I let the children use their fingers to paint leaves in the tree and also falling down to the ground.

Leaf Crunch
Collect leaves. Pour leaves into empty water table Allow children to scrunch up the leaves with their hands Children can also sprinkle the crunched leaves on a cardboard leaf shape with glue to make a leaf mosaic.

FALL PLACEMATS
Take green leaves and place on piece of fabric. Hammer it. It will create a tie die effect. I though we might do handprint turkeys and then tie dye with the leaves for the background for our Thanksgiving placemats.

LEAF MOBILE
Glue colorful and different fabrics to both sides of several pieces of heavy paper. Cut leaves from this. Tie a string on each leaf. Suspend the leaves from a small branch. Hang where the leaves will catch the breeze and flutter.

LEAF RUBBING
To help children notice the veins in leaves and the different shapes of leaves, let them place a variety of leaves
(underside up) under a piece of light colored construction paper. Using the sides of crayons that have had the paper covering removed, children make crayon rubbing of the leaves.

ALUMINUM FOIL LEAVES
Pieces of aluminum foil, leaves, glue, construction paper Set out pieces of aluminum foil and a variety of fall leaves. Let each child select a leaf, place it under a piece of foil, and gently press and rub the foil with his or her hand to get a leaf print. Then have the children glue their leaf prints to the construction paper

AUTUMN LEAVES
Construction paper, waxed paper, old crayon (red, orange and yellow, plastic bag, hammer, iron Cut construction paper into leaf frames. Place crayons in a plastic bag and let the children help pound them into little pieces with a hammer. Cut waxed paper into sheets. Plug in iron. Let the children place crayon pieces between two sheets of waxed paper. Then press over the papers with an iron to melt the crayons and waxed paper sheets together. Put leaf frames around the finished pictures and hang them in a window.

LEAF PRINTS
Newspaper, leaves, tempera paint (red, orange, yellow), paintbrushes, black construction paper. Have the children select one or two leaves and place them on a piece of newspaper. Let them paint their leaves red, yellow and orange. Then help each child place a sheet of black construction paper over the painted leaves and gently press down to make a print. You can keep doing this until you put as many leaves on the black paper as the child wants to fill up the page. The kids really enjoy doing this one and so does the teacher. I always make one for myself.

LEAF MAN
Glue on of the leaves onto the center of paper (use the leaf as the body) draw head, arms and legs. FALL WALK We go for a Fall Walk every year and look for leaves and nuts. Then we go home and glue what we find onto paper to make pictures. We have made turkeys using the leaves for the tail, animals using the leaves as body shapes, houses, aliens, etc. We also glue the nuts into animal shapes. We have used the leaves and nuts to talk about colors and shapes and size and started collections with them.

Games and Activities

FINGER TREE
Gather colored paper (red, orange, brown, green, yellow) Trace the child's hand onto several sheets of several colors. Cut out. Then cut out a brown tree trunk&branches in proportion to the amount of leaves. Have the child glue the hand shapes to the tree trunk to form the leaves of the tree. Option: Have the child think of things to be thankful for and label the hand/leaves. Another Option: Use as a class project. Use one hand cutout for each child to make a class tree.

LEAF MATCH
Use a glue stick to glue leaves plucked from 4-6 different trees on to a poster board. Cover with clear contact paper. Sandwich leaves of the same size and variety between two pieces of clear contact paper. Trim around each leaves leaving a o " sealed edge. Set the board and leaves on a tray. The children match the leaves.

ALUMINUM FOIL LEAVES
Pieces of aluminum foil, leaves, glue, construction paper Set out pieces of aluminum foil and a variety of fall leaves. Let each child select a leaf, place it under a piece of foil, and gently press and rub the foil with his or her hand to get a leaf print. Then have the children glue their leaf prints to the construction paper

LEAF PRINTS
Newspaper, leaves, tempera paint (red, orange, yellow), paintbrushes, black construction paper. Have the children select one or two leaves and place them on a piece of newspaper. Let them paint their leaves red, yellow and orange. Then help each child place a sheet of black construction paper over the painted leaves and gently press down to make a print. You can keep doing this until you put as many leaves on the black paper as the child wants to fill up the page. The kids really enjoy doing this one and so does the teacher. I always make one for myself.

LEAF MAN
Glue on of the leaves onto the center of paper (use the leaf as the body) draw head, arms and legs. FALL WALK We go for a Fall Walk every year and look for leaves and nuts. Then we go home and glue what we find onto paper to make pictures. We have made turkeys using the leaves for the tail, animals using the leaves as body shapes, houses, aliens, etc. We also glue the nuts into animal shapes. We have used the leaves and nuts to talk about colors and shapes and size and started collections with them.

AUTUMN LEAVES
Construction paper, waxed paper, old crayon (red, orange and yellow, plastic bag, hammer, iron Cut construction paper into leaf frames. Place crayons in a plastic bag and let the children help pound them into little pieces with a hammer. Cut waxed paper into sheets. Plug in iron. Let the children place crayon pieces between two sheets of waxed paper. Then press over the papers with an iron to melt the crayons and waxed paper sheets together. Put leaf frames around the finished pictures and hang them in a window.

CORNSTARCH IMPRESSIONS
Cornstarch, baking soda, water, saucepan, waxed paper, nature objects such as leaves, twigs and flowers: In a saucepan, mix together 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, and 1 1/4 cups water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Cool, then flatten mixture between sheets of waxed paper. Let the children lay leaves, twigs, flowers or other nature objects on top of the cornstarch mixture and press them down firmly. Then have them remove the objects to see the detailed impressions they made.

WINDOW PAINTING
Paint a fall scene on your window. Use the following recipe and the paint is easily removed. Give each child a window to decorate. Window Paint: 2 Tbsp powdered tempera paint, 1 Tbsp warm water, 1 tsp Joy dish washing liquid Measure powdered paint into a container. Mix in water thoroughly to achieve a smooth paste. Add JOY, mixing completely, but gently, to avoid making paint too sudsy. Dries on windows in 5 - 10 minutes. Washes off easily with a solution of water and vinegar.

LEAF BRACELETS
Wrap a piece of masking tape (sticky side out) around each child's wrist. Go on a nature walk and have children collect one leaf from each of several trees, sticking it on their leaf bracelet. When the class returns, sit in circle. Teacher holds up each leaf shape in turn and lets children identify similar leaf on their bracelets. Let children wear their bracelets home and check the types of leaves in their yards.

ANOTHER FALL TREE
In the Fall we cut trees out of poster board- one for each child, then when we go for our walks we collect leaves and glue them on our trees.

PRESSED LEAVES
Another idea I did as a child was to collect leaves and put them between wax paper and iron them together--that way they stay colorful all year.

PUZZLE TREE
Found a great easy activity for spring, you know those puzzles that seem to always have missing pieces (like the 63 piece one that only has 40 pieces left ) Cut out the trunk of a tree with limbs glue this or even staple it to another piece of paper (yellow makes a great back ground color) and glue the puzzle pieces to the branches of the tree. This could also be used during the fall.

HIDE NUTS
Hide them throughout the room children pretend to be squirrels and gather the nuts fun by tasting the nuts that have been discovered. Nut are good for sorting... as far as shape, size and color.

INTRODUCE HIBERNATION
Primarily with bears and squirrels.

NATURE COLLAGE
Twigs, leaves, small pine cones, nuts... etc. glue onto tagboard cut into wreath shape shows children how to collect items from the ground without damaging the environment.

FALL TREE 2
Crumple small pieces of red yellow and orange tissue paper glue them onto a large paper plate cut slit in one end of a TP roll insert the paper plate splatter paint leaves arrange one or more leaves on a sheet of construction paper partially fill a small spray bottle with DILUTED tempera paint spray lightly over the leaves when paint dries, lift the leaves to reveal the design.

LEAF TOSS
Take a sheet, or a parachute. Gather real leaves, fabric leaves, or paper leaves. Place them in the middle of the sheet. Gather around the sheet and have the children lift the sheet slowly and then quickly to see how all the leaves "float".

LEAF MOBILE
Glue colorful and different fabrics to both sides of several pieces of heavy paper. Cut leaves from this. Tie a string on each leaf. Suspend the leaves from a small branch. Hang where the leaves will catch the breeze and flutter.

LEAF RUBBING
To help children notice the veins in leaves and the different shapes of leaves, let them place a variety of leaves (underside up) under a piece of light colored construction paper. Using the sides of crayons that have had the paper covering removed, children make crayon rubbing of the leaves.

SCAVENGER HUNT Make up a list of objects around the indoor environment or outdoor play space. Be very specific. Give children list and a bag. Have everyone work together to complete the list, and time the hunt!

COMPASS EXPLORER Show your child how to the compass needle aligns itself with magnetic north, and that by simply rotating the compass to line up the needle with north, you'll know each direction. Encourage the child to explore their environment and constantly taking a directional check

HIKING A hike may be planned in the city, suburbs, or country. It may be short, extensive, spontaneous, or planned. Note the various plants, trees, and stones. Observe insect life, birds, and animals. Notice signs of pollution, erosion. Plot a map. Use a compass.

LEAF MOBILE Glue colourful and different fabrics to both sides of several pieces of heavy paper. Cut leaves from this. Tie a string on each leaf. Suspend the leaves from a small branch. Hang where the leaves will catch the breeze and flutter.

LEAF RUBBING To help children notice the veins in leaves and the different shapes of leaves, let them place a variety of leaves (underside up) under a piece of light colored construction paper. Using the sides of crayons that have had the paper covering removed, children make crayon rubbing of the leaves.

LEAF TOSS Take a sheet, or a parachute. Gather real leaves, fabric leaves, or paper leaves. Place them in the middle of the sheet. Gather around the sheet and have the children lift the sheet slowly and then quickly to see how all the leaves "float"

Glycerine Leaves
Place a small branch with fall leaves on several layers of newspapers. With a hammer tap the end of the stem until it is slightly crushed, Place branch in a jar with one part glycerine to two parts water. Keep for 2 weeks. Leaves will be thicker to touch, colors will have changed & they will not disintegrate or fade. When leaves of the same type start to change pick them and compare.

Collecting and sorting
Take children outside to collect as many leaves as they can find. Go back to class and have children take turns putting the leaves into groups of small, medium and large leaves.

Leaf Pairs
Collect 6 matching pairs of leaves. Press the leaves between heavy books for several days. Mount each leaf on index cards and laminate. Let the children take turns matching the pairs of leaves.

Pantomime autumn
Have the children in your class pantomime the following actions. Discuss why they are a part of the Autumn season.

1. Squirrels gathering nuts.
2. Leaves floating to the ground.
3. People raking fallen leaves and putting them in baskets.
4. Birds flying south.
5. Animals getting ready to hibernate

One of my students favorite fall activities is the felt tree. I made a four foot bare tree with a hole in the thickest part (for squirrels etc.) that they can place on the floor. For the tree I have cut out felt leaves in many colors, birds, squirrels, bird's nests, apples. The children decorate and remove the felt pieces as they wish. They will often retell some of our fall stories as they play with the tree. I keep the pieces in a plastic box for easy storage.

For science we cut apples and place them on a cookie sheet. Each day we look at them and write what has happened. I also use a digital camera to record each day so the children can see the changes. (This is for a 4 year old class)

I have an ellison of a tree with just branches and then an ellison with small leaves. We put the leaves on the trees with the names of family members - letting the kids share with who they are close to more so than who lives at their house - and then I had them add stickers of dogs or cats etc for their pets. It was really cute cause it was made in the form of a card

FRONT - My Family and Me (written in a sort of oval shape with their handprint in the middle )
INSIDE - the tree with the leaves - they could put them on the tree or falling on the ground however they wanted since it is fall.

Take the children to a local park on a nature walk. Give each child a zip lock baggie and allow them to pick up leaves, acorns, chestnuts and other things that they find on the ground. Bring it all back to the classroom and let it dry out (if wet) then use some of it to make a nature collage and some of it put in the science corner with magnifying glasses for the children to explore.

LEAF SCIENCE
With fall approaching quickly, this is a great time to grab a few green leaves from an easily accessible tree (maples are great) and put the stem in a jar with glycerin to preserve and keep them green. Then as the leaves begin to change color, gather leaves from the same tree and do the same... this way you can compare the various colors as they change.

FALL MOBILE
Your youngsters will love the colorful effect of this work of art. To make a leaf mobile, arrange a fresh leaf on a sheet of waxed paper; then add a sprinkling of crayon shavings. Place a second sheet of waxed paper on top of the crayon shavings; then place the sheets between layers of newspaper. Press the sheets together with an iron set on low heat. Remove the waxed paper sheets from the newspaper and let them cool. Next cut loosely around the leaf and punch a hole in the top of the cutout. Personalize each cutout and tie it to a leafless tree branch with a length of monofilament line. Suspend this mobile from the ceiling for a colorful fall display.

SIGNS OF AUTUMN
Provide each child with a reseal able plastic bag. Have each of your little ones search for and collect signs of autumn such as pinecones, leaves, nuts, twigs, and acorns. When the hunt is over, return to the classroom. Supply each child with a tagboard pumpkin shape and glue. Have him glue the items from his bag onto his cutout.

LEAF TOSS
Whirling, swirling leaves will leave your little ones all aflutter! So will this group movement activity that requires a flurry of cooperation. Space your children evenly around a large sheet or a parachute. Instruct each child to hold the sheet tightly with both hands. Place a supply of real leaves or decorative fabric leaves (from a craft store) in the center of the sheet. Challenge the group to move the sheet slowly at first, then faster until all of the leaves have flipped up and floated to the ground. Ask the group to put down the sheet, gather the leaves, and begin again. Whee!

Snacks & Recipes

Leafy Snack
Make sandwiches and use leaf cookie cutters to create leaf shaped sandwiches
Alternatively use Jell-O, to make Leafy Jigglers

LEAF PILES
The recipe is 6 cups cornflakes, 1 cup Karo sryup, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter.
In a microwave melt the karo, sugar, and peanut butter together. Pour over the cornflakes and place them in piles. Let them cool and dry a little. Then enjoy your leaf piles on your leaf day.

Fall Trees
Spread the toast or graham cracker squares with peanut butter. Decorate with it one with short thick pretzel stick placed vertically on the bottom of bread. (this is the tree trunk), Then take mini M&M's in fall colors & place them over the top of the pretzels (these become the leaves).

Yummy Leaf Toast
Use leaf cookie cutters to cut white, rye or wheat bread to make leaf shapes. Put on cookie sheet and toast in oven for short time. Give the children strawberry (or raspberry) and apricot jam to spread on their leaves so they turn into fall colors.

DELICIOUS FALL LEAF
Buy the Pillsbury slice and bake sugar cookie dough with the orange pumpkin that comes out at Halloween. Roll the dough out and mix. The dough turns into a nice looking color, then use cookie cutter leaves to make the most Leafy SnackMake sandwiches and use leaf cookie cutters to create leaf shaped sandwichesAlternatively use Jell-O, to make Leafy Jigglers

Songs & Fingerplays

Five Little Acorns
(sung to “Five Little Ducks”)
(Five) little acorns swinging in the tree
Hanging from a branch as high as can be
Along came the wind and blew one away
(Four) little acorns are left to sway.
Repeat going down to one little acorn, then final verse:

Down came a squirrel from high in the tree
Searching for food as fast as can be
He saw those acorns fat and round
And hid them in a hole he dug in the ground

THE LEAVES ARE FALLING DOWN
("the farmer in the dell")
The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green and brown
The leaves are falling down

Fall is Here
(Sung to "Where is Thumbkin?")
Fall is here
Fall is here
Yes it is
Yes it is
We can see the leaves change
Then they fall on the ground
Blow away
Blow away

Falling Leaves
(Sung to "Mary had a little lamb")
Leaves are falling on the ground
On the ground
On the ground
Leaves are falling on the ground
Red, yellow, green and brown.

Season Song
(Sung to: "Saints go Marching")
Oh when the leaves, fall off the trees
Oh when the leaves fall off the trees
We know that it must be autumn
When the leaves fall off the trees.

Leaves are Falling All Around
Leaves are falling all around - (put hands up and wiggle fingers)
Red, (do the sign language symbol for red)
Yellow, (do the sign language symbol for yellow)
Orange, (do the sign language symbol for orange)
And Brown. (do the sign language symbol for brown)
Twirling, swirling to the ground (wiggle fingers and bend knees and do the twist)
Look how many leaves I've found! (jump up with arms stretched out)

Falling Leaves
All the leaves are falling down (flutter fingers downward)
Orange, green, red, and brown. (flutter fingers)
If you listen, you'll hear them say, (cup hands around ears)
"Wintertime is on its way." (whispering)

Five Leaves
Five little leaves so bright and gay,
Were dancing about on a tree one day.
Then the wind came blowing all through the town,
And one little leaf came tumbling down.
[Continue with 4 leaves, then 3, 2, & 1.]

Did You Ever See A Tree?
(Sung to "Did You Ever See A Lassie?")
Did you ever see a tree,
A tree, a tree?
Did you ever see a tree,
A tree in the fall?
There are red leaves and orange leaves,
And yellow leaves and brown leaves,
Did you ever see a tree,
A tree in the fall?

Little Leaves
(Sung to "Ten Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little leaves,
four little, five little, six little leaves,
seven little, eight little, nine little leaves,
ten little leaves fall down.

Leaves(Sung to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
All join hands and circle round
While we watch the leaves fall down.
See them twirling to the ground
See them whirling all around.
See them skipping here and there
See them flipping in the air.
Autumn leaves so peacefully
Falling, falling from the tree.

Raking Leaves
I like to rake the leaves (raking motion with hands)
Into a great big hump (pretend to pile leaves)
Then I move back a bit
Bend my knees and jump!

Five Red Leaves
Five red leaves, five and no more (hold up 5 fingers)
The caterpillar ate one, now there are four (thumb down)
Four red leaves, that's easy to see.
Along came a rainstorm, now there are three. (index down)
Three red leaves, nothing much to do.
A big wind blew, now two! (middle down)
Two red leaves, that's not much fun.
I glued one on my paper (ring down)
Now there is one. (hold up pinky)
Hang on, pretty red leaf! Your branches won't break.
You're one less leaf for me to rake!

Raking Leaves
My poor back will surely break,
If one more leaf I have to rake!
Crusty, rusty brown leaves!
Dusty, blustery red leaves!
Crunching, bunching, scrunching beneath my feet.
In a pile of crispy leaves, I'll find a welcome seat!

Fall Is
Fall is leaves that fall to the ground.
Fall is pumpkins all around.
Fall is chilliness in the air.
Fall is coats and sweaters to wear.
Fall is for Halloween coming soon.
Fall is for the huge harvest moon.
Fall is gradually shorter days.
Fall is a squirrel gathering nuts as he plays.
Fall is many things for you and me.
Fall is a beautiful season to see.

Leaves, Leaves Falling Down
(Sung to: 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat')
Leaves, leaves falling down, (wiggle fingers downward)
Falling on the ground,
Red, Yellow, Orange and Brown,
Triangle, Oval and Round

Lucky Leaves
Yellow leaves tumbling, (move hands like falling leaves)
Falling through the air; (repeat action)
Falling in my front yard.
Falling everywhere.
Oh, that I could catch one (grab one in the air)
Before it blows away!
A yellow leaf, caught in the air,
Will bring me luck they say.

Pretty Leaves are Falling Down
(sing to the tune of: "London Bridge")
Pretty leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down.
Pretty leaves are falling down, all around the town (wiggle fingers).
Let's rake them up in a pile, in a pile, in a pile.
Let's rake them up in a pile, all around the town (make raking motions).
Let's all jump in and have some fun,
Have some fun, have some fun.
Let's all jump in and have some fun, all around the town (jump into circle).

Leaves
(sung to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")
All join hands and circle round
While we watch the leaves fall down.
See them twirling to the ground
See them whirling all around.
See them skipping here and there
See them flipping in the air.
Autumn leaves so peacefully
Falling, falling from the tree.

Leaves
Little leaves fall gently down
Red and yellow, orange and brown. (flutter hands like leaves falling)
Whirling, whirling around and around. (turn around)
Quietly, without a sound. (put finger to lips)
Falling softly to the ground (begin to fall slowly)
Down and down and down and down. (lie on floor)

This is the Way We
This is the way we rake the leaves rake the leaves, rake the leaves
This is the way we rake the leaves in the middle of Autumn.
This is the way we jump on the leaves, jump on the leaves, jump on the leaves
This is the way we jump on the leaves in the middle of Autumn.
This is the way we throw the leaves Throw the leaves, throw the leaves
This is the way we throw the leaves in the middle of Autumn.
This is the way we rake the leaves rake the leaves, rake the leaves
This is the way we rake the leaves in the middle of autumn.

Brown Squirrel, Brown Squirrel
Brown squirrel, Brown squirrel
Swoosh your bushy tail (hold elbow in your other hand and move your arm back and forth)
Brown squirrel, brown squirrel
Swoosh your busy tail
Put a nut between your toes
Wrinkle up your little nose Brown squirrel,
Brown squirrel Swoosh your bushy tail.

Fall Flannel Story
Cut a nice size tree from brown (the trunk) and green (the top) flannel to make a tree. Then cut out 5 nice size leaves, in fall colors, to go along with the following poem:

5 little leaves in the tree next door,
1 fell off and then there were 4,
4 little leaves all over the tree,
A bird pulled off 1, and now there are 3,
3 little leaves up where the wind blew,
1 fell off and then there were 2,
2 little leaves sitting in the sun,
A bug ate a leaf and now there is 1,
1 little leaf in the tree alone,
the wind blew and blew and now there are none!

Five Leaves
Five little leaves so bright and gay,
Were dancing about on a tree one day.
The wind came blowing through the town,
And one little leaf came tumbling down.
[Continue with 4 leaves, then 3, 2, & 1.]
[We hold pictures of leaves or real leaves and drop them.]

Autumn Leaves
(Sung to: "Mulberry Bush")
Summer leaves are hanging,
Hanging, hanging
Summer leaves are hanging
All day long. (stand with arms outstretched)
Autumn leaves are turning colors...All day long. (turn around)
Autumn leaves are falling down...All day long. (lower self to floor)
Autumn leaves are dancing....All day long. (dance)
Autumn leave are being raked.....All day long. (a few children can gather the group closer)

The Leaves Sung to:
("The Wheels on the Bus")
BEFORE singing the song I give each child 1 laminated Red leaf and 1 laminated Orange leaf. They both have long yarn stems As we sing the first verse each child holds one leaf in each hand. As we sing the first verse they raise the leaf who's color we are singing.

The leaves on the trees turn Orange and Red
Orange and Red, Orange and Red,
The leaves on the trees turn Orange and Red
All around the town.

We stand up for the next verse - still holding our leaves. We make
Our leaves tumble to the floor without letting go of the stem.
The leaves of the tree come tumbling down,
Tumbling down, tumbling down,
The leaves of the tree come tumbling down,
All Around the town.

For this verse we "swish" our leaves across the floor.
The leaves of the trees go "swish, swish, swish,"
"swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish,"
The leaves of the trees go "swish, swish, swish"
All around the town.

For this verse we "gently" drop our leaves into the middle of the circle and jump in place.
We'll rake them in a pile and jump right in!
Jump right in, Jump right in!
We'll rake them in a pile and jump right in!
All around the town.

LEAF ART, POEM, AND MOVEMENT
Trace & cut out red, green, brown and gold leaves from construction paper. Pass them out along with fall colored streamers 2 pre child Have them decorate the leaves with stickers and or fall colored glitter. As you say the following rhyme, have the children line up along the wall and listen for the color of streamer/leaf they have. When each hears his color have them wave their streamers with the leaf attached to the end and pretend to be a leaf floating on the wind. Appropriate music such as Roger Williams 'Autumn Leaves' could be playing. Verse:

Leaf of red, leaf of green,
Prettiest leaf I've ever seen.
Leaf of brown, leaf of gold,
Sometimes flat, sometimes rolled.
Falling from the trees so high,
Blowing in the autumn sky.
Soon the snow will begin to blow,
Then in Spring new leaves will grow.

'Year Full of Circle Times'
In October What Do You See?
Patterned after Brown Bear,Brown bear.
(sung to: Frere Jacques)
In October 2x
What do you see? 2x
I see a gray squirrel
Leaping on the trees.

In October 2x
What do you see? 2x
I see Jack-O-Lanterns 2x
Laughing at me.

In October 2x
What do you see? 2x
I see children
Saying trick or treat 2x

In October 2x
What do you see? 2x
I see leaves 2x
Dancing on the streets.

Poem The Dancing Leaves
( Sung to Clementine)
The dancing leaves are falling down
orange ,yellow, red and brown.
They are dancing, they are dancing
They are dancing on the ground.
With their crispy and crunchy sound
They are the children delight.
Dancing, dancing up and down
From the morning to the night.

Activities for this poem. Write the color words on colored paper, red, orange, yellow and brown. Create colored word cards for the children to match to the words on the poem.. Write the poem on constructionpaper cut into the shape of a leaf.
Rhyming words; brown, ground, around and sound.
Reproduce the poem on sentence strips. The students will be able to match the sentences to the poem.

OH,FALL IS HERE!
(sung to the tune of Oh, Christmas Tree )
Oh, fall is here. Oh, fall is here,
And wintertime is coming.
The squirrels get ready. Yes, they do.
They gather nuts to get them through.
The wintertime, cold wintertime,
It s fall and winter s coming.
(Repeat the song, each time replacing the third and fourth lines above with a different verse below.)
The ducks get ready. Yes, they do.
They migrate south to get them through.
The bears get ready. Yes, they do.
They look for dens to get them through.
The moose get ready. Yes, they do.
They grow thick coats to get them through.

FALL WINDS
Fall winds begin to blow (purse lips to blow)
Colored leaves fall fast and slow (flutter hands down)
Whirling, twirling all around (turn yourself around)
And at last, they touch the ground (touch the floor).

SEASON SONG
(when the saints go marching in)
Oh when the leaves, fall off the trees
Oh when the leaves fall off the trees
We know that it must be autumn
When the leaves fall off the trees.

Oh when the snow begins to fall
Oh when the snow begins to fall
We know that it must be winter
When the snow begins to fall

Oh when the birds, begin to nest
Oh when the birds begin to nest
We know that is must be springtime
When the birds begin to nest

Oh when the sun, shines so-o bright
Oh when the sun shines so-o bright
We know that if must be summer
When the sun shines so-o bright

LEAVES ARE FALLING ALL AROUND
Leaves are falling all around - (put hands up and wiggle fingers)
Red, (do the sign language symbol for red)
Yellow, (do the sign language symbol for yellow)
Orange, (do the sign language symbol for orange)
And Brown. (do the sign language symbol for brown)
Twirling, swirling to the ground (wiggle fingers and bend knees and do the twist)
Look how many leaves I've found! (jump up with arms stretched out)

FALLING LEAVES
All the leaves are falling down (flutter fingers downward)
Orange, green, red, and brown. (flutter fingers)
If you listen, you'll hear them say, (cup hands around ears)
"Wintertime is on it's way." (whispering)

Snacks

Eating Leaves
Discuss the food that we eat that are leaves, like lettuce, or cabbage. Have the children try these food items.

Leaf Cookies
Obtain a leaf shaped cookie cutter and have the children help you make leaf cookies. Decorate them with red, orange, yellow and brown frosting.

Leaf Jell-O
Obtain a leaf shaped cookie cutter. Make Jell-O jigglers from yellow,red or orange Jell-O.

Field Trips

Collecting Leaves Have the children go for a walk and collect leaves.

Nature Center

Visit a Nature Center to view the different kinds of leaves that are on the trees.

Take the children to a farm or ranch and have the farmer show them around and tell them what he/she does to get ready for winter. Do the crops have to come in, etc. Visit a pumpkin patch and let the children choose a pumpkin. The one we visited usually had pumpkins that cost $1 so each child brought a dollar to buy a pumpkin.

Dramatic Play

Open Market
Set up a center as fruit and vegetable stand with pumpkins, apples, gourds, eggplants and any other Fall items. Let the children pretend to weight them and sell them to each other.

Raking Leaves
Let children help you rake the fall leaves, they can rake with smaller rakes, or help you place leaves in bags, or what we do is bury them in our garden, so our garden is healthier the next year.

Raking Leaves II
Supply the children with smaller rakes to add to the dramatic play area. Let them pretend they are raking leaves.

Leaf Fall
Have the children pretend they are leaves falling from a tree.

Squirrel

Have the children pretend that they are squirrels getting ready for winter.

BOOKS
Autumn Leaves
Apple and Pumpkins
When Autumn Comes
How Do you Know It's Fall?
Crafts Make in the Fall
Autumn Days
Autumn (Toppers)
Autumn: Creative Activities for Little Hands