BOOK OF THE MONTH: A is for Autumn

Autumn Activities:

• Try some of these great corn activities from Preschool Express.
• Fingerpaint with yellow and red paint to make orange.
• In the sensory table, add hay/straw and toy tractors, pumpkins, and other fall items.
• Make fall colored play dough (orange, red, brown).
• Make leaf prints by painting the vein side of a leaf and pressing it onto paper.
• In the art area, fill the collage jars with fall colored scraps of paper, tissue paper, yarn, ribbon.
• Visit Preschool Express for lots of pumpkin activities.
• Try this easy pumpkin muffin recipe.
• Make a "Fall Bingo" game (see sample) by making a blank Bingo Grids in a word processing program. Find pictures/images on the internet and insert fall pictures (such as acorns, leaves, pumpkins, etc). Depending on the size of the class, you will want to make 5-8 different cards. Print on cardstock and laminate.

Find many, many more Fall activities in these Autumn Posts:

• Apples and Pumpkins
• Autumn Trails
• Monster Mash

Turkey Time!

It seems like just last week we were lounging by the pool and slathering on sunscreen...and now it's time for Thanksgiving! Here are some favorite Thanksgiving books that your preschool and kindergartners might enjoy. Special thanks to all of my Tweeps for sending in their favorites!

• Child_Care_Info created a great list of favorite Thanksgiving books.
• ReachoutandRead loves Pumpkin Soup and all things pumpkin!
• StressFreeKids has some Thanksgiving Day Tips here: Don't Get Gobbled Up By Stress.
• 2ndstorywindow likes a A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. There are more favorites here.
• Lisaunbury loves Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markers.
• MelissaZD enjoys This Is the Turkey by Abby Levine.
• Bluskyz mentioned  Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving.
• Connect2Jamie's kids just loveThanksgiving in the Barn.
• ChildCareofKY likes Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving.

BOOK OF THE DAY: Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this seems like a great book to share with your little ones! During this time of the year, you have to be sensitive to various cultural practices and family beliefs. This is also the time of year when it's easy to fall into the "Pilgrim and Indian" trap. Some of us get caught up stereotyping these groups by making cute little Pilgrim hats and
"Inidan" (i.e. Native American) headbands. Some of us forget that for some people, the history of the first Thanksgiving is not a happy and celebratory time. So, instead, it's a good time of year to focus instead on the things that most of us have in common: family, sharing, family celebrations, family feasts, and things for which we are thankful.

Related Activities:

• Have a feast in your classroom. Invite parents and family members to join.
• Here is a GREAT 25 page activity guide/lesson plan for this story.
• Here is another activity guide that includes a fact page, parent page and recipe cards.
• Here are activity cards that include recipes, a rhyming activity, and other experiences.
• If your school is close to a grocery store, arrange a field trip to the store to purchase items for your feast or for a recipe.
• Collect pictures of foods for children to cut (the coupon section of the newspaper and food magazines are great sources). Give each child a paper plate and allow them to make a collage of their own feast.
• Go online and print pictures of families having feasts; share these photos with the children and let them share their own experiences with the class.
• Encourage children to create a "feast" in the housekeeping or dramatic play areas. Provide table cloths, centerpieces, and all of the other necessary trimmings for a feast!

BOOK OF THE DAY: Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

"There's a good smell of soup, and at night, with luck, you might see a bagpiping Cat in the window, and a Squirrel with a banjo, and a small singing Duck. Everyone has their own jobs to do. Everyone is happy... or so it seems.... until one day Duck, the littlest one, decides it's his turn to stir the soup..." ~Product Description from WormWorks.Com

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, pumpkin pie might be on everyone's mind....but what about Pumpkin Soup? This is a funny and beautifully illustrated book to share with your preschool/kindergartners.

Related Activities:

• Make pumpkin soup. There are tons of recipes online. This one from Suite 101 seems fairly simple to do with children. Whenever I cook with children, I always make either a large recipe chart or individual recipe cards so that children can follow along. Having a written recipe helps children to understand the concepts such as of following directions, ordinal numbers, sight words, and measurements. Individual recipe cards can be given to children to take home and share with their families.
• If you make pumpkin soup, talk about what each child's role was in making the soup. Talk about what would happen if everyone wanted to add the pumpkin but no one wanted to stir - or if everyone wanted to stir and no one wanted to add the milk. Emphasise the importance of teamwork!
• Cut out a large pumpkin and make a list of all the things we can do with a pumpkin: make soup, roast the seeds, make pie, make a jack o'lantern, etc.
• Make pumpkin pie playdough.
• Plant a few pumpkin seeds.
• Roast the remaining pumpkin seeds.
• Talk about the behavior of the animal friends in the book: What happens when everyone does their job? What happens when people don't do their jobs? Why is teamwork important?
• Plan a classroom activity that requires teamwork like making a classroom mural.
• Learn the TeamWork Song from SongsForTeaching.Com.

Other Books by Helen Cooper:

Monster Mash

While you might not want to do an entire "Monster" theme for your preschool or kindergarten class, this is the time of the year when many youngsters might begin discussing monsters, bats and other scary things. Here are a few monster ideas you can use in your classroom from A to Z Teacher Stuff and Pre-Kinders.




So here are a few books that young children might enjoy:

• There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
• In a Dark Dark Wood: A New Twist on an Old Tale by David A Carter

Monster-Related Classroom Activities:

• Real or Not Real File Folder Game: Get a pocket folder and collect various pictures. Title and decorate the front of the folder (You can name it Real or Pretend?) and write "Real" on one pocket and "Pretend" on the other pocket. Laminate the pictures and the folder (use an exacto knife to cut the lamination over the pockets in the folder so that that the pockets are usable). The object is for children to sort the pictures appropriately. For examples, pictures of monsters, unicorns, superheroes, etc would go in the "not real" pocket. While apples, pumpkins, fire trucks, etc would go in the "real" pocket.
• Paper Plate Monsters: Give children paper plates and collage materials (yarn, wiggle eyes, confetti, construction paper, buttons, etc) and allow them to create their own monsters.
• Monster Math: Make monster cut-outs out of felt. In small groups do simple math problems with the children. Example: One monster had a party and invited 2 friends, how many monsters were at the party?
• Monster Hunt: Change the words to old favorite, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" and instead go on a monster hunt!
• Monster Sequence: Cut out monsters from smallest to largest and have students put them in order.
• Cyber Monsters: Use a program like Kid Pix and have children create a monster. Put the monsters into a Power Point Slide show!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Batty Batty Bats

Bats are often wrongly depicted as scary, dirty, blood-sucking creatures, so this is a good unit to do during this time of year because it will help your children (and some adults!!) distinguish between fact and fiction.
I would begin this unit by asking the children what they know about bats. Write down (but don't dispute) what the children say. At the end of the unit, go back to the chart and see if the children can identify things that were true and things that were not true. This is a good way for children to reflect back on what they have learned!
The books below are a combination of story books (like Bat Jamboree) and information books (such as Amazing Bats). It's a good idea to talk with the children about which books are story books and which books are information books so that they begin to learn the difference between "real" and "pretend."

Bats by Gail Gibbons

• Visit WildWatchCams and watch video of bats and live bat-cams!
• Bat Body Parts: Cut a large bat pattern and label the major parts of a bat. Here is a diagram from Enchanted Learning that can be adapted.
• B is for Bat: I am a fan of using a child's environment to teach literacy skills. So if you are studying bats, then it is a good time to reinforce the /B/ sound. Give children paper shaped like a bat and let them draw other things that begin with B.
• Rhyme Time: During small group time make "at" word families with the children: write the letters "at" on a sentence strip. On a cut-out of a bat, write other letters that will make words when added to "at". For example, write the letter "B" on a bat cut-out. When the children put the "B" in front of the "at" they will make the word "bat." Other "at" words: cat, fat, hat, mat, etc...

Bat Jamboree by Kathi Appelt

• Handprint Bat Craft: Use this template from First School
• This is a counting book so do some Bat Math! Check the local dollar stores or craft stores for bat stickers, which are easier to find during this time of the year. Give each child a sheet of construction paper with numbers written on it. The children should count and place the appropriate number of stickers on the paper. For younger children, you may want to use the numbers 0-5 while older children are likely to be able to count higher.
• Also read Bats Around the Clock (by the same author) and then dance like the bats in the book. You can also use this book to introduce time.
• Make play-dough and give the children bat-shaped cookie cutters.
• Bat Song from Kidsoup.com:

Bats Are Sleeping (Tune: Frere Jacques)

Bats are sleeping,

Bats are sleeping,

Upside down,

Upside down.

Sleeping in the morning.

Waiting for the night to come.

To fly around.

To fly around.

Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats by Anne Earle

• Bat Map: Show children a map (or globe) and place a bat shaped cut-out on all of the places bats live (everywhere except Antarctica)
• Helping Hands: Have children draw a picture of some ways that bats help us.
• Night Creatures: Introduce the word nocturnal. During circle time, have children think of other animals that are awake at night.
• Measure It! Use yarn (or links) to show the difference between bats' wingspans (some are as small as 3 inches while others are as wide as six feet).

Outside and Inside Bats by Sandra Markle (Note: While this book may be geared towards older readers, preschool and kindergarten students will enjoy the facts and photographs; You may want to read certain parts of the book each day.)

• Make a Slide Show that children can view on their own while visiting the Computer Center. (Here is a PowerPoint, Batty About Bats, that I made some time ago about bats. Some of the photos and information might be interesting and helpful. By uploading your PowerPoint to SlideShare, children can watch it at home with their families!)
• Visit the Organization for Bat Conservation. There are many resources and photographs.
• Provide the students with bat-shaped writing paper.
• Make bat finger puppets.

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

• Take a Trip: If you have a public library close by, take a visit!
• Bats Everywhere: Make up a class story change the title (ex: Bats at the Mall, Bats at the Post Office, Bats at the Supermarket... etc).
• Using the class story created above, have children narrate the story and use Voice Thread to record their narration. Upload the story and illustrations and children can watch their story over and over again! They can also share it with parents and other family members.
• Read Bats at the Beach by the same author. Compare and Contrast the stories and/or illustrations.
  

Amazing Bats (Eyewitness Junior) by Frank Greenaway

• Learn more about Echolocation with this activity from Scholastic.
• Visit National Geographic for Kids Site about Vampire Bats
• Learn how dolphins also use echolocation.
• Bats are the only mammal that can fly. Make a list of the ways bats and people are alike (babies drink milk, baby bats need help from mother/father bat, have hair/fur, etc).

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

• Put on a puppet show! Folkmanis makes some of the best puppets I've seen. Here is their bat puppet.
• Make a Venn Diagram comparing birds and bats. How are they alike? How are they different?
• Partner with another class that is also reading Stellaluna and share emails, letters,and/or drawings.
• Allow children to listen online to the story at Storyline Online.
• Watch the Foxy Fruit Bat Video from National Geographic for Kids.
• Make a Friendship List - Have children list the qualities of a good friend and talk about why Stellaluna and the bird became friends.

Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies

• Read the online story of Echo the Bat by Ginger Butcher and NASA. The story concludes with an activity that may be a bit advanced for younger students to complete on their own. But you can use the story to create your own age-appropriate "quest" for students to follow Echo.
• Make nighttime water color paintings: On day 1 give children water color paper, wide paint brushes and blue water color paint (The Liquid Water Color from Discount School Supply works well). Have them paint their whole paper blue. It's OK (and preferred) if the painting has various shades of blue. The next day, when the paint has dried, give the students thin paint brushes and tempera paints and allow them to paint a night scene - encourage them to include nocturnal animals!
• Make a class book about nocturnal animals. Have each child draw a picture of one animal that is awake at night. Bind all of the pictures together in a class book.

More Batty Resources

• A-to-Z Kids Stuff Bat Activities
• Kid Zone Bat Activities, Facts, and Photos
• Thinkquest
• Time for Kids: Bats
• Organization for Bat Conservation
• National Geographic for Kids - Bat Cave
• The Wild Ones - Vampire Bats
• Bats 4 Kids

Book of the Day Activities: Apples and Pumpkins

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

• Visit Scholastic's site for a Life Cycle activity and learn how to sprout apple seeds!
• Serve warm apple cider with a real cinnamon stick. This is especially soothing after coming in from the playground on a brisk fall day.
• Ordinal Numbers: Photocopy and laminate the stages of the apple tree. Have the students put them in order and help them to use the words first, second, third, etc.
• Have an apple taste test. Allow students to try various types of apple then pick a favorite. Make a graph showing which apples were the favorites! Invite visitors to participate in the apple taste test and add to the classroom graph.
• Way up High the Apple Tree Fingerplay:

Way up high in the apple tree,

Two little apples smiled at me.

I shook that tree as hard as I could,

Down came the apples....

Ummmmm were they good!

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

• Size Ordering: Cut a series of pumpkins in various sizes. Children can put them in order from biggest to smallest or vice-versa.
• Look online for video or photographs of Biggest Pumpkin Contests.
• Get a few pumpkins for the class and weigh them. Make a Slide Share story of the project to share with parents.
• Seed Counting: At the math table provide children with small cups that have a number written on each one (1 through 5 or 1 through 10 depending on the ability of your children). Give them a bag of pumpkin seeds collected from a pumpkin (rinsed and dried). Children can place the correct number of seeds into each cup.

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

• Apple Prints: cut an apple in half and let children dip them in paint (red, green, yellow) and make prints on paper. Note: before doing this activity you may want to evaluate your own philosophy and feelings on using food for art activities. Some programs and teachers believe that food should not be wasted and should only be used for eating.
• Make an easy Apple Pie. There are many child-friendly recipes online like this one.
• Read the Apple Star Story. There are many versions online. As you read the story aloud be prepared to have an apple to cut in half (width-wise). The seeds will make a star pattern! You might want to practice before trying this one with children.
• Apple List: Cut a piece of chart paper into the shape of an apple. Ask the children to name all of the things made with apples. Write their responses on chart paper (apple pie, applesauce, apple juice, apple butter, apple cider, etc..)

Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

• Have the children predict what they will find inside of a pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin open and allow children to explore the inside.
• Roast the pumpkin seeds!
• Fruit or Vegetable: Ask children if they think a pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable. Then, learn what actually makes it a fruit (namely, having seeds inside). Read It's a Fruit, It's a Vegetable, It's a Pumpkin by Allan Flower.
• Paper Bag Pumpkins: Have the children stuff a paper lunch bag with newspaper and, with adult help, tie it at the top with green or brown yarn. Have children paint the bag with orange paint and paint the "stem" (the top part that is tied) green or brown. The next day, after the paint had dried, the children can use black paint to paint a face on their pumpkin.
  

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson

• Make flannel board pieces of the stages of a pumpkin and allow children to put them in order.
• Talk about other "Garden Circles" like apples.
• Watch the video of Pumpkin Circle. Available in VHS from Amazon.
• Pumpkin Collage: Give each child a pumpkin cut out. Then give them a variety of orange, and brown tissue paper squares (previously cut out by the teacher). Children use a paint brush and watered down glue to put the tissue paper onto the pumpkin (using the brown paper for the stems). OPTION: Give the children large pages of tissue paper and let them tear it before gluing. The tearing of the paper adds extra fine motor practice and also gives the collage a different look. Brush the pumpkin with a thin layer of glue and allow to dry.
  

Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings

• Make applesauce. Here is an easy recipe from Mr. Rogers and PBS Kids
• Compare apples and pumpkins using a Venn Diagram. Here is one classroom example.
• Use yarn to measure how big around the apples and pumpkins are. Compare the sizes. Use a scale to record the weights as well.
• Practice the difference between the A sound and P sound. Give children a basket of small toys/items that begin with A and P. Allow them to sort the items by the correct letter.

It's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall

• Plant pumpkin seeds.
• As a class, write a story about pumpkins and have the class illustrate it. Scan the illustrations and make a PowerPoint or Slide Share presentation that students can watch at home with their families!
• Make blank books by cutting paper into the shape of pumpkins. Staple a few pages together and place the blank books in your writing area to encourage children to write or illustrate stories.
• Five Little Pumpkin Fingerplay:

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,

The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."

The second one said, "There's a chill in the air."

The third one said, "Well we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one said, "We'll have a lot of fun."

Then "wooooooooo" went the wind,

And out went the lights,

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

More Pumpkin Books from Scholastic!