|
Fall is prime-time for scarecrows. Sometimes you see them in summer fields, and sometimes you have to wait until nearly Halloween,
when you'll see them in the Pumpkin Patch. They're a fun symbol of the Harvest season, and kids love them. We are incorperating
them into our fall unit, oour pumpkin theme and the upcoming farm animal theme.
Scarecrow, Scarecrow
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle
This is a fun, kinesthetic song we use when moving from one
part of the room to another, or when we need to get the
kids up-and-moving in order to settle them down again
Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around.
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch the ground.
Stand up tall and blink your eyes.
Raise your hands up to the sky.
Clap your hands, then tap your knees.
Turn around and tap your feet.
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch your toes.
Scarecrow, scarecrow tap your nose.
Swing your arms so very slow,
Now real fast to scare the crows!
Tough your head, jump up and down.
Now sit down without a sound.
A fun book
|
 |
|
Scarecrow, scarecrow,
How scary can you be?
You scared (insert name)
But you didn't scare me!
*
Pumpkin Facts
1. Leafy vines grow from pumpkin seeds.
2. Yellow-orange flowers bloom on the pumpkin vine, then wither.
3. The flowers' ovaries (at the base of the flower) swell and
become tiny green pumpkins.
4. The pumpkins grow larger and change color and
5. About four months after planting, they're ready to harvest.
Pumpkin Growth Graph:
Before going on a trip to the pumpkin patch, we will discuss how we think pumpkins grow. Each child places their name
(sticky notes) on the graph in one of the columns: On a tree, On a bush, Under ground, On a vine. After the trip, children
check their answers.
Movement
Hot Pumpkin Game:
The children pass a plastic pumpkin around the circle as the music plays. The person holding the pumpkin when the music
stops decides which way to pass the pumpkin (overhead, between legs, around waist, etc.)
The Pumpkin Patch
Books We'll Be Reading
~Pumpkin, Pumpkin
~The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
~Apples and Pumpkins
~Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch
~Gail Gibbons Pumpkin Book
~Too Many Pumpkins
Math and Science Activities
~Estimating and Weighing our class pumpkin
~Estimating the circumference of our pumpkin
~Counting the pumpkin seeds
We estimate the circumference of the pumpkin. Each child cuts a piece of yarn they think will fit around the pumpkin. we
test each piece and tape to a chart labeled “Too Short”, “Just Right” Too Long”.
Then we use a tape measure to record the actual circumference.
Sequence from largest to smallest and from smallest to largest.
How many pumpkins tall are you?
|
|
 |
|
|
|
We will make many different kinds of scarecrows in class,
some from construction paper, some from fabric scraps, and some that
are made from collage objects glued to an outline.
There are Mommy scarecrows, Daddy scarecrows, Baby scarecrows,
and sometimes we even have Puppy scarecrows.
Scarecrow
Tune: I'm A Little Teapot
I'm a little scarecrow
Stuffed with hay,
Standing watch in my field all day.
When I see a crow
I like to shout:
"Hey, Mr. Crow, you'd better get out!"
The floppy, floppy scarecrow
Guards his field all day.
He waves his floppy, floppy hands
To scare the crows away.
* repeat, substituting other body parts ... arms, lets, head, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Five Crows All Shiny Black
Tune: Five Green And Speckled Frogs
Five crows all shiny black,
Sat on a scarecrow's back,
Eating some most delicious corn ... yum yum!
Scarecrow winked and shouted "Boo!"
Scared one crow and away he flew,
Now there are four black shiny crows, caw caw!
Measurement
Pumpkin Circumference
Squirrel Theme!
Book List
Squirrels - Brian Wildsmith
Squirrel Is Hungry - Satoshi Kitamura
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin - Beatrix Potter
Hoover's Funny Little Kids - Nancy Lee
Will And Squill - Emma Chichester Clark
Thankful Together - Holly Davis and Valerie Sokolova
|
|
