It’s that time of year again. The weather is getting cooler and pumpkin spice is everywhere! It's always fun to incorporate fall themes and ideas into your teaching.
Here are some of my favourite fall teaching ideas and activities:
Leaf Rubbings
Take a leaf, put it underneath a white piece of paper and rub the side of a crayon over it. Your students will get a lovely copy of the leaf on the paper. Sometimes it works better to have a partner hold the paper down while you rub with the crayon.
Create a Nature Frame
Go on a nature walk with your class. Collect leaves, sticks, stones, grass, pine cones and anything else you can find. When you get back to school have them create a cardboard picture frame and glue all of their natural findings onto it. They can then paint or decorate it. It makes a nice gift!
Play Fall Charades / Write About Fall
To get students thinking about topics for fall writing you can start with a game of charades. You can use these FREE Fall Charades cards.
Have the students write these ideas on chart paper and then add their own ideas to the list so there are many topics to choose from when writing seasonal pieces.
Go Apple Picking
If you can arrange a field trip to an orchard, students will get a chance to learn how apples grow and how they are harvested. Cut open an apple and check out its seeds. Students can draw a cross section of an apple and label its parts (seeds, core, flesh).
There are also many writing opportunities around apples. Students can write a recount of their trip. You can make applesauce together and write out the procedure.
You can also introduce Apple Themed Math and Literacy centers like these!
Reading
You can add books about fall to your classroom library. Students can read and write about their favorite fall sport, food, activity, etc. Look for an assortment of non-fiction books about pumpkins, apples, weather, leaves, holidays, trees, and nature.
Anything About Pumpkins
Pumpkins are truly a symbol of fall. You can go pumpkin picking, carve a pumpkin, roast and count pumpkin seeds, or create a pumpkin recipe together as a class! If you are teaching art you could have students draw pumpkins with a focus on line, texture, and shading. When Halloween draws near, students could design their own jack-o-lantern faces and you could choose one for the class to carve out together.
You might like to have your students work on these FREE Pumpkin Patterning Worksheets! They make a great activity for kindergarten centers.
Students also love these Fall Themed Composing Numbers Mats for some hands-on learning!
If you are looking for some more autumn activities that are good for K-2, be sure to check out my Fall Math & Literacy Bundle.
