Scarecrow Fun!

     I'm not sure if scarecrows really scare crows away or not, but they sure are adorable, and are seen at craft shows everywhere!  They are one of my favorite themes to teach, and my Y5's  enjoy them as well. A scarecrow's body and face is perfect for teaching shapes and colors so I made up a cute booklet that covers those standards entitled: Scarecrow What Do You See?  It's a spin off of Brown Bear one of my students' all time favorite read aloud's. 

     I teach the vocabulary word SYMBOL with this story.  We discuss various symbols of November and different things that we see in Novmeber that symbolize this month, like turkey's for Thanksgiving, harvest, (cornucopias, corn, grapes), leaves falling (autumn), farmers in their fields harvesting those things in their  blue jeans, scarecrows chasing away crows also wearing blue jeans etc. 

     After our discussion, children CUT out their pages and sequence them in the correct order, and then they TRACE the color word in that color. Their booklet is stapled to the tummy of their scarecrow.  You can opt to run off the scarecrow and have your students color him, or you can run off the scarecrow pieces on construction paper, have your students cut them out and glue them together. I have pictures of both finished projects.    When everyone is done, read the booklet aloud to cover concepts of print. 

     The second scarecrow craft that covers standards is "Shape Your Learning".  Children can simply color their scaarecrow and glue him to the paper plate, or you can have them add a fall-colored paper chain to the bottom and have your students make ABAB or ABCABC paper-patterned links and dangle them from the bottom.  They look cute hanging in the hallway.   I've also included an "I like scarecrows." trace and write skill sheet where the students CUT and GLUE 2 scarecrows to the bottom of the page and choose their favorite.  This offers the teacher a graphing opportunity which is also included. Click on the link to view/print these 2 activities. Scarecrow Patterns

     If you'd like more scarecrow ideas you'll have to check out my Scarecrow Unit and my Scarecrow Art and Activities Book.  Just click on the links.   My all-time favorite is a personal scarecrow where I blew up my students' photo and had them become the scarecrow. 

Falling Into Fun- Autumn Leaves Art.

     I teach a lot of science to my students.  I almost became a science teacher so it's a real "hot topic" for me and my Y5's just LOVE it!  The big vocabulary word with our leaf study is chlorophyll.  They are all ears to learn why the leaves change color.  It's fun to toss a few green leaves into my change bag and have them say the "magic phrase" "No more chlorophyll." and then take out a red, yellow, orange and brown leaf!  I made up this quick and easy craft for your students to make, that nails that science fact and vocabulary word. It's called "Sneak A Peek Leaf" Click on the link to view/print the pattern and directions. 

For some great leaf templates and a cute leaf wreath "Color with Leo!" by clicking on the link.  You'll also find a cute Maize Maze and Shapely Turkey there as well!

     If you haven't read my October article Take Your Kids On A Nature Walk it's a fun read filled with lots of science and math ideas, and of course the Nature Faces that are sure to be a hit.  Just collect leaves, berries, acorns, pods, sticks or whatever other natural things that you find on your walk, arrange them on a paper plate so that they look like a face, gluing as you go, and Wahla! you've created a spectacular Nature Face. Be advised tho' they're addicting to make!  If you're looking for more leaf activities click on the link to see my fun Leaf Unit with 7 more great art projects.

 Turkey-riffic!  Our final theme this month is turkeys and they're terrific!

      A darling place setting turkey that I dreamed up is a fun and easy turkey made out of a styrofoam cup. Buy a pack of 45 at the Dollar Store and you can make one for each family member or have enough for your entire class. The other major "ingredient" is a coffee filter, also inexpensive and come 50 to a package at the Dollar Store.

     I've also included a turkey matching skill sheet, a "Let's do the Turkey Pokey" song, as well as a Turkey Pinch and Poke. What's a Pinch and Poke? It's a super way for little kids to strengthen their finger muscles and they LOVE LOVE LOVE doing them.  It also helps to give them upper body strength as I have them do this skill sheet on their tummies.  Students hold a fat-plastic topped tack and poke it into the holes on their paper.  Safety rules are explained that there is absolutely no poking themselves or another child or a consequence will result and they will not be alowed to do Pinch & Pokes.  They so enjoy this activity, that I've only had one problem in 10 years!   If you want to do this activity with real young ones, you can give them a golf tee and that will work just as well, but make a bigger hole. 

     The other turkey craft that's included is called Turkey Praise.  This is a wonderful way to build your children's/students' self-esteem and let them know that you think they are simply turkey-riffic!  Just a few supplies are need here, including yellow plastic folks.  They are the finishing touch and will make perfect turkey feet to hold a list of new spelling or sight words!  I pass out colored index cards to make that a bit more fun.  An index card is also the perfect size for this turkey's toes!  Words that the child has already mastered are written on alternating colored feathers. They are sure to ask for more to "gobble-gobble" so their turkey can grow big and fat!

     Click on the link to print all this "turkey-riffic" turkey stuff and hopefully you'll have a rootin-tootin' good time with your own little turkeys.Turkey Stuff

     If you're looking for more turkey fun, check out my Turkey Unit and my Turkey Arts & Activities Book.  You have to click on the camera to view some of the most adorable turkeys you've ever seen.  My students so enjoy making them reinforcing our report card standards as we go!   Our hallway always looks like a turkey farm. We receive lots of compliments during parent - teacher conferences!

     If your little ones are nutty over numbers, try some of these helpful skill sheets.  Make a Math Fact Family House , print off a number line, practice sums with a grid, trace numbers 1-100, or play the fun tic tac toe acorn game and reinforce addition and subtraction skills! Click on the link to view/print Nutty over Numbers.

     I hope these ideas get your creative juices flowing and your energy ignited; and that you and yours have a wonderful November creating and learning at the same time.