Scarecrow Craftivities

1-2-3 Come Do Some Scarecrow Activities With Me!

I love scarecrows; they were one of my favorite things to draw as a child. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I enjoyed seeing the variety of these farmer-creations that kept watch over the pastoral countryside.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows One of the first Art & Activities units that I designed was on scarecrows. This was prior to all of the software programs, fonts and clip art that I now have at my disposal, but I think you'll still enjoy making some of these cuties from my hand drawn patterns. Click on the link to view/download the 66-page Scarecrow Art & Activities packet.

Here are a few samples:

Patrick, the paper chain scarecrow, can help your kiddo's countdown to Thanksgiving break. Choose 2-colors for the links and review an ABAB pattern, or add a 3rd color to do ABCABC.

You can simply make one to hang in your classroom, or set this scarecrow up as an independent center and have children work on one of their own. (Assign as many links as are appropriate for your age group.) To incorporate blends, have students write an sc word on each link.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows Carl, the counting scarecrow, will help your students review numbers 1-10, skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's as well as the spatial directions of left and right.

Cut out a variety of colored construction paper shapes to use as "patches" for a quick and easy shape review.

I enlarged my students' school photo. This became the scarecrow's head. The picture appeared very pixilated, which added to the awesome scarecrow looking effect.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows When I was a freelance writer for Mailbox Magazine, my editor asked me to write a scarecrow poem. The personal scarecrows were my inspiration.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows We received zillions of compliments on our hallway display, and my Y5's really enjoyed making them. Click on the link to view/print the Personal Scarecrow craftivity.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows On a smaller scale, you could do Sam/Samantha the Shapely Scarecrows. Give students the option of whether they want to make a boy or girl scarecrow.

With the personal scarecrow, students got in some great cutting practice, by snipping on the lines of a square to make "hay". They glued these to the ends of the scarecrow's arms and legs.

For Sam/Samantha, I ran yellow construction paper through my husband's shredder. Pick up a bunch, crinkle it even more and tape the end to the back of the scarecrow.

If you don't have a shredder, The Dollar Store sells bags of all sorts of colors. Look for shredded paper in the gift bag section. Most school offices have a shredder; you can ask to borrow it.

To make "stuffing hay" a bit easier for little ones, put a piece of double-sided tape on the back. Children pick up pieces of shred and press them on the tape, when they are done, cover the stickiness with a piece of regular tape.

Remind students ahead of time, that if they throw the shred around and make a mess, that they will not be able to use some on their scarecrow. I think it gave Sam/Samantha that finishing touch.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows A template of additional shapes is included. Students can cut and glue as many "patches" to Sam's/Samantha's clothes as they desire. I used a piece of yarn to make a dangler. If you want this to look good on both sides when they spin, each child needs 2 of everything.

A simpler way to assemble the scarecrow is to have students glue their pieces together. Punch a hole in the triangle and suspend from the ceiling back-to-back with another child's scarecrow. Adding a few real buttons adds a bit more pizzazz. Click on the link to view/download Sam/Samantha The Shapely Scarecrow craftivity.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows Finally, my favorite scarecrow easy-reader is My Scarecrow's Nose. It too reviews shapes, as the scarecrow tries on different shaped noses. In the end, he gets his favorite, the triangle. Children read, trace, write, color and draw.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows A graphing extension is included, where students vote on their favorite nose for the scarecrow; 2 worksheets continue the shape review. Click on the link to view/download My Scarecrow's Nose.

scarecrow activities, scarecrow lessons, skip counting activities, shape activities, fall bulletin board ideas, scarecrow bulletin boards, patterning, paper chains, scarecrow art, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow 10 frames, scarecrow bulletin boards, scarecrow writing prompts, writing prompts for November, scarecrow math, scarecrow centers, common core scarecrows I have a nice variety of other scarecrow activities on the site, including scarecrow 10 frames, and a scarecrow glyph. Click on the link to zip on over to the scarecrow section.