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Fall Ideas for the Classroom

FALL IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM

Leaves

The leaves are whirling round and round. The leaves are falling to the ground, Round and round, round and round, Falling softly to the ground.

Twirling Leaves

The autumn wind blows---Oooo Oooo Oooo.
The leaves shake and shake then fly into the sky so blue.
They whirl and whirl around they twirl and twirl around.
But when the wind stops, the leaves sink slowly to the ground.
Lower, lower, lower, and land quietly without a sound.

Fall Leaves

Down, down,
Yellow and brown,
Fall leaves
All over the ground.
Rake them up
In a pile so high,
They almost reach
Up to the sky.

The Leaf Song

[Tune: Wheels on the Bus]
The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown, orange and brown, orange and brown. The leaves on the trees turn orange and brown, all through the town.

Pretty Leaves are Falling Down

[Tune: London Bridges]
Pretty leaves are falling down, falling down,
falling down.
Pretty leaves are falling down, all around the town.

Let’s rake them up in a pile, in a pile, in a pile.
Let’s rake them up in a pile, all around the town.

Let’s all jump in and have some fun, have some fun, have some fun.
Let’s all jump in and have some fun, all around the town.

Leaves, Leaves

[Tune: Row, Row, Your Boat]
Leaves, leaves falling down,
Falling on the ground.
Red and yellow,
Orange and brown,
Leaves are falling down.

Song of Fall

[Tune: Happy Birthday]
Let’s sing a song of fall,
Let’s sing a song of fall.
With cooler days and falling leaves,
Let’s sing a song of fall.

I'm a Nut

I’m an acorn, small and round,
Lying on the cold, cold ground.
People pass and step on me.
That’s why I’m all cracked, you see.
I’m a nut. (Clap, clap)
I’m a nut. (Clap, clap)
I’m a nut. (Clap, clap)
I’m a nut. (Clap, clap)

Autumn Leaves

[Tune: London Bridges]
Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down,
falling down. (arms up high like a tree and then
lower as song goes on.)
Autumn leaves are falling down, (lower your voice)
Down to the ground. (squat down and continue with finger play.)

One Little Leaf

1 little leaf, 2 little leaves, 3 little leaves today.
4 little leaves, 5 little leaves,
Whoo! Blow them all away!

Five Little Leaves

Five little leaves so bright and gay
(choose 5 children to be leaves)
Were dancing about on a tree one day
(children twirl and dance)
The wind came blowing through the town
(teacher touches one child on the head as
he/she twirls to the ground)
And one little leaf came tumbling down.
Four little leaves.
Three little leaves
Two little leaves
One little leaf so bright and gay
Was dancing about on a tree one day
The wind came blowing through the town
And one little leaf came tumbling down.
And then I came and raked them all up in a pile.
(Teacher pretends to rake the leaves into a big pile)

Oh, When the Leaves

[Tune: When the Saints Go Marching In]
Oh, when the leaves, fall off the trees.
Oh, when the leaves fall off the trees.
We know it must be autumn,
When the leaves fall off the tree.

It is Autumn

[Tune: If you’re Happy and You Know It]
It is autumn and it’s time to rake the leaves!
It is autumn and it’s time to rake the leaves!
It is autumn, that’s the season!
We don’t need a better reason!
It is autumn and it’s time to rake the leaves!

Scarecrow

(Tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around]
Scarecrow, scarecrow, turn around.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, jump up and down.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, arms up high.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, wink one eye.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, bend your knees.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, flap in the breeze.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, climb into bed.
Scarecrow, scarecrow, rest your head.

Scarecrow Rhyme

The funny, funny scarecrow guards his field all day.
He waves his floppy, floppy (arms) to scare the crows away!
Substitute the word (arms) for legs, head, hands, feet, etc. or make up your own!

Signs of Fall

ELS: L1.5(A-H) Use different forms of writing such as drawing, letter- like forms, invented spelling and conventional forms. Understand that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes

SC 3.5 Acquire knowledge about the earth and space.

Take a walk outside and observe the changes in the trees, plants and weather. After the walk, use chart paper and write a class story on the signs of fall the students have observed. You could also make a class-made book entitled “My Favorite Thing from the Nature Walk”. Have each child draw their favorite item and add their dictation.

Fall Feely Blog

ELS: EL 1.6 Communicate Ideas, experiences and feeling for a variety of purposes In a cloth or paper bag (or empty tissue box), place fall objects (nuts, leaves, pine cones, etc.) Have children reach inside the bag one at a time and describe one object and guess what it is.

Children's Books

Autumn Harvest, Alvin Tresselt, (Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books)
Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic, Steven Schnur (Houghton Mifflin Co.)
Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey (Viking)
Every Autumn Comes the Bear, Jim Arnosky (Putnam)
Gilberto and the Wind, Marie Hall Ets (Puffin Books)
Hello, Tree!, Joanne Ryder, (Lodestar Books)
I Know It’s Autumn, Eileen Spinelli (Harper Collins)
It’s Fall (Celebrate the Seasons), Linda Glaser, (Millbrook Press)
Leaf Jumpers, Carole Gerber (Charlesbridge Publishing)
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves!, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (Marshall Cavendish Corp.)
Lucky Leaf, Kevin O’Malley, (Walker Books for Young Readers)
Marmalade’s Yellow Leaf, Cindy Wheeler (Alfred A. Knopf)
Now It’s Fall, Lois Lenski (Random House Books)
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, Lois Ehlert, (Harcourt, Brace, Javanovich)
Scarecrow Pete, Mark Kimball Moulton (Ideals Publications)
Squirrels, Brian Wildsmith, (Oxford Press)
This Year’s Garden, Cynthia Rylant (Macmillian)
When Autumn Falls, Kelly Nidey (Albert Whitman & Co.)
Why Do Leaves Change Colors, Betsy Maestro (Harper Trophy)

Science

Signs of Fall

ELS: SC 3.5 Acquire knowledge about the Earth and Space

L 1.5 (A-H) Use different forms of writing such as drawing, letter- like forms, invented spelling and conventional forms. Understand that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes

Display real fall objects (some examples include leaves, pinecones, nuts in their shells, fall flowers, tree bark, etc.) in science area. Have paper and pencils in area also to enable children to draw and write about them.

Leaf Changes

ELS: SC 3.2 Demonstrate understanding of the process of scientific inquiry

SC 3.4 Acquire Knowledge about the physical properties of objects

Pick some fresh leaves and have children describe them. Keep the leaves and observe the discuss changes each day. On chart paper, write days of week draw a picture of the appearance and/or texture of the leaves each day and write a brief description.

Mathematics

Graphing Leaves

ELS: LM 2.8 Learn about numbers, numerical representation, & simple numerical operations

LM 2.6 Represent and interpret data

Have children collect leaves of different colors. Using a floor graph, graph the leaves according to color. Count the leaves of each color together. Discuss “more and less”. You could also graph the items from the class nature walk.

Sorting Leaves

ELS: LM 2.8 Understand patterns, relations and functions

Discuss with children the differences in leaves—the color, shape, edges, etc. Using small baskets or other containers, have children sort the leaves according to one attribute. Count together when sorted.

Leaf Patterns

ELS: LM 2.8 Understand patterns, relations and functions

Children can use paper leaf shapes or actual leaves. Using leaves of different colors, begin a pattern. Have children copy pattern and extend. Have children form a new pattern with leaves. Patterns can also be made with other fall objects such as acorns or pinecones.

Fall Memory

ELS: LM 2.8 Understand patterns, relations and functions

Arrange an assortment of fall objects (acorn, leaf, pine cone, maple seeds, bark) in a row. Allow each child to touch each object and describe it. Cover objects with a piece of fabric. While children close eyes, remove one item. Remove fabric and have children figure out which object was removed.

More or Less

ELS: LM 2.1 Learn about number, numerical representation, & simple numerical operations

Give children an assortment of fresh nuts (in the shells). Have children sort the nuts by type. Count together. Discuss which group has more and which has less. Are any of the groups the same?