This week we’ve been focusing on leaves, trees, and all things fall. We’ve spent a lot of time outdoors, observing changes, and soaking up the last of the summer sun before cooler temps really start to arrive. Yes, the kids are barefoot, or have feet covered in mud. They love it!
Fun Food:
I cut the kids meat/cheese into leaf type shapes for lunch one day, we had another day where most of their lunch came from trees: lemonade, apple, a piece of candy corn (my 6 yo connected the dots from honey as the sweetener to bees nest in trees)… mini m and m’s (cacao tree), and so on.
Paper/worksheet learning:
Most items will be from the Fall Printables Board on Pinterest with some additional items from things we have collected from education. com and teachers pay teachers. com. I sort through what we already have and try and tune it to the kids ages, skill levels, interest and learning. I even repeat things from the year before, for instance one thing was a worksheet where you circled the 2 pumpkins on the right that added up to the sum on the left. In 2 of the instances, you could circle all 4 of them because both sets added up to the target number. Last year my Kindergartner didn’t get that. This year (1st/2nd) she did!
Workbook 6 year old:
Rhyme time pages that included knowing you could rhyme contractions with other words (great into/review of contractions as well)
2 digit addition pages
Workbook 4 year old:
Continuing to learn color words, recognizing and writing numbers
Both:
*Roll and cover activity from the polished teacher blog-I was surprised my 4 yo could do this (add up the dice!)
*Assorted mazes, dot to dots, math pages, etc. from our archives.
*Disney leaves coloring page
*Disney football fall coloring page
Music:
Kookaburra
Leaves are falling 1 by 1 (song from book)
Topical Reading:
All for Fall by Kessler
Fun is Where you Find it (Pooh, Disney)
Winter’s Coming by Bunting
When Autumn Comes by Maass
Mouse’s First Fall by Thompson
Fall Colors by Walsh
I know it’s Autumn by Spinelli
The Fairest of the Fall (princess autumn stories) by Disney
Clifford’s First Autumn by Bridwell
Pooh’s Leaf Pile by Gaines
The Big Leaf Pile by Bridwell
Leaf Season by Bridwell
We Love Fall by Muldrow
Fall Leaves Fall by Hall
I am a leaf by Marzollo
Colorful Leaves by Fleming
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Buscaglia
Fall Leaves Change Colors by Zoehfeld
The Leaves are Falling One by One by Metzger (sung)
Reference: I wonder why trees have leaves and other questions about plants by Charman
Reference: Trees A Guide to Familiar American Trees by Zim
Art:
Independent leaf collage and collection outside Sept. 15-16
Draw your own leaf collage Sept. 17
Draw a tree Sept. 18
6 yo Independent Reading:
Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon by Rylant
Labrador in the Leaves (Animal Ark) by Baglio
What a Trip, Amber Brown by Danziger
Field Trip/Active Learning:
Nature walk looking at trees to see if the leaves were changing color, see late blooming flowers, and take pictures with our favorite trees. Exploring a paper birch branch, different shapes of leaves, the sounds they made when dry and crumbled, etc.
Media:
The Lorax (short film version)
Linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers, get guidelines here…
Love that idea for a lunch all from trees! How fun!