Fall Books, Activities, and Songsthat are fun and help you meet ECERS-R

Songs, finger plays and songs meet requirements of 5.4 under scheduling and 3.2 under music and movement.

Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel!

Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel! (bounce up and down on the words)Swish your bushy tail! (shake it)

Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel! Swish your bushy tail!

Put an nut between your toes (touch your toes)Wrinkle up your little nose! (poke your nose)

Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel!Swish your bushy tail!

[repeat]

Raking Leaves

I like to rake the leaves (raking motion with hands)Into a great big hump (pretend to pile leaves)Then I move back a bitBend my knees and jump!

Leaves, Leaves Falling Down - sung to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Leaves, leaves falling down, (Wiggle fingers downward) Falling on the ground.Red, Yellow, Orange and Brown, Triangle, oval and round.(With each thumb touching and each forefinger touching, make shapes.)

Falling Leaves

All the leaves are falling down (flutter fingers downward) Orange, green, red, and brown. (flutter fingers)If you listen, you'll hear them say, (cup hands

around ears)"Wintertime is on its way." (whispering)

Autumn Leaves - Sung to "Mulberry Bush"

Summer leaves are hanging,Hanging, hangingSummer leaves are hangingAll day long. (stand with arms outstretched)

Autumn leaves are turning colors,Turning colors, turning colors,Autumn leaves are turning colorsAll day long. (turn around)

Autumn leaves are falling,Falling, falling,Autumn leaves are fallingAll day long. (lower yourself to floor)

Autumn leaves are dancing,Dancing, dancing,Autumn leaves are dancingAll day long. (dance)

Autumn leaves are being raked,Being raked, being raked,Autumn leaves are being rakedAll day long. (A few children can gather the group closer)

Scarecrow - Sung to: "Teddy Bear, Teddy bear turn around"

Scarecrow, Scarecrow, turn around.Scarecrow, scarecrow, jump up and downScarecrow, scarecrow, arms up highScarecrow, Scarecrow, wink one eyeScarecrow, scarecrow, bend your kneeScarecrow, scarecrow, flap in the breezeScarecrow, scarecrow, climb into bedScarecrow, scarecrow, rest your head

Included with each activity are the ECERS-R subscales that can be met.

* Take a nature walk and collect leaves, pinecones, acorns, and other autumn items. (Encouraging children to communicate, Nature/Science)

* Make a graph of the colors of the leaves that you picked up on your nature walk. (Math/Numbers)

* Act out the movements of leaves falling from trees. Do these movements to music to meet more requirements. (Music)

* Bring in different apples or fall fruits and let the children taste the fruits. Discuss and chart the children’s likes and dislikes. Hang the chart on the wall, on a child’s level so the children can refer to it and talk about what they like and why. (Math/numbering, Child-related display, Using language to develop reasoning skills)

* Put out all kinds of fall colored art supplies and nature items. Give the students heavy paper and glue, let them make an autumn collage. When they are done have them tell you what they like about fall and write it on the paper or if they can write have them write what they like. Hang these up in your class to bring fall into the classroom. (Encouraging children to communicate, Art, Child-related display)

* Make a math folder activity like the one below. You can find directions for this on mama-jenn.blog.com. She has other cute ideas also. (Math/number)

* The site below has instructions for leaf books for toddlers and preschool age that incorporate color and numbers. (Math/Number, Nature/Science) http://www.ehow.com/how_8641304_make-leaf-book.html

* Make a bird feeder. Hang in a window, and let the children see all the birds as they eat. http://thewildsideblog.com/diy-bird-feeders-easy-cheap-and-fun-for-kids-adults/ (Nature/Science)

* Put out apples, acorns, leaves, pumpkins and gourds for the children to weigh and measure.

Books: Language and reasoning, factual information, nature/science , encouraging children to communicate, using language to develop reasoning skills Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins Red Leaf Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert The Autumn Equinox by Ellen Jackson Why Do Leaves Change Colors By Betsy Maestro The Acorn and the Oak Tree by

This resource is provided by: Kathy Neil and Gena Schuler QS Specialist

(309) 828-1892 or 1-800-437-8256 Kathy@ccrrn.com or gena@ccrrn.com