I LOVE fall and all of the fun events that come with it. Wait it is fall right? I mean it is still in the high 70s here which is crazy for the beginning of October in Wisconsin, but I will take it while I can because winter will be here before we know it.
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Here were our plans for our Fall theme:
And here are the details for each activity:
Concepts of Print:
This week we focused on the parts of a book. Our first read aloud was Let it Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Before reading, I gave Madelynn sticky notes to label the front cover, back cover, title page, and spine.
Leaf Man Predictions:
Our next story was Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Before reading, we practiced making predictions.
I asked “After looking at the cover, what do you think this story will be about?”
Madelynn: “The leaves are going to turn into a person.”
Then I asked: “What makes you say that?”
Madelynn: “This leaf looks like a face”
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves Retelling:
Our next read aloud was There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro. After reading, I taped a picture of the little old lady to a wipe container then gave Madelynn pieces from the story. She fed them to the little old lady while retelling the story, then made the scarecrow pop out at the end.
Season Tree Vocabulary:
For some nonfiction learning, we read Colorful Leaves by Maria Fleming. This book has a lot of great information, but we focused mainly on the trees at the differences between the trees during each season. Afterwards we used tree picture and word cards to match and discuss the changes we notice each season.
Tracking Print:
Our last book was the letter L book from Abby’s Alphabet Book Series. Madelynn identified the picture then pointed to each word as she read.
Leaf Sand Tray:
Our first literacy activity this week was a fall themed salt tray. Madelynn used small leaf cards as a model and chose which letters she wanted to practice. We started with our focus letter L for leaf, then practiced M for her name and A for her sister Aubrey before trying lots of new letters.
Leaf Sound Stamping:
Next, for more letter practice we used our dot stampers. We started out stamping inside the letter to make an L. Then Madelynn had to find the upper and lowercase l’s in the leaf, stamp them and make the “L” sound each time.
Magnetic Leaf Rhyme Match:
This month we are focusing on identifying rhyming words which can be a really tricky concept to teach. Up until this week, we’ve read lots and lots of books with rhyme and rhythm and I’ve pointed out rhymes but never really focused on it.
So for this activity I printed leaf and tree pairs of rhyming words. I taped a magnetic bingo chip on the back of the leaf pictures and hid them in a bin of silk leaves. I attached a rake to a magnetic wand, then Madelynn raked through the bin to find a leaf picture. She said the word and I helped her to find a rhyme. We did a LOT of repetition to help her hear the rime part of each word. (for example “pig, wig, they both have an -ig.”)
So for this activity I printed leaf and tree pairs of rhyming words. I taped a magnetic bingo chip on the back of the leaf pictures and hid them in a bin of silk leaves. I attached a rake to a magnetic wand, then Madelynn raked through the bin to find a leaf picture. She said the word and I helped her to find a rhyme. We did a LOT of repetition to help her hear the rime part of each word. (for example “pig, wig, they both have an -ig.”)
Fall Tree Name Craft:
For this week’s name craft we created an adorable fall tree. First Madelynn cut the branches and the tree top and glued them together. Then I gave her foam leaf stickers with the letters in her name. She peeled and stuck them in order on her tree and added a few extra as well. I LOVE how it turned out.
Fall Journal Writing:
For our journal this week Madelynn chose to draw and write about fall trees. She the trunk first then added branches, red, green, and yellow leaves, and grass. She chose not to write any words this time which is totally okay. I always encourage writing, but don’t want to push her too hard if she’s not in the mood.
Apple Count and Color:
This week for math we focused on counting and identifying numbers to 10. We started with this color by code activity. Madelynn counted the dots then had to follow the directions to make each spot the correct color. Now that we’ve been doing these activities for a few weeks she is getting very fast at identifying the number of dots with a quick glance.
Leaf Number Hunt:
Madelynn LOVES our letter and number hunts from tot school, so we have been adding them into our preschool plans. Instead of finding and matching the numbers to her paper, I made the activity a bit more challenging by putting dots on our hidden leaves. Madelynn had to find each leaf, count the dots, find the number on her page and color it the matching color. So many skills at work!
Fall Leaf Magnet Match:
To prep this activity I first blew up a large tree picture and taped it to our oil drip pan. Next I wrote numbers on the tree with dry erase markers. Then, I drew dots on foam leaves and added magnets to the back. Madelynn chose a leaf, counted the dots and matched it to the correct spot on the tree. You could also hide the leaves in a fall themed sensory bin for a little extra challenge.
Fall Ten Frames:
We used these ten frames for LOTS of math practice this week. First, Madelynn identified the large number. Then she made it with play dough and counted the leaves in the ten frame. Next, she used a dry erase marker to practice writing the number, and finally used tweezers and/or her fingers to grab and count out foam leaf beads to put on the tree.
Fingerprint Fall Counting Trees:
For our last counting activity, I printed black and white trees with the numbers 1-10. Madelynn use done finger to stamp the correct number of leaves on each tree with washable ink.
Fall Items Sink & Float:
For our science activity this week we learned about sink & float as well as making predictions. I gave Madelynn a tray with fall objects: mini pumpkins, apples, leaves, rocks, acorns, pine cones and sticks. One by one she chose an item, made a prediction, then tested it out to see if it would sink or float. Easy peasy!
Fall Leaf Rubbings:
For our first art project this week we did simple leaf rubbings with crayons. I taped a few leaves to our tray, then placed a piece of paper on top. Madelynn rubbed crayons sideways over the leaves to create beautiful textures.
Fall Color Sorting Bin:
In this bin: red, orange, yellow, and brown pom poms, mini leaves, squirrel squeezers (from Sneaky Snack Squirrel Game), mini puzzle letters, and colored bowls for sorting
Our squirrel squeezers were the perfect tool for grabbing and sorting pom poms in this easy peasy fall color sorting bin.
Potato Stamp Fall Tree:
To prepare this craft I cut a potato in half then carved a few lines to create a leaf. Then I printed a tree trunk for Madelynn to use as a background. She used a paintbrush to paint a thin layer of tempera paint on the potato and stamp it on her tree.
Fall Leaf Slime:
I’ve always had trouble getting slime recipes just right, but I have found the PERFECT recipe that is impossible to mess up. (and trust me I have had quite a few slime fails in the past few years!)
Fall Slime Recipe:
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 1/2 Tbsp contact lens solution
Fall leaf confetti (optional)
Directions: Pour both bottles of glue into a bowl. Add baking soda and mix well. Add contact solution and mix with spoon until it gets too difficult. Use hands to knead the slime together. If slime is too sticky add a bit more contact solution. Mix in fall confetti if desired.
If you are looking for all of the plans and printables for this week’s theme I will be posting them soon! If you’d like to be notified as soon as they are available please subscribe to my newsletter (in the sidebar to the right) and/or join our Tot School and Preschool Facebook group here:
And that’s it for this week. I can’t wait to share all of our learning and fun with you this year! Here are our tentative plans for weekly themes if you want to follow along!
September:
October:
November:
December:
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