With October comes the colors of fall.  Just look out the window and view the leaves changing colors to yellow, red, orange and brown.  Enjoy the cool, crisp morning air!  The wind now picks up and we have the wind creating little whirlwinds of leaves. Taking notice of all these changes can bring a sense of relaxation and peace.  This year let’s make it a time to recognize and enjoy the changing of the seasons.  It is the little things in life in which children take notice of and enjoy.  So, I am going to suggest that we celebrate fall every day of October.  How do you do that?  

First of all read books about fall and have art lessons that use the beautiful fall colors.  This week we had a lesson on how to draw a pumpkin and then each child painted their pumpkin using orange, yellow and brown.  They were so proud of their finished pumpkin paintings! We planted beautiful fall flowers in the flower beds.  We picked up acorns and then counted them to 100!  Next we plan on doing crayon rubbings of leaves and have a fall scavenger hunt for our nature table.  We have already visited the Dallas Arboretum and each child took home their own pumpkin.  Listed below are my plans for 20 days of our fall celebration and some I hope you will enjoy as well:

1.  The Seasons Chart with the months of the year (see photo)

2.  Sing Fall songs and songs about the change of seasons.

3.  Have Fall Scavenger Hunt and place favorites on a nature table and label them in our classroom

4.  Create a fall placemat- weaving them with ribbon in fall colors-weaving can be a practical life work!

5.  Raking leaves and jumping into the piles – so much fun!  An outside activity and great large motor skill fun

6.  Planting fall flowers – then show the lifecycle of the plant nomenclature cards

7.  Tong work using acorns or small pine cones

8.  Gather fall leaves and do crayon rubbings, extend to the parts of the leaf and tree work.

9.  Create an art lesson on how to draw a fall tree and then tearing fall colored construction paper to create the leaves and gluing.  Wonderful for a 3-D type of art collage and hand and eye coordination.

10. Planting spring bulbs- show the different types of flowers.  I have a Montessori nomenclature set for this work. 

11.  Add some seasonal work to the shelves such as leaf sorting by color & pin-pricking leaves in fall colors.

12.  With cooler weather comes the sweaters and jackets so try creating a work in practical life on how to use a coat hanger and hang up a jacket or sweater! 

13.  Another practical life favorite is having an all-weather vest that zips up the front.  The children can practice zipping up their own jacket! 

14.  Baking pumpkin bread, such a fun activity to introduce liquid measurement.

15.  Start a leaf collection by collecting, mounting and labeling leaves that are collected.

16.  Try doing simple addition facts using acorns for counters.

17.  A practical life favorite is pumpkin washing with miniature pumpkins.

18.  Create an acorn counting work with number cards.

19.  Making friendship bracelets to give to our friends by stringing fall colored beads.  This is great as a peace education practice of giving to others.

20.   Decorate Trick-or-Treat Bags and make caramel apples!

These are just a few suggestions, whatever you choose to do with the children in your life, be in the moment.  Make learning fun and enjoy the little things in life, like the changing of the seasons.  Be intentional and plan activities that you and the children will enjoy.