We always like to start a unit by talking about our schema and asking questions about a topic. I like to make sure my bookshelf is stocked because looking through books always helps us come up with more questions. So many of my books are from Scholastic Book Clubs, but when I don’t have enough books about a topic, I go to the library and grab some more.
During our apple unit, we read books about apples, talked about the apple life cycle, dissected apples, labeled them, and taste tested different color apples. Then we made an apple pie in a cup!
Our favorite part was smashing graham crackers with a toy hammer!
After we learned about apples, we began learning about how pumpkins grow, pumpkin features, and things we could make with pumpkins. I always like to start this unit in early October so we can carve our pumpkin and watch it decompose throughout the month! So spooky!
The can, have, are thinking map is one of my favorites. We talk about how we can make sentences about pumpkins using those words.
We studied the outside of the pumpkin and made predictions about what would be inside. When we check to see if it would sink or float. To most kids surprise, it floated!
Then, we talked about how we would carve a pumpkin. We sequenced how to carve a pumpkin before we actually did it. This way the kids could direct me in carving the pumpkin based on what they knew from the sequencing work they have done.
These are part of my Sequence and Write: How to Carve a Pumpkin pack on TpT. If you are interested in getting these cards for yourself, you can find them here.
We put our pumpkins out in the garden next to one that we didn’t carve and made predictions about which one will decompose first.
Our unit wouldn’t have been complete without a food activity. We made a pumpkin patch with chocolate pudding, smashed Oreo cookies, candy pumpkins, and green Sour Punch Straws. You can find the original recipe here.
We also added some super simple fun fall activities to our workstations. The kids have been making pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, apples, and fall leaves on the light table.
We have also been using beads to build pumpkins and leaves on our mirrored tray (I found that at Target last year).
As Autumn is in the air, we have also been completing these fun Autumn themed activities from Education.com. Below is one example of a worksheet, but you can go check out their website for more fun activities and games!
Click here to get this worksheet and click here to get the answer sheet!
Happy Teaching!
