Fall is upon us and it's one of my favorite times of the year. I was born and raised in South Florida, where the temperature doesn't seem to get below 70* until January. Moving to Missouri helped me see why people make such a big deal about autumn weather. Since I love the season so much, I also enjoy doing lots of fall-related activities. Here are some ideas for your preschool homeschooling fall curriculum.
* Leafrubbings- Go for a walk and collect a handful of fall leaves. Lay them under a piece of white paper and gently rub with crayons to see the design.
* Cook apple cider and other treats - An apple theme for fall is perfect, and making a batch of apple cider, apple muffins, apple roll-ups, and apple butter is a perfect way to teach cooking. I'll post a recipe for easy apple roll-ups soon.
* Create a pumpkin patch - We plant our own pumpkins every year. If you've never done it, you'll be surprised how easy it is, and how many pumpkins you get from just one or two plants. Last year we had two plants and got 18 big pumpkins. This year we planted miniature pumpkins and got 24 from two plants. Collect all your pumpkins, some straw, and a couple scarecrows and create a pumpkin patch. You can plan plenty of math activities around your pumpkin patch as your child sells and buys the pumpkins from the patch.
*Create a fall tree - This preschool project is a little time consuming, but it's fun and engaging. Using brown paper, create a tree trunk on the wall. Make the trunk as tall as your child so they can reach the leaves. Next, create fall leaves using your leaf rubbings or tracing around a leaf and cutting out the shape.
Use colored papers in red, yellow, orange, brown, and purple. As fall progresses, have your child remove the leaves. You can have some falling down the wall, some lying at the bottom of the trunk, and some completely removed from the tree. By the time winter gets here, the tree should be bare. This is a great way for a small child to track how long a season lasts.
If you'd like more fall ideas, check out this book from Amazon for a fall-centered preschool curriculum.