Fall is a magic time of year. Students have just returned to school and classrooms are beginning to build the magical classroom family that will be together for the next 9 or so months learning and growing together. Fall brings the magic of a cool breeze and beautiful changing colors of leaves. Take the time to curl up with a book this fall and enjoy the magic of the changing season and growing. Below are eight of my favorite fall books with activities to go with them. Enjoy them and enjoy time reading this fall.
1. Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
One of my fall favorites read about Fletcher the fox and how he learns about autumn after he is worried something is terribly wrong when the leaves begin to fall off the trees. What will Fletcher find out and what will he learn about the autumn season? Join Fletcher to find out about his wonderful surprise and his journey to find out why the leaves are falling off of the trees.
Activity: A fun activity to follow up reading Fletcher and the Falling Leaves is to take a nature walk and pick up some fallen leaves during autumn. Once you are home or back in your classroom use the leaves to create paint prints. You can create paint prints of the leaves by putting the leaf down on the paper and painting over it and all around it. When you lift the leaf up and you will have the shape of the leaf left underneath. You can also paint the side of the life with veins and stamp the leaf onto clean paper, if you do this make sure there isn't too much paint on the leaf. It will need to be a very thin layer of paint to get the print of the leaf and its veins.
2. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
Go on a walk with a young girl and she walks through the trees and town noticing the signs of the changing seasons from summer to autumn. A great story to help children notice the signs of changing seasons and the beauty of nature.
Activity: A great way to engage changing seasons is to go on a nature walk with children and point out the things that are changing and have them look for the changes they see in their environment. This not only gives children the opportunity to get outside and see if for themselves but also helps children to begin to take notice of details and changes in their surroundings. One of the ways I have enjoyed carrying nature walks back into my classroom during changing seasons is through compare and contrast charts. This freebie has a compare and contrast chart for the changing seasons that students can draw or write the things that are the same about the seasons and different. Click here to get your freebie today!
3. Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson
Read about a family who travels across the plains from Iowa to Oregon to make their new home. Papa can't leave his precious apple tree and other plants so he brings them with! He and the family find when they are journeying towards their new home how hard it is to cross the plains, especially with all of these plants. Read this story to learn about this families perseverance and journey with their apple trees as they travel across the country.
Activity: A great addition to any apple unit or apple picking adventure during fall is a read through Apples to Oregon. One of the ways I have enjoyed incorporating this book into the classroom is through a fun comprehension craft that I often would display on bulletin boards or in the hallways for fall. The apple and basket craft includes that 5'w's or story elements and can be used to practice both skills with any book but I enjoy using this one. Grab your apple comprehension basket by clicking here!
4. The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry
A story about friendship and unexpected connections, The Scarecrow reminds us of the power of friendship and ways we can help others. A great fall read for primary students to not only pull on the autumn theme but also to learn about friendship, kindness, and unexpected connections. Scarecrow saves an unlikely animal friend as they come falling from the sky and bonds with the little bird. Read about how Scarecrow and the crow become friends and work together to help one another through the changing seasons.
Activity: Scarecrows are a fun way to honor fall and after reading The Scarecrow what better activity than to make your own? You can use old clothing and straw and leaves to make one for yourself or if you have students in a classroom head over to my TpT store to get a fun writing activity and scarecrow craft! Click here!
5. Windows by Julia Denos
Taking a walk at the end of a long dog can provide you with a new perspective of the world. You may see lights slowly turning on in neighbors windows, seeing cats and other animals walking the streets, or pass a friend walking their dog. Read Windows to find out what one person saw on their evening walk with their dog. What do you see on your walks?
Activity: A great way to engage the story windows is by having children draw what they would see through their window if they were on a walk outside in the fall season. What would it look like? What kind of activities would they be doing with their families? It is a great way for students to express themselves and share more about themselves and their families.
6. The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming
Follow squirrel as he goes on a journey counting leaves that are falling off the trees in the autumn breeze until squirrel realizes he is missing one of his leaves. See what squirrel does to find his missing leaf and how his friends help him! Read this funny picture book about autumn, change and the seasons of life and nature.
Activity: Leaves are always the center of fall themes so a fun activity I like to do following the reading of the Leaf Thief is have children write about their favorite parts of fall. One of the ways I have enjoyed displaying students favorite parts of fall writing is by creating these 3D leaf mobiles. Students can write, draw and share what they love about fall and you can decorate your classroom with leaves 'falling' from the ceiling. Click here to get the freebie to make the falling leaves!
7. The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
The Name Jar is a wonderful story of a new student who enters a classroom where no one can produce her name. She has just moved from Korea and as any child would want to, she wants to fit in, however she doesn't want to share her name with her new classroom and wants to pick a new American name from a jar but nothing fits. Slowly she learns that the best name for her is her given name Unhei with the help of new friendships and warm welcome of her new classmates.
Activity: A great way to learn about one another, especially at the start of the school year, I use my book companion with vocabulary, comparing and contracting, and sequencing tasks as well as a name project for students to research their origins of their names and present to the class through writing, art, or whatever fits best for your classroom setting. Click here to get your today!
8. Tree Full of wonder by Anna Smithers
A rhyming book about trees, Tree Full of Wonder is a great read to explore the importance of trees and why we need to protect them. Explore the story and bonds of people and trees and ways we can protect trees. Mindfully consider nature and the connection we have to it while learning about deeper bonds with trees, nature, and the changing seasons.
Activity: Trees are all around us. I love talking about different types of tress with students and exploring what students know about trees. A great way to continue learning about trees is through the PBS Science Trek Tree's show which gives great information and images of tress that are the tallest, shortest, widest, oldest, etc. Check it out by clicking here.
The magic of fall is in the air and is a beautiful opportunity to explore nature and get to know each other better. Enjoy some of the books and activities above. Get close and read a book this fall!
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