Fabulous Fall

This theme was used in a preschool storytime.

Books

Aw, Nuts! by Rob McClurkan
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes

Songs

Five Furry Chipmunks 
Inspired by 123 Learn Curriculum.

One furry chipmunk dashes by,
(bounce one finger)
Two furry chipmunks are way up high.
(wiggle two fingers in the air)
Three furry chipmunks with some nuts to hide,
(put hands behind back)
Four furry chipmunks play outside.
(wiggle four fingers)
Five furry chipmunks chase round and round,
(roll hands)
Scattering acorns on the ground.
(make sprinkling motion with fingers)

This rhyme is a variation on Five Furry Squirrels.

I used a chipmunk finger puppet by Folkmanis to accompany the song.

I'm a Nut
Courtesy of Jbrary

We incorporate various movements into our version.

I'm an acorn small and round,
(make a circle with your arms out in front)
lying on the cold, cold, ground.
(point to the ground)
People always step on me,
(stomp foot)
that is why I'm cracked you see.
(clap hands)
I'm a nut (clack, clack)
(tap head)
I'm a nut (clack, clack)
I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut (clack, clack)

Apple Seed
Courtesy of Everything Preschool. 

Activity

Bubble play! I used the song Fun, Fun, Fun by the Beach Boys!

Craft

Owl

Supplies:

• Brown paper cup
• Yellow construction paper
• Brown construction paper
• Feathers
• Sticker eyes 
• Scissors
• Glue stick 

Note: To make circle cutting easier, I use a circle stamp found in the stationary section of most craft stores. 

Apples

This theme was used in a preschool program.

Books

One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert
Ned's New Home by Kevin Tseng
Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry

Songs

Apple Seed
Courtesy of Everything Preschool. 

Five Little Apples
Courtesy of Preschool Education. See Apple Fingerplay. 

Activity

Rhythm Sticks!

If You Have Some Rhythm Sticks
Courtesy of Jbrary 

Bread and Butter
Courtesy of Jbrary

Rainstorm! 
Courtesy of Early Childhood News.

Craft

Caramel Apple!

Supplies:

• Red construction paper
• Brown construction paper
• Red and gold sequins
• Glue
• Popsicle stick

Nocturnal Animals

I used this theme for an evening preschool program.

Books

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan
It's a Firefly Night by Dianne Ochiltree
Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward

I only read the nighttime portion of Jennifer Ward's book for the program. 

Songs

There's Something in the Nighttime
Courtesy of Miss Barbara at the Library

We discovered an owl, cricket, cat, mouse, and a skunk! I held up a stick puppet of each animal after the kids guessed. 

Sleeping Bats
Courtesy of CanTeach 

We acted out the following movements to the rhyme:

Tune: Frère Jacques
Bats are sleeping,
(place hands together and press against cheek. Pretend to sleep)
Bats are sleeping,
Upside down,
Upside down,
Sleeping in the morning sun,
(make a circle with your arms above your head)
Waiting for the night to come,
(twinkle fingers like stars)
Then they'll fly all around,
(flap arms)
Then they'll fly all around.

Activity

Bubbles

Craft

Hedgehog

 Supplies:

• White cardstock
• Glue
• Google eyes
• Crayons
• Gray and brown construction paper
• Leaf template or stamp

Art and Color

I used this theme in a preschool storytime.

Books

Sky Color by Peter Reynolds
Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

I created this prop for a colleague's storytime last year. I never had the chance to use it until now. The kids loved it!

Songs

Can You Find?
Courtesy of  Preschool Education

We used the following colors:

• Blue
• Red
• Green
• Yellow
• Purple

I placed large circles around the room in each color. This gave the kids had a specific object to look for.

This is the Way We Paint
Courtesy of Storytime Katie

We performed the following actions:

• Stir the paint
• Dip the brush
• Paint the paper
• Frame the picture
• Hang it high

Activities

Bubble play!

Craft

We created a fall mural! I placed out a large piece of butcher paper and used puffy paint and pom poms to make an apple tree in the center. I punched out Ellison letters to create the phrase "Happy Fall" in the center. I used the Ellison stamp to punch out apples, pumpkins, and leaves. I supplied the kids with stickers, glue, and crayons to decorate the mural.I did not provide an image, since a few of the kids wrote their first and last names on the mural.