October

October's theme is: Autumn and Halloween

I love this time of year! With the dressing up, imagination, creativity, and treats, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Last year, I was a princess, complete with a dragon, a knight in shining armor, and a jester. Dad was a wizard. We have so much fun! So imagine how excited I've been to do my lesson plans for this month!
First, here's the book list:

Books about Autumn/leaves

Leaf Man--Lois Ehlert
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf--Lois Ehlert
Autumn is Here!--Heidi Pross Gray
It's Fall--Linda Glaser
Leaf Jumpers--Carol Gerber
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt--Steve Metzger
Awesome Autumn--Bruce Goldstone
Mouse's First Fall--Lauren Thompson
Leaves--David Ezra Stein
Tap the Magic Tree--Christie Matheson
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves--Lucille Colandro

List is from:  http://www.pre-kpages.com/best-books-about-fall/
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2013/08/books-for-fall-with-crafts.html

Books about Scarecrows

Scarecrows—Lola M. Schaefer

The Scarecrow’s Hat—Ken Brown

The Little Scarecrow Boy—Margaret Wise Brown

Scarecrow—Cynthia Rylant

The Scarecrow’s Dance—Jane Yolen

Books about Halloween

Tell Me a Scary Story...But Not Too Scary--Carl Reiner
Go Away Big Green Monster--Ed Emberley
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat--Lucille Colandro
Skeleton Hiccups--Margery Cuyler
Where is Baby's Pumpkin--Karen Katz
Mouse's Halloween Party--Jeanne Modesitt
Vunce Upon a Time--J. Otto Siebold & Siobhan Vivian
Dem Bones--Bob Barner
In the Haunted House--Eve Bunting
Wobble, the Witch Cat--Mary Calhoun
Inside a House that is Haunted--Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Peek-a-Boooo!--Marie Torres Cimarusti
Maisy's Halloween--Lucy Cousins
Pumpkin Eye--Denise Fleming
Ghosts in the House--Kazuno Kohara
AlphaOops: H is for Halloween--Althea Kontis
The Costume Copycat--Maryann MacDonald
The Perfectly Horrible Halloween--Nancy Poydar
Halloween Day--Anne Rockwell
Moonlight: The Halloween Cat--Cynthia Rylant
10 Trick-or-treaters--Janet Schulman
Big Pumpkin--Erica Silverman
Mouse's First Halloween--Lauren Thompson
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything--Linda D. Williams
Beneath the Ghost Moon--Jane Yolen
Spookley the Square Pumpkin--Jim Troiano
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
The Runaway Pumpkin--Kevin Lewis
From Seed to Pumpkin--Wendy Pfeffer
It's Pumpkin Time--Zoe Hall
Pumpkin, Pumpkin--Jeanne Titherington
Pumpkin Soup--Helen Cooper
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie--Jill Esbaum
Too Many Pumpkins--Linda White
The Very Best Pumpkin--Mark Kimball Moulton
Over in the Hollow--Rebecca Dickinson

Some great book lists:
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/category/books-about-halloween
http://simplykierste.com/2010/09/halloween-book-countdown.html
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/09/halloween-books-for-kids.html
http://www.pre-kpages.com/pumpkin-patch-dramatic-play/

Concepts to Learn:

 Gentlemen Training:

• Times to be quiet: Inside/Outside Voice, Sitting still
• Being gentle/kind to babies and animals
• Patience/Waiting
• What to do when you're scared
• Taking your turn to talk

Literacy:

• Letters E, F, G, H, and I
• Sequencing: Putting events in order
• Write a spooky story

Math:

• Counting 1-20
• Sorting
• Measuring: Longest/shortest, biggest/smallest, lightest/heaviest
• Basic adding with fingers

Art:

• Colors: primary colors and making new colors by mixing colors
• Shapes
• Tracing

Science/Social Science:

• Leaves/Trees
• Leaves
• Weather: wind and clouds

Music:

• Rhymes and songs
• Clapping a beat

 

Field Trip Ideas:

• Go for a nature walk around the neighborhood
• Pumpkin patch
• Corn maze
• Go for a drive in the mountains to see the changing leaves

Websites/Resources:

Seasons:

• http://kindertastic.blogspot.com/2012/01/seasons.html
• http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/03/learning-about-4-seasons-free-printable.html
• http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Four-Seasons-Reader-208707

Autumn/Leaves:

• http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2013/08/36-leaf-crafts-kids-activities-for-fall.html
• http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-fall.htm
• http://sowsproutplay.com/activities/music-craft-for-kids-making-corn-shakers/
• http://happyhooligans.ca/fabulous-fall-collage/
• http://ourjourneywestward.com/preschool-leaf-study/
• http://www.science-sparks.com/2012/10/31/science-based-activity-ideas-for-autumnfall/
• http://craftsbyamanda.com/2012/09/fall-leaf-finger-puppets.html
• http://printables.familyeducation.com/fall-printables/leaves-roots-and-stems/72754.html?WT_mc_id=FE_Printables_2012-09-17_email#.UFdFrGMIiy0.pinterest or http://printables.familyeducation.com/tv/printables/AutumnLeavesActivityBooklet_2.pdf
• http://cuteandpeculiar.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-leaf-activties.html
• http://preschoolmom.com/Themes/FallLeaf.html
• http://mrskarensclass.blogspot.com/2011/10/leaves.html
• http://www.geocities.com/thetoddlerhouse824/fall.html
• http://www.mpmschoolsupplies.com/ideas/3856/fall-leaf-counting/
• http://ateachingmommy.com/2011/09/leaves-unit-expanded/

Halloween:

September

September's theme is: On the Farm

 (By the way, this picture is of my dream home. I would love to live out in the country like this!)
What a fun theme! There are so many great ideas out there. It was difficult to make myself stop looking at all of the ideas and just pick a few to do. I want to do it all!
First, here is a book list of some wonderful books about the farm. Please comment and let me know of some of your favorite children's farm books if I missed them on my list.

Children's Books about Farming:

Open the Barn Door—Chris Santoro

Barnyard Dance—Sandra Boynton

Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type—Doreen Cronin

Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald had a Farm—James Dean

Moo—Matthew Van Fleet

Cock-a-Doodle Doo! Barnyard Hullabaloo—Giles Andreae

Peek-a-Moo!—Marie Torres Cimarusti

Barnyard Banter—Denise Fleming

Old MacDonald had a Farm—Carol Jones or Mandy Foot

The Cow that Went Oink—Bernard Most

Inside a Barn in the Country—Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Little Blue Truck--Alice Schertle

The Story of Ferdinand--Munro Leaf

The Little Red Hen--Diane Muldrow or Paul Galdone

Where is the Green Sheep--Mem Fox

Pocket Piggies Colors--Richard Austin

Pop-up Peekaboo! Farm--Dawn Sirett

Farm--Elisha Cooper

The Cow Loves Cookies--Karma Wilson

Small Pig--Arnold Lobel

Big Red Barn--Margaret Wise Brown

Mrs. Wishy-Washy--Joy Cowley

Old MacDonald Had a Farm--Carol Jones or Mandy Foot

On Grandpa's Farm--Vivian Sathre

Farming--Gail Gibbons

If You Give a Pig a Pancake--Laura Numeroff

The Fourth Little Pig--

Chickens to the Rescue--John Himmelman

Charlie and the New Baby--Ree Drummond

Charlotte's Web--E.B. White

Mercy Watson--Kate DiCamillo

 Concepts to learn:

Gentlemen training:

• Helping
• Being clean (bathing, washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.)
• Being clean (not littering, picking up after yourself, helping clean around the house)
• Doing kind things for others (service)

Literacy:

• Alphabet song
• A,B,C, and D
• Animal sounds
• Writing: write a farm story
• Retelling a story

Math:

• Counting 1-10
• Sorting

Art:

• Basic Colors
• Basic Shapes

Science/Social Science:

• Time of day (day/night, morning, afternoon, evening, night)
• Daily routines
• Days of the week
• Where does our food come from?

Music:

• Old MacDonald had a Farm
• Farm rhymes and songs

Field Trip Ideas:

Utah State Fair (Sept. 4-14)

Go to a farmer's market.

Wheeler Farm

Samuel E. Holt Farmstead Park in South Jordan, UT

 

Websites/Resources:

•  http://www.nuttinbutpreschool.com/five-animals-flannel-board/
• http://www.freehomeschooldeals.com/free-instant-download-farm-printable-pack/
• http://www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com
• http://cochlearimplantonline.com/site/therapy-thursday-pop-up-barn/
• http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rhyming-Riddles-Farm-Animals-A-Beginning-Phonological-Awareness-Game-FREE-876215
• http://mrskarensclass.blogspot.com/2012/03/old-mrs-karen-had-farm.html
• http://storytimewithmissmollie.blogspot.com/2012/03/inspired-by-flannel-friday.html
• http://3dinosaurs.com/printables/packs/farm.php
• http://www.kinderkorner.com/farm.html
• http://librarystorytimeabcs.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-05-25T11:29:00-04:00&max-results=7
• http://www.kidactivities.net/category/theme-farm-harvest.aspx
• http://thepreschoolexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/11/farm-theme-tot-trays.html
• http://preschoolbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/11/cindy-moo.html

A Great Resource

I checked out this book from the library and really liked the ideas. Maybe I might need to buy it...
The Giant Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities: For Children 3 to 6
Edited by Kathy Charner, Maureen Murphy, and Charlie Clark

It has lots of great ideas for reading time, science, social development, and art and is arranged thematically by month.
For example, for February here are some of the themes, concepts, and ideas:

• Losing a tooth and going to the dentist
• Snow
• Black History Month: African American Writers and Musicians
• Writing letters to friends
• Groundhog pop-up puppet, groundhog songs, poems, and fingerplays
• Shadows
• Healthy hearts
• Valentine's Day activities
• Galileo
• Clifford the Big Red Dog
• President's Day activities

Fun! Fun! Fun! Awesome resource and very easy to use. Apparently, I don't need to re-invent the wheel! =) There are also many other books of this sort focused on just science or art, etc.