Fall Unit for Kindergarten and First Grade
“What do you think we will see on our Fall Hunt?” So begins our conversation before our walk.
My preschoolers quickly shout out ideas. Leaves! Pumpkins! Trees! Squirrels! A ghost! Ummm…okay? I write them all down on our clipboard.
The kids are used to these conversations and sharing their ideas. I love how they vary from completely on topic to just a glimpse into what they are thinking about. There are no right or wrong answers – just ideas.
These ideas are part of my process for getting everyone ready, excited and focused before our field trip. Once we have our list of fall hunt ideas and collection bags in hand we are off!
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Fall Unit Field Trip: Signs of Fall Hunt
Field Trips bring a topic to life. They make an abstract concept meaningful, real and alive for young kids. On a field trip kids will be able to touch things, ask questions of experts, and more.
In the case of our Signs of Fall Hunt, we are exploring first hand the changes in our environment. For this walk I head outside hoping to touch on;
- Changes to our neighborhood trees in Fall.
- Fall colors
- Animals preparing for Winter
- Sensory experience of hearing, touching, and smelling Fall.
We have this beautiful book, The Nature Connection, that has a section for each month. I used it for three years as part of our homeschool preschool. It is a book that grows with your children and can help you investigate things more deeply.
Before the Walk
Preparation is key for any field trip or adventure with kids. This isn’t time consuming or stressful, but it is important.
Some things to consider include;
- Always dress yourself and your child(ren) in weather appropriate clothing for a walk.
- Don’t forget sunscreen
- Pay attention to how far you are going and turn around long before anyone gets tired. Every child is different, but for a guideline our two year olds can easily walk a half mile – so about a quarter of a mile in I typically turn us around. A mile is possible, but they are quite tired by the end.
Some things to pack;
- Notebook or clipboard (for you and/or the kids)
- Writing and Drawing Implements
- Bags for Collecting things
- Camera
Get your kids excited!
- Read a book about Fall.
- Tell them you are going to hunt for signs of Fall
- Ask what they think you will see
- Write these down on your clipboard or notebook.
On the Fall Walking Trip
Together we walked a few blocks looking carefully for signs of Fall. We found flowers, collected leaves and noticed their colors and sizes. We looked up at trees and talked about the wind blowing the leaves. We also noticed tiny acorns on the ground.
On the trip Kids can:
- Collect Items in their bags
- Ask questions
- Share their observations
- Take pictures or making drawings
On the trip Grown Ups can:
- write down their comments and questions
- take photos of them exploring
- answer some of their questions in the moment
- ask questions to help them focus or extend their thinking. Questions like what do you see? What does that feel like? Would you like to take a picture of that to help you remember?
- Use the nature quest check list from The Nature Connection to use your senses.
Afterwards
When we got back, we spread our leaves and acorns out on the table. We talked about what we found and noticed the differences.
Try prompts such as:
- “Tell me about what you found”
- “This leaf looks green and brown to me, what colors are you seeing?”
Then do take their ideas and their questions and pick some of the fun Fall Unit Activities below to extend their learning!
Fall Unit Activity Ideas
Below are fun learning ideas to use before and after your field trip. They are divided into developmental or curriculum areas.
Literacy Activities
Art Activities
- Leaf Man Loose Parts Invitation
- Draw what you found most interesting on our walk with combination of crayons and drawing pencils.
- Create fall leaves on simple tree invitation and oil pastels.
STEM Activities
- Acorn Addition and Subtract Stories
- Autumn Activity Trays
Gross Motor Activities
- Move like a falling leaf during transitions to sit for story or group time.
Current Learning Objectives (based on First Grade Common Core)
- Explain connections between what we read and experiences.
- Participate in collaborative conversations
- Add and Subtract within 20
- Solve word problems
- Observe and describe weather conditions that occur during each season
- Expressive use of crayons, oil pastels, and drawing pencils
