The Perfect Pumpkin

A few years back I started a fun thing in my classroom in October where I took one of those cheap plastic pumpkins that could fit a few pieces of candy inside. I decided to do something called the perfect pumpkin where I pass it around to kids during the day that are showing positive behavior. The kid who has it on their desk at the end of the day receives the reward inside. I do this each day for the month of October. The kids GO CRAZY for this at the end of the day to see what their peers receive. I decided to create my own box template this year and also include a fun printable award and a class book about our perfect pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. October is one of my favorite months in my 2nd grade class and this is just one more reason why!

Enjoy this freebie that adds to your PERFECT PUMPKIN FUN in your classroom
and motivates classroom management this fall!

Fall-themed Books to Inspire Learning

Hi everyone!  It's Anita from Primary "Teach"spiration.

Today marks the beginning of fall.  Yeah!  I love the fall season!

Do you have your classroom library stocked with plenty of fall-themed books?   There are some good ones about fall out there that can inspire some great learning opportunities.

I have selected twelve books to help inspire your primary students to enjoy the fall season and extend the reading into some great learning activities.

Some of the informational books, like Awesome Autumn by Bruce Goldstone, might lead to the science behind leaf changes, why birds migrate in fall, and much more.  

There are the magical books, like By the Light of the Harvest Moon by Harriett Ziefert, that are a pure delight. These types of books set the stage for students to extend the fall theme into craft and/or writing activities.

Other books, many humorous, are purely for the enjoyment of a good read.  And, we all know, kids love funny.

Then there are books that lead to math and literacy learning activities, such as Counting on Fall and Autumn:An An Alphabet Acrostic.

Counting on Fall by Lizann Flatt is one in a series of books that highlights math concepts in nature.  Read this book before going on a nature hunt.  Then have the kids extend the learning with some fall-themed math activities.

Although I don't show it here, having the kids use items from the
nature walk for the manipulatives would be even better.

Autumn:An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur is a perfect lead-in for teaching poetry and reviewing ABC order, along with fall-themed literacy activities. 

Click HERE to read more about the books I've mentioned and the rest of them in this collection.

Happy Fall!