Fun with Pumpkins!

Hi, sweet friends! It's Lauren Lynes from Simply Second Grade! We are currently on fall break, and I am finally meeting my sweet twin nieces who live in Philadelphia! When we get back from break, we are going to be having so much fun with PUMPKINS! I wanted to share some activities that I've done in the past in case you need some new ones!

One thing we like to do is set up stations to investigate pumpkins! Students count the lines on their pumpkins, weigh them, measure them, and see if they sink or float. We send a note asking our families to send a pumpkin if they can, and usually we have enough for students to work in groups of 2-3. We use this freebie record sheet to record our predictions and results!

Here are some photos from the stations in action!

 We also like to compare and contrast apples and pumpkins!

We always have our students observe the inside and the outside of a pumpkin. We record adjectives that describe both, then make a cool craftivity to go along with it!

Another way to use the seeds from the pumpkins you collect is by doing some pumpkin seed estimation, and then some pumpkin seed story problems! We were working on doubles facts at the time :)

And there you have it! I hope I have shared some new ideas with you! What are some of your favorite pumpkin activities that you do in your classroom? We would love to hear them!

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!

                                

Fern Smith's FREE Fall Football Color For Fun!

Color For Fun Football Fall Freebie  

Hello Friends!  
It's Fern from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas and I'm back with another freebie for you! I love back to school time, I always associate it with the start of Football Season! For fun, I created a Football Themed Freebie for you as part of my best selling Color for Fun Series.

 

If you like it, I would ♥love♥ some feedback. 

In addition, let's have a little **giveaway** fun! I'm giving away FIVE of my Color for Fun resources, your pick. Simple visit my blog and leave a comment with the one you would like and check it off in the Rafflecopter, it's that easy! 

An InLinkz Link-up

I will post the FIVE winners on my Facebook page Monday Morning!
Click here to follow me on Facebook.

Every Friday I offer a FREEBIE on my blog, click here to see them. I invite you to come by today and every Friday, to download my freebies for your files. 

You can find me at Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas!

 HEAD over to our newest giveaway, the iTeachSecond teacher authors are so excited to sponsor this giveaway. Click here!

 

Have a great weekend friends,
I'll see ya' every Friday!