Here’s a bumper crop of harvest activities just “ripe”
for your autumn classroom.
ideas by Resa Audet and Kathy Wolf
Gather in the Harvest
Using reference materials, researching local crop production
Harvesttime brings to mind many images—Indian corn, yellow squash, orange pumpkins,
and bushels of crisp, juicy apples. Introduce your students to harvesttime by reading the classic
Autumn Harvest by Alvin Tresselt. Ask students what they think of when they hear “harvest.” Explain
that the harvest happens when crops are ready to be gathered.
Many crops—but not all—are harvested in the fall. Ask students to hypothesize why different crops are ready to harvest at different times. Have older students use encyclopedias and
other reference books to find out when major crops are harvested in their own state. Call your local
Agricultural Extension Service for additional information about crops grown in your area. As a class,
make a list of crops along with the months in which farmers harvest them. If possible, ask a farmer
to describe what harvesttime means to him. Are his crops harvested by machines or picked by field
hands? Help students conclude that harvesttime means hard work. When crops are ready and the
weather is right, farmers and helpers may work into the night to gather in the harvest.
We’re Harvesting
Good Books!
Mystery
Animals
Folk
Tales
Other
Fairy
Tales
Sports
Promoting an enjoyment of books
To create an October reading-incentive
bulletin board, enlarge one copy of the scarecrow pattern and six copies of the basket pattern
on page 10. Color and cut out the scarecrow
and mount it on the board. Program the baskets
and cut slits in them as shown. Create a border
of dried corn husks or twisted paper and corn
cutouts. Add the title “We’re Harvesting Good
Books!” Duplicate the corn pattern on page 11 for
each student. As each student finishes a book,
have him fill in the information on an ear of corn
and slip it into a basket.
To vary the display, change the title to
“Something to Crow About!” and display students’ good work. Or change the title to “We’re
All Ears for Vowels.” Label the baskets with
vowels. Program 24 ears of corn with words or
pictures for students to match. Laminate both
baskets and corn for durability. Place the corn
cutouts in a basket near the board. Students
choose ears of corn and place the ears in the
correct baskets.
King Corn
Recognizing similarities and differences,
identifying corn products
Find out why corn is king when it comes
to farming in America. Display foods such as corn
chips, corn cereal, corn on the cob, popcorn, canned
corn, cornmeal, corn bread, corn syrup, and corn oil.
Discuss the similarities and differences among these
foods. Explain that all of these foods come from the
corn plant.
To share corn facts with your students, make
eight corn cutouts (see the pattern and note on page
11) and label each with one of the following facts:
• Corn is the most abundant grain in the Western
Hemisphere.
• The United States produces more than half the corn
grown in the world.
• Most of the corn is grown in the Corn Belt.
• Native Americans grew corn long before
Columbus arrived.
• The kinds of corn grown today are improved for bigger and better harvests.
• Most of the corn grown today is field corn used to
feed livestock.
• Corn is planted in long, straight rows to make it
easier to harvest.
• Corn not fed to animals is made into other products
in mills.
Mount the corn cutouts on a bulletin board
and provide each student with a blank copy. Have
each student list as many corn products as he can
find on his pattern. Students can read labels at
home or in grocery stores. (Examples include cereal, syrup, cornstarch, and oil, as well as ketchup,
candies, ice cream, margarine, and sausage.) Have
students cut out and color their ears and add them
to the board.
From Field to Feast
Sequencing steps to plant and harvest corn
For a fascinating social studies lesson, follow the journey of corn from the field to the table.
Read aloud Corn Belt Harvest by Raymond Bial.
Have students locate the Corn Belt on a map of the
United States. Then review the steps in the planting
and harvesting of corn.
To prepare, make one copy of the corn pattern on page 11, mask out the words, and duplicate
ten ears of corn. Color and cut out the ears; then
print each sentence below on an ear. Laminate the
ears and place them in a basket. Provide ten clip
clothespins and help students clip the ears in order
on a line below the chalkboard.
1. A huge tractor pulls a disk to break up the soil.
2. The farmer loads a planter with seed corn.
3. By late spring, young corn plants sprout.
4. By July, the corn may be “head-high.”
5. In autumn, the green leaves turn light brown.
6. In late fall, machines called combines pick, shuck,
and shell the ears.
7. Combines unload the corn into trucks or wagons.
8. The corn is stored in grain elevators.
9. Train cars take the corn to mills and processing
plants.
10. At the mills, corn is made into corn products.
You may wish to place the laminated ears and
an answer key in a basket at a learning center
for individual sequencing practice. As a follow-up
activity, assist students in preparing corn bread from
a mix. Serve it warm with butter as you review the
steps from field to feast!
Crows in a Row
Using manipulatives to reinforce sequencing skills
Explain to children that farmers put scarecrows in fields to
frighten away crows that might eat newly planted seeds or damage crops before they can be harvested. The crows learn, however, that the scarecrows are harmless.
For this sequencing activity, students line up these crows
in rows. To prepare, duplicate, color, and cut out the art on page
10 and mount it on a string-tie envelope as shown. Program the
crow cards on page 12 with ordinal number words to sequence
or sets of vocabulary words to put in ABC order. Duplicate each
set of cards on a different color of construction paper. Laminate
for durability, if desired, before cutting them apart. Program
the backs of the cards for self-checking. Band the sets together
and store them in the envelope. The student chooses a set
of colored crow cards, puts them in sequence, and turns them
over to check.
Crows I
n A Row
Candy Corn Math
7+5=
6+6=
1.Choose
a
setofcro color
w
cards.
2.Putthe
ca
inorder. rds
3.Turnca
rds
overtoche
ck.
pump
kin
okra
Using manipulatives to solve math facts, writing word problems
Here’s a math activity that’s something to crow about! Program the crow
cards on page 12 with addition or subtraction problems, and duplicate a sheet for
each child. Provide pieces of candy corn for students to use as manipulatives to
find the answers. Vary this activity by having students create math word problems about crows and write the problems on the crow cards. Put all the sets of
cards together at a center, and have each student use the candy pieces to solve
the problems posed by his classmates. When the math lesson is over, allow
students to eat their candy corn.
8+3=
squash
Animal Harvests
Scarecrow Pals
Responding to literature, researching
animal harvesters
Autumn is a time of harvest for people and
for some animals too. As summer ends, squirrels,
chipmunks, and certain types of mice begin gathering food stores for winter. Introduce your class to
an animal harvester by reading Heetunka’s Harvest
by Jennifer Berry Jones. In this story Heetunka the
Bean Mouse is busy gathering earth beans to store
in her underground home. Trouble begins when a
woman takes Heetunka’s beans without leaving suet
or dried corn to replace them.
After reading this story, have each student
illustrate Heetunka gathering her earth beans. Provide each child with a few dried lima beans to glue
on his picture. Provide older students with a variety
of reference materials to find out how other animals
gather and store food. Making comparisons, writing from
a character’s point of view
Share The Scarebird by Sid Fleischman
with your students; then make scarecrow puppets
to encourage creative writing. This heartwarming
story is about a lonely old farmer who builds—and
then befriends—a scarecrow. Eventually, Lonesome John realizes the value of human friendship when a young man comes to help him on
his farm. After reading the story, ask students to
compare the friendship that the farmer had with
the scarebird to the friendship he developed with
the young man. Ask students to tell why a scarecrow would or would not make a good friend.
Then have each student create his own
scarecrow pal. Duplicate the scarecrow pattern
on page 10 for each child to color and cut out.
Demonstrate how to attach it to a ruler with tape
to make a stick puppet.
To set the stage for creative writing, ask
children how lonesome it would be to stand alone
in a field all day. Who might a scarecrow talk to in
a field? What might happen if the scarecrow ran
away? On a copy of the reproducible on page 13,
have each child write a story from his scarecrow’s
point of view. Bind the stories in a class book titled
“If Scarecrows Could Talk.” Younger students can
use their stick puppets to act out conversations
between their scarecrows and other puppets that
you provide.
Here’s Something to Crow About!
I was tired of
standing all day in a
field. I asked the Corn
Fairy to wave her magic
wand. It worked! I jumped
down and ran away.
Shine on, Harvest Moon
Writing a poem
Full moons are full of magic and mystery. They’re made
for storytelling and wishing, too! These harvest moons shine to
inspire poetry. Explain that the harvest moon is the full moon
nearest the September equinox (usually September 23), when
days and nights are equal in length.
Harvest
m
Shines d oon
To set the stage for poetry writing, read aloud the rhymo
Raccoon wn like a spotlig
ht
s
ing Barn Dance! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, and
Are on st in the cornfield .
age in a y
e
llow glow
point out the moonlit illustrations. With your students, make
!
a list of words or phrases to describe the full harvest moon.
Then have each child create a poem about the harvest moon.
To make a harvest moon display, each child will need
one 9” x 12” sheet of black construction paper, one six-inch yellow
construction paper circle, one small index card, one paper fastener, gold and silver foil
stars, chalk or a white crayon; glue; and a pencil. Have each child write her poem on one side
of her index card. Demonstrate how to glue the card to the center of the black paper. Cover
the card with the moon cutout and attach it, as shown, with a paper fastener. For a final touch,
stick the foil stars to the black paper. Have each child write her name on the back using the
chalk or a white crayon. Display the projects where youngsters can turn the moons upward to
read the poems.
Indian Corn Mosaics
Following directions
Aw, shucks! These colorful corn mosaics will add a bright touch to your room.
Purchase a supply of colored popcorn
kernels. Fill each section of a muffin tin with
a different color of kernels; then place the
muffin tin, along with some glue, construction paper, and pencils, at a center. Instruct
each student to draw or trace a simple
seasonal design on construction paper.
Then have him glue kernels of corn to the
design. Allow the design to dry; then mount
the projects on a bulletin board titled “Indian
Corn Mosaics.”
A Bushel of Harvest Books
rn
Patte
Add these titles to your basket of harvest books!
Corn Belt Harvest by Raymond Bial
Barn Dance! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
The Scarebird! by Sid Fleischman
Get ready for a boot-stompin’ good time when you host a Harvest Hoedown in your
classroom! Decorate your room with bales of hay, pumpkins, and a scarecrow.
Invite parents to join you for storytelling and square dancing. Yeehaw!
Scarecrow Announcements
Following directions
These inviting scarecrows announce a hoedown to culminate your unit!
Provide a white, construction paper copy
of the scarecrow invitation on page 14 for
each student. Program the invitation with
all of the necessary information before
duplicating it. Have each student color and
fold her scarecrow as shown; then send
the invitations home. Confirm with parents
who offer to donate goodies for the celebration.
You’re
Invited…
to a
Harvest
Hoedown!
Swing Your Partner!
Developing gross-motor skills
Plan some high-stepping activities
that will have youngsters clapping their
hands with delight! If possible, invite a local square-dance club to demonstrate and
teach square dancing to your students.
Or choose some recorded square-dance
music. Play the music as parents and
guests arrive.
Read aloud Barn Dance! by Bill
Martin Jr. and John Archambault. In this
story a young boy, a fiddle-playing scarecrow, and a passel of barnyard animals
enjoy a rousing, magic-filled night of barn
dancing. After reading the story, adjourn
to the school gym and invite students and
parents to grab a partner. Demonstrate
how to bow to your partner, promenade,
swing your partner, swing your corner, and
do-si-do. With a bit of practice, your youngsters will be able to do-si-do like pros!
A Guest of Honor
Working cooperatively
Gather some good books and
bales of hay; then build a scarecrow pal
for your reading corner. Have student
and parent volunteers read aloud from
your harvest collection (see page 8). End
the story-telling session by reading portions of Scarecrow! by Valerie Littlewood.
Discuss different ways of making scarecrows; then give parents and students an
opportunity to make a classroom scarecrow.
Provide a pair of overalls, a longsleeved shirt, a straw hat, a bandana,
a pair of gloves, a pair of work boots,
a paper bag, newspaper, twine, and a selection of scrap materials and craft supplies. With parents’ help, have students
stuff the shirt, overalls, and paper bag
with crumpled newspaper. Gather the
top of the bag and secure it at the neck
of the shirt with twine. Insert the gloves
in the sleeves and the boots in the legs;
then secure with twine. Using the scraps
and craft materials, add features to the scarecrow. Put on his hat and bandana
for the finishing touches. Give the guest
of honor a name and set him in a chair or
on a bale of hay in your reading corner.
Sharing the Harvest
Following directions to make a recipe
As the hoedown hullabaloo winds
down, treat your revelers to a hearty
feast of vegetable soup. In advance, ask
parents to bring or send in a bag of fresh
or frozen cut vegetables (or a can of vegetable soup), disposable bowls, napkins,
and plastic spoons. You will also need a
large soup pot, a ladle, and the seasonings listed in your favorite recipe. Help
children add the ingredients to a beef
stock and simmer until snacktime. While
the soup is simmering, read Growing
Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert to youngsters. Yummm!