This week’s theme is autumn. Our “Growing Minds Day by Day” educational resource lists are designed for families and educators to use during the COVID-19 quarantine and beyond.
Fall
Growing Minds Day by Day: Week of August 24
This week’s theme is planting a fall garden. Our “Growing Minds Day by Day” educational resource lists are designed for families and educators to use during the COVID-19 quarantine and beyond.
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie follows Apples for Everyone in the Picture the Seasons series. This beautifully photographed picture book about everybody’s favorite fall treat is sure to please kids both young and old. The glossy, festive images and lively text are sure to get your family in the mood to celebrate the season
Yellow Time
Children and animals alike excitedly anticipate yellow time, when the trees release their colorful leaves to blanket the earth, crows raise their voices joyfully from the bare branches, and squirrels busy themselves preparing their nests for winter. This lyrical celebration of the beauty and fun of autumn is sure to become a perennial fall favorite.
The Bumpy Little Pumpkin
Little Nell and her older sisters search for the perfect Halloween pumpkin, and discover that good things come in small packages.
Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie
It’s a perfect fall day and Amelia Bedelia is visiting her grandparents. When her grandmother wants to make an apple pie, Amelia is happy to help out!
Thanksgiving for Farmers lesson plans
Review activities that happen on the farm and animals that live there. Make the connection between farms and the food we eat each day, emphasizing the importance of community farms. Introduce letter writing, specifically thank you letters, and guide students in writing thank you letters to farmers in your county or region.
Downloads
- Thanksgiving for Farmers lesson plan (quick view as .pdf)
Potato Exploration lesson plan
Introduce students to potatoes and how they grow. Teach students about measurement and guide them practicing close observation through potato explorations.
Downloads
- Potato Exploration lesson plan (quick view as .pdf)
- Potato facts (quick view as .pdf)
- Potato images (quick view as .pdf)
Stem Exploration lesson plan
Teach students about the parts of plants and their functions and use the garden to teach a hands-on plant based activity.
Downloads
- Plant part function words (quick view as .pdf)
- Stem Exploration lesson plan (quick view as .pdf)
Pumpkins Exploration lesson plan
Introduce students to pumpkins and how they grow. Use a pumpkin seed activity to practice sorting and counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s.
Downloads
- Pumpkin Exploration lesson plan (quick view as .pdf)
- Pumpkin images (quick view as .pdf)
- Pumpkin templates for watercolor paintings (quick view as .pdf)