Montessori-Inspired Fall Leaf Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now  

I love fall leaf activities! There are so many activities that can be done with them in every curriculum area.
   

I shared a list of free leaf printables in my post today at Living Montessori Now. Here, I'm sharing some Montessori-inspired leaf activities using free printables for preschoolers through first graders. 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Fall Leaf Lacing Activity



Free Printable: Fall Leaf Lacing Cards from Gift of Curiosity 

The tray is a Multicraft tray. This activity just requires printing out, laminating, and cutting out the fall leaves; punching holes around the leaves; and using tape to create an end on a piece of yarn for threading. There are a number of options of leaves, so just choose the ones you prefer. 

Fall Leaf Cutting Strips  

Free Printable:Fall Cut It Out Pack from This Reading Mama There are 3 different levels of cutting strips you can use. I used Fiskar kids' scissors. It's easiest for children to cut the strips if you print them out on cardstock. 

Fall Leaves Memory Game

Free Printable: Autumn Leaves Printable Memory Game from Mr Printables

You can't really tell from the photo, but these are lovely leaf images with lots of detail. The printable even has leaves you can use for the backs of the cards.

Fall Leaf Addition and Subtraction Problems 

 

Free Printable: Leaf Addition and Subtraction (from Leaves Pack part 2) at 3 Dinosaurs 

I like this printable because it has both addition and subtraction equations, and it's a hands-on introduction to story problems. I used these acrylic leaves, although these acrylic leaves would would work well, too. You could use the numerals that come with the printable, or your child or students could write the numerals using erasable marker. 

Math Fact-Family Leaves and Trees



Free Printable: Math Fact Family Trees from The Educators’ Spin On It 

This is another hands-on math activity, focusing on fact families. Again, your child or students can use the cards to create equations, or they could write them out by hand using an erasable marker. 

Word-Family Tree and Leaves 



Free Printable: Word Family Trees from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational 

This was amazingly easy to prepare using the Martha Stewart Crafts Maple Leaf Punch. I used colored cardstock ... a different color for each tree. I simply used the printable word-family list to write the correct letter or letters on each leaf. I didn't laminate the individual leaves, although you'd want them laminated for a classroom. 

Free Leaf Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Leaf Activities 
  

Go to my post at Living Montessori Now for links to free leaf printables from around the blogosphere: Free Leaf Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Leaf Activities.

You'll find more leaf activities and ideas in these Living Montessori Now resources:

Montessori-Inspired Autumn Leaf Unit 

Autumn Leaf Unit Study Pinterest Board

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12. I'm also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

Have a happy fall!

 

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 40 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and toddler granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

Fun with Environmental Print and FREEBIES!

Hi! I'm Carolyn from Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together.  Today I wanted to share some great environmental print ideas to start the year!

Reading environmental print, like reading names, is a  GREAT way for children to feel successful and realize they actually are readers. For me, it's one of the greatest experiences as a teacher to see a child realize he or she IS a reader.

I made several simple environmental print books years ago that I get out at the beginning of each year.  They are very simple and look like this:

They're very "well-loved" and I wanted to reprint them- then realized they were on my computer that crashed and is GONE. :(   Plus- I know... they are Comic Sans.

But even though I now have many fun, new, and exciting fonts on my computer- Comic Sans will still always have a special little place in my non-techy, old-fashioned heart.   I still remember the joy of having a typewriter that had a correctable typewriter ribbon- or one of these- so...

(I probably used it after I walked 5 miles uphill both ways to school one day...)

Anyway- moving on- 



I wanted to find some new books to copy and laminate to add to my collection- and I found some wonderful freebies at TPT I thought I would pass on to you!

This I Can Read Environmental Print book is at Jennifer Knopf's (Herding Cats in Kindergarten) store.  It has 8 pages and 42 different pictures.

         

Mine is all laminated and ready to read! Thank you, Jennifer!

Next are some fun Environmental Print ABCs by Joey Barnes.
 
Thank you, Joey! I made these into another book.

This Environmental Print Alphabet by Missy Gibbs looks awesome!  Here are some of the sample pictures:


Sarah Allen also has some great free alphabet posters at her store!



 Anna from Gluesticks and Giggles  has this freebie of  Environmental Print for Classroom Use in her store which would be great for word walls, too:
  

Kelly Haynes has a cute   "I like" environmental print book freebie at her store.

          

Keller Kindergarten has an Environmental Print ABC Chart freebie.

      

Abby Boruff  offers this Environmental Print Emergent Reader freebie.

I can't wait to play this Environmental Print  I Have/Who Has Game by Gluesticks and Giggles.  I was so excited to find it. 

 

Here are some of the cards that I printed out and laminated:

I made this quick little activity for my class. They had a ball with it, so I wanted to share it with you. We have been working on our sight words and one to one correspondence, pointing to each word as we read. This was a good activity for both.  First, I modeled the activity for the class.  I pointed to each word and decided where I liked to go.  I cut out the environmental print word and glued it onto my paper.  When I was done with the "I go to" side, I pointed to each word as I read the page.  

                                  

Then, I turned it over and did the "I like to" page on back.  

                                  

This was great practice not only for reading sight words, reading environmental print, and pointing to each word, but also for cutting, using a glue stick, and completing the activity independently.  

I printed out the writing on one page, front and back, and then gave each child a sheet of places to go and things to do.  They could choose their favorites.  When each child finished the activity, he/she had to read their paper to a friend and then to me. They also had to read the paper to someone when they got home.  The conversations about the places and activities were so much fun to listen to at the tables, too.  

Click HERE if you would like a copy!

Another really fun environmental print activity that my class loves is our Environmental Print Blocks. I just LOVE block play in my classroom.  The conversations, team work, cooperation, planning, and engineering that happen while having so much fun is such a satisfying way to watch children learn.  Some days, I have the children about what we built or played during block time.  These blocks are also a great way for children to make connections to what they do in their lives, and remember stories to write about.

 

I asked each child to tell me a favorite store.  I found a picture on Google images, printed it out, and taped it onto a block. It was really easy to do- but if you want to try this and want it to be even easier, HERE are the pictures that I used, so you can try them in your classroom! First I tried sticking the pictures on the blocks with clear contact paper, but that didn't stick well.  I used clear packing tape, and that has worked really well.  The pictures are protected and have stayed on the blocks.



My boys LOVE their police officers and their farms. 

To go along with these fabulous stores, restaurants, and places, we needed some people.  I made cardstock paperdolls of each child. They stand up really well using a big binder clip.  We use these in the beginning of the year for learning names, for attendance, and for beginning graphing. We also use them for block play.  They last pretty well. I make new ones about halfway through the year, because they are well-loved.  I didn't laminate them. I probably should have, but if someone bends, I just print out a new copy.  I'd love to print out a new me in real life when I find a wrinkle, but... it doesn't quite work the same.



I always try to let the leader of the day do something extra special for me.  They love to help so much.  So, I let the leader of the day take my picture for this paperdoll. It was a big mistake  fun for him to do.   I had to laugh when they played library the other day.  I also had a picture of our librarian.  She was with the kids in the library they built, and I was WAY in the other corner of the rug "back in the classroom" until I picked them up. They love to play with the Special Area teachers- and (gasp) the PRINCIPAL!

I put some guided reading books out with this center, too- so they can read at the library...how is that for sneaking in more reading?!

my library blocks

These cuties made a mall! (With a barn on the top floor, I am noticing...)

I hope you found some fun environmental print activities to use in your classroom.  Thank you so much for stopping by! I'd love you to follow me at my blog Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together- and my facebook page, too!  

Have a wonderful school year!