Add a study of harvest celebrations to your history lessons. People have celebrated the harvest since the beginning of agriculture, so have your students research the way different cultures across the centuries have celebrated the harvest.
Have each student bring in 3 or 4 different fall leaves. Older students can research the kinds of trees each leaf came from, while younger students can use the leaves for leaf rubbings or sort the leaves by color, size, shape and texture. Or, have students gently write their names on the leaves they bring and use them to make a classroom wreath.
It makes sense to connect lessons about the harvest with lessons about good nutrition. Older students can research how different foods are grown or produced, while younger students can learn what makes fall fruits and vegetables good for them.
Teach math with pumpkins. Have students measure the circumference of 3 pumpkins. Does the heaviest pumpkin have the largest circumference? Is there a relationship between the size of the pumpkin and the number of ribs it has?
Here’s a less messy twist on bobbing for apples: Put an apple for every student in the class in an open container. At the bottom of each apple, place a small piece of masking tape with a different activity written on it, like Jump 3 times. Let each student select an apple and perform the activity written on the tape. Students get to keep the apple and should be instructed to wash it before eating.
In younger grades, make a class scarecrow to explore farm life and the harvest. You can make 3-D scarecrows out of cardboard, hay and old clothing. The scarecrow can be both a decoration and a prompt for writing stories.
