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Hi!! If you’re looking for some fun fall themed activities, you have come to the right place! This post will highlight all of the books, toys, games and activities that I’ve included in the the Fall Squirrels and Acorns Teaching Tote. Teaching Totes are a play-based learning kit available to rent, learn and return. If you are not local to the Mount Airy, MD area, that’s okay!! I’ve included lots of links to resources so that you can pick and choose the things that inspire you and will help you facilitate play based learning with your own children or students, including a FREE craft template.
Whenever I am curating activities or planning lessons for little learners, I always start with the books. Books are such a fun way to spark curiosity and build connection with preschoolers. In this tote, the stories and non fiction texts focus on squirrels, acorns and trees. I will highlight a few below.
Because of an Acorn is a simple and beautiful way to introduce to children how the living creatures in a forest interact with each other. The text is minimal, so it will keep the attention of your littlest learners. Yet the illustrations are full of details, color and a few little peek throughs. It is a perfect addition to the squirrel and acorn themed Teaching Tote!
Little Acorn tells the story of the tree’s life cycle through the perspective of the acorn. Each page depicts a different part of the process and explains with playful rhymes how an acorn can sprout and grow into a big tree, able to produce another little acorn and start the process all over again.
A Tree for All Seasons depicts the changes a maple tree endures throughout the four seasons of the year. While not an Oak tree like the other books, I still chose to include this one because of the stunning way it illustrates the importance of that tree to the living things around it. The photographs are engaging and sharp. And you may find a squirrel in there too!
The Golden Acorn is such a fun story about a confident little squirrel who is determined to win the gold acorn in the neighborhood competition. However, only teams can enter the race and he is used to working by himself. The independent squirrel must learn how to recognize the strengths of others around him and find out what is more important- winning or friendship. This story is such a sweet addition to the Squirrels and Acorns Teaching Tote!
The Squirrel Manifesto is a clever anecdote about how squirrels gather, save and share their acorns. It is told in verse with catchy rhymes and includes vibrant illustrations to accompany the words. It is a simple way to introduce finances to young children and how to handle money. Some of it can be enjoyed, some saved for later and some given to others, just like the acorns!
Acorns Everywhere! is a fun story about a squirrel who is busy hiding his precious acorn collection. With minimal text, we rely on the zany mixed media illustrations to see the obstacles squirrel is running into as he tries to hide away his stash of acorns. He might just change his whole approach!
For this Teaching Tote, I’ve selected two fun puzzles. The Towering Tree Puzzle is a unique one because it builds a towering tree in an unconventional shape. The pieces literally branch off like a tree, which is fun for little ones to put together. Its pieces are also double sided so there is more than one way to put it together.
I’ve also included an adorable squirrel wooden puzzle. This one is a simple, 4-piece puzzle with traditional fall colors and a tail and ears made out of fall leaves. I love taking the puzzle apart and presenting it to preschoolers undone. This becomes like an invitation to put the puzzle back together. This puzzle is part of a set of six. I’ve divided the set up among my different Fall Teaching Totes. If you are interested in adding these to your own collection, click the photo for a link.
Of course I cannot create a squirrel themed Teaching Tote without including the game The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel. This game is such a fun way to practice colors, counting and fine motor skills all in one! It is a simple game so it is easy to learn and does not requiring any reading to play. Use a dice to determine which acorns you can collect, but watch out for the sneaky squirrel!! This game is the perfect way to begin learning social emotional skills like taking turns, sharing and winning and losing gracefully.
Speaking of games, Acorn Soup is another great addition to the Squirrels and Acorns Teaching Tote! This simple game includes 24 adorable wooden ingredients, a wooden spoon and 8 recipe cards. Take turns rolling the dice and creating different soups with the recipe cards and ingredients. I especially love this one because it inspires play that can extend beyond the game. Use the pieces to set up a pretend meal in your play room. Practice setting the table, enjoying your meal and tidying up. You can even talk about table manners as you play! It is recommended for ages 2 and up so even the littlest learners can participate and enjoy.
One of my favorite elements of every Teaching Tote is the sensory bin!! I love putting together themed sensory bases and loose parts to entice your little learner into some sensory play. The Squirrels and Acorns Sensory Bin comes with a dry pinto bean base mixed with green dyed spaghetti. On top of that, I added some loose parts – acrylic acorns (Dollar Tree), felt leaves (Michaels), small squirrel figures (Hobby Lobby), a small wooden spoon (Hobby Lobby) and a small wooden bowl (I had this handy in my kitchen- it is from Pampered Chef). Together it looks like a fun fall retreat! This can also serve as a fun extension to the game Acorn Soup. Little ones can mix up their own soup with the sensory ingredients. Or you can put the game pieces into the sensory bin and have your child hunt for the pieces as they complete each recipe. So many ways to play!!
When it comes to learning through play, dice games are a winner!! I created this adorable Squirrel Roll, Count & Cover game to practice number recognition and counting. I love adding hands-on elements to my activities, so I put together a tree with a mini-crate (Dollar Tree) for collecting acorns. Preschoolers can roll the dice, count the acorns and place them in the basket, then cover the number with a little squirrel. Little ones can play independently or take turns until all the numbers on the mat are covered.
If your preschooler is ready to count higher, the Acorn Counting Chant is the perfect way to practice counting, naming and writing numbers up to 20. First you teach your preschooler(s) the catching chant, “Acorn, acorn, on the ground. How many acorns have you found?” As a teacher, you can do this activity together in circle time or small groups.
Or you can set it up like a “write the room” activity and display the acorn counting cards around the room. Have your preschoolers find a card, count the acorns and trace the number on their recording sheet. There are 3 recording sheets to choose from (1 – 10, 11 – 20 or 1 – 20) so that you can cater to your learners’ needs.
Learning letters can be a tedious task for preschoolers so embedding letters into their play is an easy way to make letters recognizable, familiar and part of their language. This set of Alphabet Acorns from Learning Resources provides adorable little acorns, lids and objects with the matching beginning sound to explore, manipulate and match. Let me show you how I set these up in my playroom.
I decided to add in some gross motor movement when I set this activity up. Instead of just setting the trays side by side, I put them at opposite ends of the room and placed a balance beam in between them. Then I challenged my 5 year old to carefully travel across the balance beam to retrieve a shape them match it to the corresponding acorn. When she put each acorn together, she placed it in the tree trunk bucket.
She absolutely loved this set up and was super motivated to engage in the activity. She decided to make up her own moves between the two trays. She started with balancing, then tried crawling, scooting, and walking. Eventually, she placed the two trays next to each other and finished the activity sitting in one place.
I also want to mention that when I set this activity up, I only included 12 letters of the alphabet. I find that including all the pieces at once is cumbersome for my daughter and she does much better matching the letters and their beginning sound shapes when there are not as many pieces.
Please note: The balance beams are not included in the Squirrels and Acorns Teaching Tote. However you can easily incorporate the gross motor movement into the Alphabet Acorns game without them, which is why I wanted to share how we used them!
The last element of the Squirrels and Acorns Teaching Tote that I would like to share is the Squirrel Process Art Project. This craft is so fun and preschoolers at any age can participate in creating a squirrel. In order to do this craft, you will need the squirrel template, paint of your choice (I included brown in the Teaching Tote), and acrylic acorns or marbles.
Place the squirrel template inside a deep lid (like a copy box lid) or container. Squirt some paint in various places on the squirrel template. Add the acrylic acorns or marbles. Let your preschooler manipulate the lid so that the acorns roll around, leaving trails and spreading the paint all over the squirrel. Keep going until most of the squirrel is colored in. Set the template aside to dry. Then cut it out and glue it to a piece of construction paper.
If you would like a copy of the squirrel template, click the button below for the FREE download.
I hope this post was helpful to you! If youāre local to the Mount Airy, MD area and you are interested in renting all of these fun items, please click the Teaching Totes icon to visit my Teaching Totes website and contact me for booking!
If you would like more information about the learning activities featured in this post, click the icons below. Happy playing!!
Mrs Mama Bird 