If you are lucky enough to have access to a school or nearby community garden to share with your kindergartners, make a yearly tradition of growing pumpkins together to use in the fall. Start the seeds in the spring and let the incoming kindergartners begin care of the tiny pumpkins in September. Have each child choose a pumpkin to write her name on with permanent marker to watch as the letters grow with the pumpkin. Kindergartners gain valuable experience learning about gardening and the origin of their foods. Start new seeds with the class during the spring as their gift to next year's kindergartners.
Teach students about autumn changes by immersing them in the sights, sounds, textures and smells of an fall nature walk. Bring along a small bag for students to tuck acorns and leaves and other fall treasures they come across. Make note of any animals you spotted and discuss their fall habits of preparing for the winter ahead. When you get back in the classroom, help kindergartners make a book or table display of their fall objects along with pictures of animals and other observations.
Crisp, juicy apples bring autumn to life and open up conversations about how food grows. Start by cutting open an apple to reveal its seeds. Slice the rest of the apple for a snack or blend the cored apple to create thick, natural apple juice. Tell the story of Johnny Appleseed and discuss the many varieties of apples around the country. Dip halved apples in paint to make apple prints on paper to add to your autumn display.
The vibrant colors and crunchy piles of fall leaves are a harbinger of autumn, so let kindergartners uses collected autumn leaves for a variety of crafts and displays. Tape leaves under sheets of white paper and rub with a crayon to make leaf rubbings. Add fall leaves to a paper turkey cutout for seasonal feathers. Discuss the parts of the leaves and the reasons they change colors. Glue leaves, acorns and pine cones onto a cardboard circle or paper plate with the center removed to create an autumn wreath for display at home or in the classroom.
As Thanksgiving approaches, celebrate the children in your classroom for whom you are thankful by getting to know each other a little better. Ask each student to write down answers to questions such as what they are thankful for, what they want to be when they grow up or the best part of the previous year. Write their answers on small pieces of paper cut into leaf, pumpkin or apple shapes. Have students choose several shapes to glue onto their place mat and laminate mats. Use the place mats at snack time and encourage kindergartners to discuss the answers on their place mats.