The key to surviving winter for many animals is to hibernate. Several types of animals hibernate such as insects, mammals and amphibians. Activities can be planned for each specific group, and how the animals prepare for hibernation in October can be examined. Use nonfictional books that describe how mammals such as chipmunks prepare for hibernation by collecting nuts. Animals eat a large amount of food before hibernating, adding body fat. This theme can be linked to spring themes, because most hibernating animals are hungry when they wake up in spring. Preschoolers are fascinated by the different places that animals choose to hibernate. Animals seek protection and shelter from the cold weather in dens, burrows or hollow logs. Frogs hibernate in mud or in holes in the ground, and many species of bats choose to spend the winter in caves or old mines.
In fall, many animals decide to migrate to a warmer climate. A theme where you follow the trip birds and butterflies make toward warmer areas is a fun way to learn about different parts of the country and other countries. Themes with migrating animals promote understanding into about how animals adapt to different circumstances. Monarch butterflies start to migrate in October toward southern California and Mexico. Butterflies cannot survive when the temperature drops. Yet the butterfly does not fly around when it comes to Mexico; instead, it hibernates and does not wake up until spring. Many birds such as sparrows and geese migrate south, and different species follow different routes. In many areas you can observe migrating birds from the classroom window. When the weather permits, take children outside to observe the birds migrating.
Some animals stay active during the cooler months, and they make changes to their bodies in October to survive. A theme about how animals adapt and prepare for winter can include many interesting animals such as hares, Arctic foxes and snowy owls. These animals change their coats, and their fur grows longer and thicker. Hares and Arctic foxes changes the color of their coats; they turn white to match the snow. Other animals such as beavers collect food and put it in food stores. Watching squirrels collect nuts is a fun activity that can be included in the theme.
Preschoolers are often fascinated by dinosaurs. A theme with polar dinosaurs will capture preschoolers' interest. Bones from dinosaurs have been found near the North and South Poles and the duckbill Edmontosaurus may have migrated to avoid the cold winter. Other dinosaurs may have adapted to the cold winter. This theme offers an exciting way to compare dinosaurs to animals living today and how they prepare in October to adapt to the cooler months.
A theme with Halloween animals captures preschoolers' imagination and teaches them about spiders and bats. Select a poem about a spider and help children memorize the poem. Teach them two lines every day until they have learned the poem. Let children make their own giant Halloween spider with the poem in its body. Print out the poem on a piece of paper, one poem for each child. In advance, prepare the giant spider's body. Use black cardboard and cut out oval-shaped spider bodies approximately 8 inches long for the children. Ask children to glue the giant spider body onto a piece of paper. The paper should be large enough so that there is room to draw legs on the spider. Let children decorate the spider using markers and colored paper. Make legs, eyes and a huge scary mouth. Glue the poem in the middle of the spider's body. Alternatively, let children write their name on a piece of paper or their own poem and glue it in the spider's body.