Little Jack Frost

Little Jack Frost

by Charles Sangster

Little Jack Frost went up the hill,
Watching the stars and the moon so still -
Watching the stars and the moon so bright
And laughing aloud with all his might.
Little Jack Frost ran down the hill,
Late in the night when the winds were still,
Late in the fall when the leaves fell down
Red and yellow and faded brown.

Little Jack Frost walked through the trees; 

"Ah," sighed the flowers, "we freeze, we freeze!" 

"Ah," sighed the grasses, "we die, we die!"
Said little Jack Frost, "Good-by, good-by."
Little Jack Frost tripped 'round and 'round
Spreading much snow on the frozen ground,
Nipping the breezes, icing the streams,
Chilling the warmth of the sun's bright beams.

But when Dame Nature brought back the spring,
Brought back the birds that chirp and sing,
Melted the snow and warmed the sky,
Little Jack Frost went pouting by.
The flowers opened their eyes of blue,
Green buds peeped out and grasses grew;
It was so warm and scorched him so,
Little Jack Frost was glad to go.


Jack Frost
by Celia Thaxter
Rustily creak the crickets.
Jack Frost came down last night.
He slid to the earth on a star beam,
Keen and sparkling and bright.

Lessons: Pumpkin Soup

"Deep in the woods in an old white cabin, three friends make
 their pumpkin soup..." ~Helen Cooper

       This sweet tradebook, Pumpkin Soup, tells the tale of how three friends, Duck, Cat, and Squirrel, learn to work together to make their favorite fall dinner. In the elementary grades, the book lends itself well to teaching process writing and verbs. Likewise, preschoolers can be introduced to the same topics of teamwork and friendship that are explored through the text through various play activities. Young children and adults will both love the illustrations and this simple story to celebrate the coming of autumn together.

Ages and Grades: Preschool--First Grade

The Big Picture: Autumn, Teamwork, Friendship 

Dictionary: Process, Sequence, Step(s), Pumpkin, Scoff, Trudge, Mutter, Wail

In The Classroom... 

• Read aloud Helen Cooper's storybook Pumpkin Soup
• Brainstorm a list using a graphic organizer of all the different foods we eat with pumpkins
• Have students sort out the sequence of steps to making pumpkin soup based on what they heard in the read aloud
• Process Writing Activity (1st Grade): Have students pick one of the pumpkin foods brainstormed, write the sequence (series of steps) of how that food is made, then add illustrations
• Have students identify the verbs the author used throughout the book (e.g. scoff, mutter, trudge) through various vocabulary strategies and activities
• For preschoolers discuss each character's job and how they needed to work as a team to make their pumpkin soup using this free job card printable from Learning Parade

In The Home...

• For little ones set up this sensory table inspired by the book from Frogs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails.
• Read the further tales of Squirrel, Cat, Duck, and their favorite soup in the companion books Delicious! and A Pipkin of Pepper.
• Make a pipping hot pot of pumpkin soup together as a team at home with this recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Further Resources...

• Related Lesson: It's Pumpkin Time!
• YouTube Video Read Aloud
• Teacher's Notes for The Pumpkin Soup Trilogy (along with discussion questions) 

*CCSS: ELA-Literacy.W.1.5

Lessons by Natalie Grimm © 2014

Shape a pinch pot acorn

Finished pinch pot acorn made with paper clay.

       Shape a few small acorns for fall this year. Bring in some real examples for your little students to examine before beginning the craft.

Supply List:

• newspaper
• acrylic or watercolor paints
• small soft brush
• shallow dish of water
• air dry clay or paper clay
• scoring tool - plastic fork
• acrylic varnish
• nail or screw for making marks into the acorn cap

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Shape the nut part of the acorn first by rolling a ball between the palms of your hands.
2. Now insert your thumb and position your five other fingers outside the surface of the ball.
3. Pinch and turn the ball clockwise. Soon the clay will open up to shape a small pot.
4. Pinch the solid, outside end of the pot into a tiny peak.
5. Next, shape the acorn's cap be the same process. 
6. Use the nail or screw to press a printed surface into the cap.
7. Score the outside edges of both the nut and the cap.
8. Trickle a little water into the score lines.
9. Press the cap and nut scored edges together gently. 
10. Students may wish to dip their fingers into water and smooth the surface of their acorns a bit before finishing.
11. Let the acorn dry completely before applying paint. This will most likely take a day at the very least. 
12. Choose several browns and greens to alternate in thin washes of color over the surface of your pinch pot acorn.
13. Varnish and let dry.

Shape the pinch pot into an acorn by adding a pinched end.

Make sure you shape the cap to a smaller size and add a little stem too.

Print the acorns cap with a nail or screw.

The Mist and All

Click to enlarge and download.

The Mist and All by Dixie Willson

I like the fall,

The mist and all.

I like the night owl's

Lonely call--

And wailing sound 

Of wind around.

I like the gray

November day,

And bare, dead boughs

That coldly sway

Against my pane.

I like the rain.

I like to sti

And laugh at it--

And tend

My cozy fire a bit.

I like the fall--

The mist and all--

The Owl by Tennyson

 THE OWL

When cats run home and light is come,

And dew is cold upon the ground,

And the far-off stream is dumb,

And the whirring sail goes round,

And the whirring sail goes round;

Alone and warming his five wits,

The white owl in the belfry sits.

When merry milkmaids click the latch,

And rarely smells the new-mown hay,

And the cock hath sung beneath the thatch

Twice or thrice his roundelay,

Twice or thrice his roundelay;

Alone and warming his five wits,

The white owl in the belfry sits.

Second Song--To The Same.

Thy tuwhits are lulled, I wot,

Thy tuwhoos of yesternight,

Which, upon the dark afloat,

So took echo with delight,

So took echo with delight,

That her voice, untuneful grown,

Wears all day a fainter tone.

I would mock thy chaunt anew:

But I cannot mimic it;

Not a whit of thy tuwhoo,

Thee to woo to thy tuwhit,

Thee to woo to thy tuwhit,

With a lengthened loud halloo,

Tuwhoo, tuwhit, tuwhit, tuwhoo-o-o

by Alfred Tennyson

Craft a Fall Landscape Using Leaf Rubbings

Create the leaf rubbings first, then cut these out to glue into a collage pumpkin patch.

       When I was a child, leaf rubbing was probably the standard craft for every early elementary student to practice during the fall months. Most probably because it was an economical craft and students of all ages seemed to be fascinated by it. All you need is just a few crayons, typing paper and of course, a collection of fall leaves to rub the prints to begin with. Arrange the leaves vein side up on the table, and then position your typing paper on top of the leaves. Using even pressure, color over the white typing paper with crayons to reveal the raised surface of your leaves. 

 An additional water color technique using leaf rubbings 
from Lauren Behar.

      But why not take the activity a little further? Parents and Teachers can also inspire young students to compose a simple landscape with their leaf prints. The leaves could become trees, standing on the edge of a pumpkin patch if you'd like. I cut out my fall leaf rubbings and used them in the picture below to symbolize landscape elements. Teachers can talk to their young students about making a picture that illustrates the sky, fields, vegetation and larger plants or trees.

      If you wish to complicate the assignment even further, fourth graders could also design a scene depicting one point perspective. The art project could conform to a wide variety of agenda.

Above is my completed teacher's sample of a pumpkin patch. This particular leaf rubbing project
would be appropriate for third, fourth and fifth graders.

 Additional pumpkin patch crafts:

• Pumpkin Patch Art
• Make a Pumpkin Patch Cake
• Rice Krispies Treat Pumpkin Patch
• Wet Chalk Pumpkin Patch
• Perspective Pumpkin Patches
• Branching, Curvy, Twisted Lines in A Pumpkin Patch
• 6th Grade Value Pumpkin Patch

Practice Shading An Owl

This owl is wide awake. Give him big yellow eyes and practice shading in all of his little feathers.

       Above is the "digital tracing," of the image. Students may look at the original sample below in order to practice shading techniques on top of the printed digital tracing. After a student learns shading techniques with a number 2 pencil, he or she may choose to try working with colored pencils or even watercolors in order to enhance the digital tracing above.

Cut & Paste Popped Corn On the Cob

      This simple little fall project is perfect for preschoolers. Teachers can download and print the templates that I have included below of a corn husk and cob. Transfer the patterns to heavy poster board to make stencils for young students to trace around. Select pale brown and yellow construction paper to create a corn cob like the one pictured on the right.

• Give each student a number two soft lead pencil to trace around the stencils with.
• Then they can cut out their husk and cob and paste the two together.
• Next, give each child a small white glue bottle and a fist full of popped corn to attach onto their construction paper corn cob.
• Let the project dry and pass around some additional popcorn for them to snack on!

Templates for a corn husk and a corn cob.

"This is a demo for the Farmer's Popcorn Cobs."

More Fun Projects and Poetry About Corn:

• Weave Indian Corn for Autumn Fun 
• Roasting Corn Poem
• "The Cornstalk's Lesson" Poem
• Festive Popcorn Treats
  

A Fall Leaf Craft for Two and Three Year Olds

      This simple fall leaf craft is perfect for two and three year old children. Parents or Day Care providers will need to first download and print the sweetgum template below. Cut out the template and trace it onto a black piece of construction paper. Then cut out the center of the leaf so that you will be able to adhere contact paper to the back of the leaf frame. Small children may then tear and stick yellow tissue papers to the tacky surface before an adult hangs their sweetgum leaf craft onto a window's surface.

The pictorial step-by-step procedure for cutting out the leaf frame.

The sweetgum template used in a simple fall craft.

Examples of the same craft process using pumpkins as a theme.

The Frost

By Hannah Flagg Gould.

The Frost looked forth, one still clear night,

And he said, "Now I shall be out of sight;

So through the valley and over the height

In silence I'll take my way,

I will not go like that blustering train,

The wind and the snow, the hail and the rain,

Who makes so mush bustle and noise in vain;

But I'll be as busy as they!"

Then he went to the mountain, and powdered its crest,

He climbed up the trees, and their boughs he dressed

With diamonds and pearls, and over the breast

Of the quivering lake he spread

A coat of mail, that it need not fear

The downward point of many a spear

That he hung on its margin, far and near,

Where a rock could rear its head.

He went to the windows of those who slept,

And over each pane like a fairy creaft;

Wherever he breathed, wherever he stepped,

By the light of the moon were seen

Most beautiful things. There were flowers and trees,

There were bevies of birds and swarms of bees, 

There were cities, thrones, temples and towers, and 

these

All pictured in silver sheen!

But he did one thing that was hardly fair--

He peeped in the cupboard, and finding there

That all had forgotten for him to prepare--

"Now just to set them a-thinking,

I'll bite this basket of fruit," said he;

"This costly pitcher I'll burst in three,

And the glass of water they've left for me

Shall "tchick" to tell them I'm drinking."

Tear and Paste Falling Leaves

      Young students will enjoy tearing and pasting fall leaves in order to recreate a lovely Autumn scene. The teacher will need to cut a simple tree trunk to cover the length of a large standard sized piece of grey construction paper. He or she will also need to cut rakes from dark brown construction paper in advance. I have included two patterns for the rakes below.

1. Give each young students brightly colored fall papers to tear for the leafs in this picture. 
2. After pasting their tree trunk onto their grey paper, students will need to paste and arrange brightly colored shredded papers on the tree, falling from the tree and in a large pile at the foot of the tree. This simple art project could take up to twenty five or thirty minutes depending upon the attention span of the participants. 
3. Play a selection of music during the activity to enhance the experience for your young students. 
4. After they have built up enough leaves under their fall tree, glue the ladder over them and leaning up against the tree. 
5. Don't forget to pinch the ends of the rake to form an angle. 
6. After the glue has dried, give the students a dark brown marker and encourage them to draw grooves into their tree trunk for added effect.

The young students at the early learning center are shredding fall colored papers for their simple rake pictures.
 I have included the simpler rake pattern below for those of you who would prefer to make a simpler version of
 the art lesson.

Look for more Autumn related art projects on our Early Learning Center's pinboard!

Create Fall Leaf Patterns

      This design project is best suited to students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

Materials:

• Black permanent markers, a variety of tip sizes
• 81/2'' x 11" white drawing paper
• extra scratch papers for cutting out stencils
• pencil and eraser
• a collection of fall leaves
• a variety of colored felt tip pens
• scissors

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Students will first need to collect a minimum of seven leaves and trace around them to create their own stencils. 
2. After cutting out the patterns, students should then move them around an 81/2 inch x 11inch sheet of white drawing paper. 
3. The leaves should be large enough so that they will overlap a bit when traced onto the white drawing paper.       
4. Next the spaces which overlap should be filled in with solid black ink. 
5. Now challenge the students to draw a different patterned design in every remaining positive and negative space, neatly using black ink only.
6. Students should ink in select parts of the designs only.
7. After completing this part of the design project they may color in their fall leaf patterns with an assortment of colors representing an Autumn color palette.

More Black and White Design Inspiration:

• Scarecrow art lesson emphasizing line and patterns
• Line Drawing Art Lessons: Owls and Cats
• Aztec and Navajo Triangles
• Zentangle inchies with hearts example
• Line art city and clouds example
• Positive and Negative hands example
• Black and White House Sculpture examples
• 6th grade Geometric Composition Project

Above, the hand colored finished fall leaf, art assignment.

Pumpkin and Jack-O-Lantern Number Books

Crafting and gifting little number books for Fall related themes is not all that uncommon in day care programs or
early learning centers. So, I have decided to submit here a few simple ideas of my own. You can use the
same patterns for either version of this craft. One version is a spooky Jack-O-Lantern and the other is a decorative
 pumpkin. Both crafts include pumpkin seeds as the elements that young students are to count on each
 individual page.

As you can see, students may count the seeds and also associate the written number with the quantity of those
seeds on every page. Don't forget to include zero at the very beginning. Each of my number books
includes 11 pages. Above, you can see the decorative pumpkin cover using painted papers.

Here is my Jack-O-Lantern version of the same project. I have also included a little "illuminated candle on
every page as well!

Above is my page of patterns for both versions of this little Fall number book.
Below is an additional page of burning candles that I have drawn for those of
you who would prefer to turn your fall number book into a Jack-O-Lantern.

Craft a Paper Scarecrow Jumping-Jack

      For this little craft, you will need Autumn colored papers in a check, a plaid and four solid colored papers. You will also need 12 brass brads, one set of googly eyes, two buttons, a paint stick, scissors, white glue and one black felt tip marker. 

      Download and print the stencil pattern that I have drawn for the scarecrow Jumping-Jack. Trace and cut the pattern pieces, use a hole punch to clip through the papers at the x markings. Assemble the scarecrow according to the sample shown above. Mount him onto a paint stick or a wooden dowel. I did not string this particular Jumping Jack but you can string him.

•  Here is a web page that describes to visitors how to string Jumping Jacks.

A free Jumping Jack pattern by Kathy Grimm.

More Paper Jumping-Jack Crafts:

• DIY Hilarious Jumping Jack Bugs
• Halloween Jumping Jacks
• Craft a Pirate Jumping Jack
• Antique, French Jumping-Jacks 

"In October" Poem

By Mrs L. C. Whiton.

There are lingering south-winds softly blowing

That to billowy waving the ripe grain bear;

There are dark-winged butterflies languidly going

Floating through golden air;

There are mists like vapor of incense burning,

That are rolling away under skies that are fair;

There are brown-faced sun-flowers dreamily turning,

Shaking their yellow hair.

There are noisy bees that are tired of winging

That are holding a court in some wild rose's heart;

There are sudden thrills of the late sweet singing

Of birds that are loth to depart;

There are sunsets watching their own hot blushes

On the breast of the ocean burning away;

There are wind-swept pines in the infinite hushes

Whispering as they sway.

There are changing ferns in the shadows lying,

Where the undried dews in the noontides stay;

There are gorgeous-hued leaves where, rustling and sighing,

Quivering sunbeams play;

There are tangled vines in the hollows trailing;

There are short sweet days that will not delay;

There are nights that come with a moonlight veiling

And Autumn going away.

Paint Fall Foliage With Hugs and Kisses

This picture of Fall foliage was created
entirely with dots.

      This picture was painted with Dot paint markers. Dot paints are frequently purchased for early learning center art activities. These paint bottles have foam tips and are just the right size for little hands to squeeze and paint with. The round shapes of my tree's foliage are actually painted coffee filters that are pasted onto a large piece of blue construction paper after drying. I cut a simple tree trunk from brown construction paper to paste on top of the blue background as well. The blank circular shape is for each child to "carve" their names inside after they have completed the assignment. 

      Because dot painting is so easy to do, it is important for teachers to give young students enough of a challenge when filling in space with their paints. A picture like this will take a preschool student at least forty minutes or more to finish. Teachers may have students complete the foliage on one day and then assemble the picture with additions to the trunk, sky and ground on a second day. In any case, one large dot picture should take a week for three to five year old children to complete nicely.

      Encourage students to fill in all of the spaces. Then give them markers of similar color and demonstrate how to add Capital Xs to every circular shape. This may appear on the surface to be busy work but it serves the purpose of training small motor skills in very young students by virtue of a pleasant activity. Here are a few goals associated with the activity that teachers may wish to include within a weekly lesson plan:

• Color matching
• Writing the Capital letter "X"
• Learning about color families or cool vs. warm colors
• Defining space
• Defining boundaries in space
• Manipulating objects by squeezing and placement
• Recognizing and reproducing geometric shapes
• Teaching science concepts to children: this one would be photosynthesis.
• Learning about additional symbolism given to letters, i.e. hugs and kisses are x's and o's

Paint, Cut and Paste a Leafy River Scene

      This fall leaf art lesson was inspired by a very popular children's book, "Leaf Man" by Lois Ehlert. View and hear the book below.
      The project may be completed over several consecutive days in an early learning center environment:

• First day: Collect and share fall leaves from your center's playground and/or surrounding neighborhood.
• Second day: Draw and cut many stencil patterns from the leaves that students have collected from the previous day. Let students play with the stencils, discovering how these can be layered or moved about in order to mimic the creatures depicted in the Leaf Man book.
• Third day: Draw plastic combs through acrylic and glitter paints on construction paper to recreate the Autumn colors found in the student's leaf collection.
• Fourth day: Trace the leaf stencils onto the decorated papers and cut them out. Now let each student paste together his or her own river scene depicting fish and turtles similar to those illustrated in the Leaf Man book.
• Fifth day: Let the students help you display their dry art works in the hallway or classroom of their school. Serve up some warm cider or chocolate and talk about all the things they have accomplished while enjoying the fall leaves!

      Harcourt Trade Publishers also includes a fun teacher's guide for an alternative art project. Below I have linked to additional fall leaf lessons that young students may enjoy.

• Fall Line Leaves from The Art of Education
• Fall Leaves Lesson from Deep Space Sparkle
• Why do Autumn Leaves Change Color?
• Art School: Fall of the leaf
• Explore fall themes to develop early learning centers
• Preschool themes and lessons about fall

Students paint, cut and paste leafy fish and turtles to swim in their colorful blue river.

A detail of the paper turtle cut from papers combed with glitter paints.

Young students can achieve very professional looking results when they work
 from stencils. Collecting, tracing and cutting leaf stencils is a very complex
exercise for little students but it teaches them confidence, patience and a
set of tasks that will generate excellent results. Chunk down lofty goals into
 to smaller tasks that may be performed successfully and your little artists
will achieve great things!

This popular children's book is read by Jonah.

Craft a Paper War Bonnet

To craft a war bonnets, you will need a tape measure to determine the
circumference of each student's head. Cut strips of construction paper
approximately one additional inch longer than the measurement of
each child's head. Staple the two ends together so that these overlap by the
additional inch after the paper band has been decorated with markers
depicting native motifs. Cut and paste on to the backside of the
headband, feathers made from colorful construction paper. You may
also fringe the edges of the papers by slashing these with
scissors if you'd like.

      Feathered war bonnets (also called warbonnets or headdresses) are worn by honored Plains Indian men. In the past they were sometimes worn into battle, but most often worn for ceremonial occasions as is the case today. They are seen as items of great spiritual and magical importance. The eagle is considered by Plains tribes as the greatest and most powerful of all birds, and thus the finest bonnets are made out of its feathers.

      Its beauty was considered of secondary importance; the bonnet's real value was in its supposed power to protect the wearer. The bonnet is still only to be worn on special occasions and is highly symbolic.

      The bonnet had to be earned through brave deeds in battle because the feathers signified the deeds themselves. Some warriors might have obtained only two or three honor feathers in their whole lifetime, so difficult were they to earn. The bonnet was also a mark of highest respect because it could never be worn without the consent of the leaders of the tribe. A high honor, for example, was received by the warrior who was the first to touch an enemy fallen in battle, for this meant the warrior was at the very front of fighting. Feathers were notched and decorated to designate an event and told individual stories such as killing, capturing an enemy's weapon and shield, and whether the deed had been done on horseback or foot.

      After about ten honors had been won, the warrior went out to secure the eagle feathers with which to make his bonnet. In some tribes these had to be purchased from an individual given special permission to hunt the bird; a tail of twelve perfect feathers could bring the seller as much as a good horse. Some tribes permitted a warrior to hunt his own eagles. This was a dangerous and time-consuming mission and meant that he had to leave the tribe and travel to the high country where the bird could be found. When the destination had been reached, ceremonies were conducted to appeal to the spirits of the birds to be killed.

       A chief's war bonnet is made of feathers received for good deeds to his community and is worn in high honor. Each feather would represent a good deed. A warrior's war bonnet, such as the famous war bonnet of Roman Nose, the Cheyenne warrior, was said to protect him during battle. In several instances, Roman Nose, wearing his war bonnet, rode back and forth before soldiers of the United States Army during battles of the Indian Wars and, despite being fired upon by many soldiers, was unscathed.

• Read More About Native American Headdresses

Draw a Design from A Spider's Web

Start your web design by randomly selecting a point, 
on a sheet of black construction paper, somewhere in 
the center of your paper.  Then draw, with the help of
 a ruler, lines from that central point out to the edges
 of the paper. Your design should look something like 
a giant sliced pie.

Then take either a bottle of white school glue or black puff 
paint bottle, and squeeze out a thin line of liquid tracing the 
drawing thus far. Then, very carefully, squeeze out the 
intersecting spiral lines of the spider's web pattern leaving 
large spaces approximately 1/2 inch to 1 or 2 inches apart.

Next, you will need to fill in these spaces of your web design 
with chalk pastels. After completing the design, Teachers may 
spray fix the pastels with either a special fixative purchased 
for the preservation of chalk pastel drawings or with 
a inexpensive hair spray.

A close up view of my spider's web design. This art project 
is an exercise in calculation, glue application, and a 
introduction to chalk pastels. I recommend it for 2nd 
through 4th grade students.

Craft a Ruote Pasta Web

      These little Ruote, more commonly known as wagon wheel pasta in America, make interesting design elements in a spider web craft for early learners.

      First, teachers will need to dye these Ruote pasta black:

• Add the dryed Route pasta to a large zip-lock plastic bag. (1lb. per large freezer bag at a time)
• Include a few teaspoons of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of black food coloring inside the bag with the dryed pasta.
• Close the bag tight and shake. 
• Pour this pasta out onto a napkin or paper towel to let it dry either in the sunshine or overnight in a warm place. 

 Left, a view of the Ruote pasta spider web from the side.  Right, a view of the pasta spider web from above.

      Once you have prepared the dried pasta for your young students, you will need to gather the following supplies:

• black construction paper
• white school glue
• dyed black Ruote pasta
• white tempera or acrylic paint
• newsprint to cover the table with
• Q-tips and cast off plastic lids for the gluing process

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. First, have the young students play at arranging the pasta on the table top before actually gluing it down to the paper. Talk to them about the shape, texture and color of the pasta while they experiment with arranging it.
2. Give each student a handful of pasta, a black piece of construction paper, a plastic lid full of liquid white school glue and a Q-tip for dipping into the glue.
3. Demonstrate to them, at their table, how to dip the Q-tip into the glue and then glop it onto the construction paper. This process of applying glue to the paper will help little people add enough glue for the pasta to stick to the paper but not so much glue that they cannot control it's application all together.
4. Now the pasta may be layered on top of the glue and arranged in a web like pattern. 
5. These 'spider webs' will need to dry overnight in the classroom.
6. On the following day students should each be given another plastic lid filled with non-toxic white paint. 
7. Show your early learners how to dip their fingers into the white paint and dab it lightly onto the very tops of the Ruote in order to highlight the pasta's design. 
8. Let the webs dry again. This takes only an hour or less.

More Fall Crafts Using Pasta:

• Pasta Peace Bracelet
• Colored & Glittered Pasta Pumpkins