Teaching Ideas for Those Who LOVE Squirrels

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During the fall, one thing that I find just fascinating is to watch squirrels flit around collecting nuts. This fascination with squirrels kind of started with our dog, Shadow, a golden retriever we had up until three years ago.  You see, Shadow was determined to catch one of those little furry beasts, but he was just too slow. He’d chase them right up the tree and then just turn and look at me as if to say, “Do something!” Anyway, kids love watching them too, and as fall comes, a squirrel week might be lots of fun.
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41umm96ti8l-5152234picmonkey2bcollage-9982110Of course, when I think about squirrels, my favorite series by far is the Scaredy Squirrel series. Who wouldn’t love scaredy squirrel?  The vocabulary is rich. The plot is entertaining, and the character development??  Well, scaredy squirrel is scared of EVERYTHING.  If you love scaredy squirrel, you might check out these resources to go with it. Just click the images below to download the activities.

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51gfilgldnl-9031964original-307561-1-2328933Another favorite from this list is Nuts to You. Lois Ehlert is a wonderful author to study in the fall, and Nuts to You shares how and why squirrels gather nuts. These books are best for late first grade to early second grade level. The unit to the right is free for Thursday only. The Lois Ehlert Author Study I have includes Nuts to You, Growing Vegetable Soup, Waiting on Wings, and Feathers for Lunch. [HERE] is the link for it.

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Kids really do love watching squirrels, and there are many activities that you can enjoy whether you spend a full week or just a few days.  I made a Nuts about Squirrels Pinterest board, and you can check that below.

Follow Comprehension’s board Going Nutty about Squirrels on Pinterest.

original-322762-1-7316521original-382959-1-4572580In addition to the activities I’ve pinned, I also thought these freebies looked well done too.  The first two come from A Special Kind of Class.  The first is an alphabet matching activity which is really great for kindergarten this time of year, and the second will support your kinders with math.
original-605068-1-3979251I love these squirrely story starters.  They can be used with journals for all ages. I think they can be used as a stand alone or as a book companion. As you work with the Nuts to You unit, you will also research squirrels as part of the unit, and I’d encourage an equal amount of nonfiction and fiction as well as poetry.  [HERE] is the link to squirrel poetry on Can Teach Songs and Poems.
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Looking for ways to include technology or for media ideas?  This week, I’m going to share a few video clips I found, and I am hoping others who link up will know about computer apps dealing with squirrels or websites that work well.  I just love Arwen Sharp’s readings, and I’m sure you will too.

The first choice is Scaredy Squirrel of course!

This clip is for the book, The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri.

What ideas do you love to do for fall with squirrels and nuts?   I would love for you to link up. Simply grab the blog post header and this pinnable image, write up your post, and link it below.
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I look forward to see what you all have to share.  I hope you’ll enjoy these activities too. Have a happy day and an even better weekend!

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Jennifer Reynolds Reply

    I love Scaredy Squirrel! Your Pinterest board of supplemental resources and craftivities is awesome too!
    Thanks for a one-stop spot for lesson planning every Thursday! Your hard work and pulling together of such a nice variety of resources is truly appreciated, and such a time-saver!
    ~Jennifer

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