Find a Harvest of Autumn Information - Part II

In Part One, we looked at some general autumn subjects. In this installment, we will focus on autumn agricultural subjects.

Turkeys

The turkey is an animal many of us in North America associate with autumn. For many fun facts and activities related to this interesting bird, visit:

http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/Turkeys

http://farmfutures.com/story.aspx/fun/facts/about/the/turkey/17/44170

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/turkey.htm

Apples

Autumn is apple harvest time, and this crop is so beloved and important that it inspires harvest festivals all across the country in towns like Fortuna, California; Arendtsville, Pennsylvania; Martinsburg, West Virginia; and Wenatchee, Washington. The University of Illinois Extension offers the following interesting facts about apples: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm

Everyone seems to have a favorite apple recipe (or several favorites!), and here are a few AMC Resource Directory members have shared.

A great “no-cook” apple dessert you can make with very young children, Apple Sauce Parfait, comes from Kathy O’Reilly’s Cooking With Kids Can Be Easy. http://www.amonco.org/creative/montessori_fall2.pdf

If you want to try your hand at making your own applesauce, for Kathy’s parfait or eating plain, Dale Gausman of North American Montessori Center offers a simple recipe with safe cooking tips. http://www.amonco.org/creative3/montessori_fall3.pdf Dale also shared a recipe for Apple-Cinnamon Muffins. http://www.amonco.org/creative5/montessori_fall5.pdf

Dianne Knesek of Conceptual Learning uses fresh apples and pecans to dress up a boxed angel food cake mix. http://www.amonco.org/creative7/montessori_fall7.pdf

Want to celebrate apple season without cooking? Jaye from Creative Care has a cute apple wreath art project for kids 2 to 5 years old. http://www.amonco.org/creative5/montessori_fall5.pdf

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are a favorite symbol of autumn and harvest time. They’re especially popular with children, probably because of their bright color, impressive size, and fun traditional uses. For more facts and activities about pumpkins, visit: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts.htm, and Sara L. Ambarian’s article on Canadian Thanksgiving. http://www.amonco.org/creative7/montessori_fall7.pdf

Other fall harvest items

Many home gardeners find they have lots of zucchini in late summer and fall. If you have extra zucchini to use up, you might enjoy Farm Country General Store’s Favorite Zucchini Bread:

http://www.amonco.org/creative7/montessori_fall7.pdf

Tomatoes are another bountiful crop this time of year. Garden Artisans offers a recipe for Homemade Fresh Tomato Ketchup, which is a great way to combine home and garden arts together. Many children do not realize that almost every type of food product we can buy was once homemade, so this is a great opportunity to show them the old-fashioned origins of what is arguably the most popular “kid condiment”. http://www.amonco.org/creative9/montessori_fall9.pdf

Lots of other interesting fruits and vegetables are also harvested in the fall. You might enjoy trying something new like sweet or hot peppers, pomegranates, quince, persimmons, elderberries or high-bush cranberries. You might be surprised at the variety of produce available in your area.

To find out more about the bounty of autumn, visit the following listing of fruits and vegetables which are harvested in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

http://localfoods.about.com/od/whatsinseason/a/FallFruitVeg.htm

Hearty autumn supper for busy teachers and/or families

For a quick, hot and hearty meal after a busy day at the pumpkin patch or in the garden, try the recipe for Hot Baked Chicken Salad shared by Karen at the Farm Country General Store. http://www.amonco.org/creative/montessori_fall4.pdf

To view all offerings in the new 2011 fall newsletter, please visit http://www.amonco.org/montessori_fall_handson.html

Montessori Picks for the Week of August 31, 2009

Make September Special!

 Visit http://www.amonco.org/montessori_fall_handson.html to download the free AMC Montessori Fall Lesson Planning issue.

Below, is just a sampling of what you will find in this issue.

Recipes

Janet, from Chinaberry, forwarded a Frozen Jack-O-Lanterns recipe and Gari, from Music for Little Folks contributed a very special chocolate pudding recipe. Both are perfect for autumn parties. See Part IV

The Danish Aebleskiver contributed by Rae of the Creative Process, Lithuanian Cranberry Cake by Ligia of Childsakehttp://www.amonco.org/creative6/montessori_fall6.pdf and the German Oma’s Cake shared by Carolyn of Excellence in Education are three recipes that are perfect for the upcoming fall and winter months. Carolyn has also used the dough in the classroom for many creative projects. See Part VII

In a hurry? Try the Omelet in a Bag contributed by Joyful Noise Publications and Macaroni and Cheese contributed by Millie of Insta-Learn. See Part VIII

In Part II you will also find a ice pudding recipe submitted by Vera of The Music House.

Music

Georgette, from Cantemos, will lead you step by step on how to make a guiro. Think of the fun this musical instrument will create in your school and home classrooms. It will add much to multicultural discussions involving music and musical instruments of Latin America. Visit this link for details.

Shari, from Shari and Jerry, has provided some fun sensory extension exercises that will help children identify and discern different sounds. See Sound Effects Activities

Marjorie, from Classical Magic, offers a lesson plan for autumn by Vivaldi – from The Four Season. See Part VII You will discover that her very creative ideas can be adapted for various age groups.

Back to School Montessori Crafts and Exercises

In Part III, Dale Gausman, from the North American Montessori Center, shares two great back to school exercises. To access The Friendship Tree and the Getting to Know You Exercises click here. In
Part VI, Joan of Nation Relation, shares her Geography Catch Games. See
http://www.amonco.org/creative6/montessori_fall6.pdf for details.