Children are learning all day long. Why not make naptime a time to learn about nocturnal animals?Write the word nocturnal animals on a chart. Explain that nocturnal animals sleep during the day and come out at night. Bats, foxes, owls, and cats are nocturnal animals. Show the children pictures of the animals. Why do they think they hunt at night? What would they need to see well in the dark?Ask the children how they think these animals move during the day? You may ask one child to demonstrate or have all the children imitate the animals.Now ask the children to use their imaginations. Imagine how nocturnal animals sleep during the day. Do they curl up in a ball? Do they sleep on their backs? Do they tuck their limbs under their bodies?Ask each child choose an animal to imitate during naptime. It is fine if several choose the same animal.Check out this week’s free lesson plan for other suggestions for your nocturnal naptime!

 There are shapes in everything around us. Help children discover different shapes with pictures of things from the autumn season. Gather pictures of objects that are round or square. Make sure you have one for each child. Place the pictures in a small box or basket. Try to find objects that are seasonal such apples, pumpkins, leaves, nuts, football, goalposts, and bales of hay.Create a chart with two columns. Write Things that are Round at the top of one. Write Things that are Square at the top of the other one. Demonstrate for the children by placing a correct picture in each column. One at a time, have the children select a picture and place it in the correct column.End the activity by reading Lois Elhert’s book Leaf Man. Ask the children to spot the shapes in the book. They can create a leaf man of their own from different shaped leaves.Check this week’s free lesson plan for complete instructions and more suggestions for books.

The beautiful colors of autumn provide many opportunities to teach colors. Begin by discussing with the children why leaves change in the fall. You may want to show them pictures of deciduous and evergreen trees. Ask them to name the colors in the trees.Now it time for leaf gathering! Give each child a bag to pick up leaves from the playground.  If that is not possible, ask the children to bring leaves from home. Label baskets with the colors brown, green, orange, red, and yellow. For younger children, you may want to place a spot of color by each name. Place a large cloth on the floor. Put all the leaves onto the cloth. Direct the children to pick up the sides of the cloth and gently toss the leaves into the air. Now ask the children to pick up the leaves one at a time and sort them into the correct basket.Check out this week’s free lesson plan for more detailed ideas on how to have a leaf toss in your classroom. 

 It is time to dig for clues! Like most good mysteries, you will first need to set the stage.Collect 10 toys or items that would fit with our mystery theme. Place the items in a row near the sand table. Number the items by placing a small card with a single number in front of each item. Hide plastic numbers deep in the sand box. Invite a small group of children to the sand table to dig for numbers. When a child finds a number, ask him to match it to the numbered item. There are many variations on this game. You may choose to have children take turns digging through the sand. You may have one child find a couple of numbers before moving on to the next child. This could also be an independent activity during center time. Ask the children to count the items when the game is over.Check out this week’s free lesson plan for other ways to look for buried treasure.

It is time to dig for clues! Like most good mysteries, you will first need to set the stage.Collect 10 toys or items that would fit with our mystery theme. Place the items in a row near the sand table. Number the items by placing a small card with a single number in front of each item. Hide plastic numbers deep in the sand box. Invite a small group of children to the sand table to dig for numbers. When a child finds a number, ask him to match it to the numbered item. There are many variations on this game. You may choose to have children take turns digging through the sand. You may have one child find a couple of numbers before moving on to the next child. This could also be an independent activity during center time. Ask the children to count the items when the game is over.Check out this week’s free lesson plan for other ways to look for buried treasure.

 Keeping with our mystery theme, today our little detectives will put their clues in order. Begin by counting from one to ten with the children. For younger children, you may want to focus on one to 5 until they are confident to move to a longer string of numbers. Arrange large cards on a chalk rail or floor. On each card is a number from one to ten. Say the numbers aloud as you place them in order. Ask the children to repeat the names of each number with you. Now give the children clues calling on one child at a time to give you the answer. For example: “I come before 5. What number am I?” Once all the children have had a chance to answer correctly, invite one child to give the clues for the class. Continue until all the children have a chance to ask the clues. Check out this week’s free lesson plan for complete instructions on this game of clues.

 Detectives often use phones to gather information. Today, we’ll use toy phones to help children recognize numbers. You may want to begin the day by reading a book about a mystery. For example, where is Corduroy’s lost button? Why would no one come to Miss Spider’s Tea Party? What if Corduroy or Miss Spider used a phone? Who would they call? Divide children into pairs. Give one child a phone and one child paper and a pencil. One child pretends to take notes for the detective. Ask them to write down a series of 4-6 numbers saying each number aloud as they write. Now the detectives will punch in or dial the same series of numbers saying each number aloud as they dial. Have children switch parts so everyone has a chance to play both parts. You may choose to switch around partners to practice saying, writing, and recognizing numbers. Check out today’s free lesson plan for other suggestions for this activity.

 Learning to figure out a mystery helps develop critical thinking skills. For the next few weeks, we’ll use a mystery theme to help children recognize and name numbers from 1 to 10. During Circle Time, discuss the characteristics of a mystery. Inform them that a person who solves mysteries is called a detective. Today, they are all going to be number detectives. Hold up hats one at time. One each hat has a number from one to ten. Ask the children to name each number. Now give each child a hat to wear. Ask them to search counting books for their numbers. Younger children should focus on numbers 1 to 5 before including 6 to 10. Once they find their numbers, switch hats so each child has a chance to find all the numbers. There are many wonderful number books available at your local library. Check out this week’s free lesson plan for a list of number books.

 This week’s plan needs a bit of preparation but it also provides a great way to reinforce the names of colors. You can make your own fruit bingo with white poster board and fruit stickers. Cut 8” squares out of card-stock. Mark off the card with 4 rows across 5 evenly spaced columns. Across the top of the columns, write C-O-L-O-R. Place the stickers in the squares under each letter. Keep track of the combinations. For example: L: red apple, R: Yellow lemon, etc. There are also downloads available online. The children could begin by coloring each fruit the correct color. There are also commercial fruit bingo games. Check out this week’s free lesson plan for other ideas on how help your children make a shape book.

 Graphing helps children learn math principles. This week, the children will graph their ideas about red watermelons, green honeydew melons, and orange cantaloupe. If you prefer, you can add in other brightly colored fruit such as blueberries, purple plums, and yellow bananas. Create a chart with a picture of each fruit at the bottom of a column. Write the name of the fruit. Ask the children to repeat aloud the name of each naming the color fruit. For example: A red watermelon. Give each child a sticky note with their name on it. The children take turns placing their names in one of three columns. How many names are in each column? Which one is the favorite? Count the fruit with the most boy names. Count the fruit with the most girl names. Use the chart to help the children figure out other math problems. Check out this week’s free lesson plan for other ways to use the fruit chart in your classroom.