Happy FALL Y'all!

Friends~It is my very favorite time of year...FALL!  Bats and spiders and pumpkins galore!  I just started decking out room 331 for the Fall Season with some fun spider webs, giant spiders, pumpkins, and of course a black cauldron and broom.  I can't wait to see my kiddos reaction on Monday!

My Bloggin Buddy Hilary Lewis from Rocking Teacher Materials and I are so excited about all this fall business that we are celebrating with a Bloggin Buddies Fall Sale in our Teachers Pay Teachers Stores.  Click the images below to head over and check out the goods.  Click the flower girl to check out my store and the rocker to see Hilary's!  We will get you set up for the month of October in true Fall style!

Here are some of my very favorite activities for the month of October! 

Bats

I love studying bats!  They are really amazing creatures!  Their life cycle fits perfectly into our Common Core Standards for 2nd grade.  I always start with a KWL to tap into prior knowledge and start generating questions about bats.  Last year,  I used rubber bat erasers as a special treat and each student was given a different bat picture when they came in.  They had to research the bat and then create a report using the strategy of showing and not telling to describe their bat.  We presented the reports at the end of the unit and it was so much fun!
Be sure to check out my All About Bat unit to download a free preview!  You will receive a FREE copy of my student's BAT KWL recording sheet! Just click the image below and click download preview  in my TPT store.

You can also preview a video of my Bat Unit Here! 

 My Bat Unit is on sale this weekend along with the rest of my TPT items! 

 Be sure to stop by and become a follower so that you don't miss out when I start uploading new products for November!

Be sure to check out this echolocation video for a jazzy Echolocation song that your students will absolutely love!

Another favorite is my Holey Pumpkin Day!  I love  studying the life cycle of a pumpkin in class and then spending time carving them with my 2nd graders.  The only problem  I kept running into was that some of my students did not celebrate Halloween so carving Jack O Lanterns was not going to work for them.  So that is how Holey Pumpkin Day was born.  It is still basically the same...we study the life cycle of a pumpkin but on carving day we create fall lanterns by drilling holes in them based on how many seeds are inside each pumpkin.  My kiddos love them and they are a beautiful display for my parents too!
Click the image below to download my preview which includes a video explanation of the file and also a freebie!

Check out my kiddos in action!  This is a great way to get the Dads involved with their power drills!

  

I cut the tops off early and my students head into a variety of centers before they do any carving.  Above is one of my fantastic DADS running our drilling stations!  I had both of his sons and he came back both years to help out:)

I would love it if you would give any part of this post a pin!  What are some traditions in your classroom for celebrating the season?