I love a scarecrow and corn theme in the fall! Here, you’ll find links to free scarecrow and corn printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired scarecrow and corn pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through first grade.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with Scarecrow and Corn Themed Activities
Montessori Shelves with Scarecrow and Corn Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired scarecrow and corn themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired scarecrow and corn pack isn’t designed as a complete scarecrow and corn unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)
You could mix your scarecrow and corn themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special scarecrow and corn themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Shelves with Scarecrow and Corn Themed Activities with Art Print
Notice the framed illustration The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Book – p55 – “‘I was only made yesterday,’ said the Scarecrow.” (1900) illustrated by William Wallace Denslow. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop
Books for a Scarecrow and Corn Unit
Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before. Most of my seasonal books are now in that book basket.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). The scarecrow books aren’t Montessori-style books because the scarecrows are treated as people with feelings. They’re lovely books … just not Montessori-style books.
Books for a Scarecrow and Corn Theme
Top Shelf of Themed Shelves:
- The Scarecrow is a very sweet story about kindness and friendship.
- From Kernel to Corn is an easy reader with helpful information about the corn life cycle.
- DK Smithsonian Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom. The DK Smithsonian books typically have gorgeous photos and are wonderful reference books that I use for many units.
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
2nd Shelf:
3rd Shelf:
4th Shelf:
Bottom Shelf
- Popcorn Country: The Story of America’s Favorite Snack
- Tomie dePaola’s The Popcorn Book
- The Secret of the Scarecrow (Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew)
You can see many scarecrow and corn books here: Scarecrow Books for Kids and Corn Books for Kids (including books as they’re published).
The Scarecrow Book with 2D Shape Scarecrow Activity
The Scarecrow Book with 2D Shape Scarecrow Activity
The Scarecrow isn’t a Montessori-style book, but it’s a very sweet story about kindness and friendship.
Free Printable: 2D Shape Scarecrow from Primary Playground
From Kernel to Corn Book with the Life Cycle of Corn Materials
From Kernel to Corn Book with the Life Cycle of Corn Materials
From Kernel to Corn is an easy reader with helpful information about the corn life cycle.
Free Printable: Life Cycle of Corn Activity Pack by Raising Little Jess at TPT
Types of Grains and Types of Corn Cards with Pages from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds Book
Types of Grains and Types of Corn Cards with Pages from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds Book
On a wooden cookbook holder, I have the DK Smithsonian Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom. The DK Smithsonian books typically have gorgeous photos and are wonderful reference books that I use for many units.
Free Printable: Dried fruit, Grains and Cereals Cards (Used only the grain cards that could be matched with the book) by Valerie Fabre at TPT
Free Printable: Kernel Kode Lesson PDF (includes types of corn) from Kansas Corn STEM
Sand Writing Tray for a Scarecrow and Corn Theme
Sand Writing Tray for a Scarecrow and Corn Theme
Free Printable /s/ for scarecrow font cards, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive. .
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
Or Phonogram Work and Popcorn Movable Alphabet
Or Phonogram Work and Popcorn Movable Alphabet
Free Printable: popcorn alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Printable /or/ in corn (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable: /or/ sound with letters from MontessoriSoul.
I used our double sandpaper letters for /or/.
I have a post and video on how to introduce words starting with phonograms, even with very young children.
Scarecrow CVC Unscramble the Word Activity
Scarecrow CVC Unscramble the Word Activity
This activity was from our unit with Free Fall Scavenger Hunt Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities.
Free Printable: Scarecrow CVC Unscramble the Word (20 different cards are included) from 3 Dinosaurs
I love the Amazing Child Mini Grooved Letter Tiles: Lower Sassoon Case with Tray and Stylus! I’m using it here as a sort of movable alphabet for CVC words, although it can be used with individual letters for children learning their phonetic sounds. There’s a little sand tray that comes with the set as well.
While this isn’t a traditional scavenger hunt, the child has to unscramble the letters and find the letters in the letter box. (I have them in the categories I use to introduce phonetic sounds.) The printable includes places to write each word after it’s unscrambled, so you could use that in addition to or instead of the movable letters for older kids.
Scarecrow and Crow Preposition Activity
Scarecrow and Crow Preposition Activity
Free Printable: Free Printable: Scarecrow Pack from Kindergarten Worksheets and Games
Free Printable: Parts of Speech Posters (Montessori Symbols) by A Wise Old Owl at TPT (I used this as a fun extension to work with Montessori preposition materials.) I just cut out the preposition parts of the printable.
This is a fun way to focus on prepositions, using miniature crows. (Note: The crows would be great as math counters, too!)
Older kids can focus on grammar with prepositions (and possibly using preposition stencils when writing and illustrating each sentence to make a booklet). Readers could just read each sentence and place the crows. The pages could be made into a book to color and illustrate. Younger children could place the crows, focusing on position words, as the sentences are read to them.
Simple Scarecrow Counting and Transferring
Transferring 5 Scarecrows
Free Printable: Scarecrow number cards. I just used 1-5 for this activity, but you could use any number or numbers from 1-30. (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
I thought it would be fun to use miniature scarecrows for this activity. There are 50 scarecrows in the pack I purchased. (There are also packs of 25 and 100.)
My 18-month-old granddaughter, Arabella, loved the little scarecrows. She fell in love with sandpaper letters and numerals from the Montessori Letter Work book. So even though sandpaper letters are typically recommended for 2½ or older, I’ll move her hand to trace the sandpaper letter or numeral for work like this. For this work, I had 5 scarecrows, the sandpaper numeral 5, and scarecrow number card 5. As Arabella moved the scarecrows, I counted them. I mainly use this for her to associate number symbols with a specific quantity. For children slightly older, they could use toast tongs or another tool to transfer the scarecrows.
Note: For toddlers, I don’t leave this on the shelf because of the tiny scarecrows. I only use it together with the toddler when I can directly supervise.
Scarecrow Addition Activity
Scarecrow Addition Activity
Free Printable: Scarecrow number cards 1-20 (two cards each for 1-10) and addition symbols (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
We have free spinners (both 1-5 and 1-10) in our subscriber freebie pack.
I used 20 scarecrows from the pack with 50 scarecrows … 10 scarecrows with red overalls and 10 scarecrows with yellow overalls.
For this activity, he child spins the spinner to find how many scarecrows with red pants are needed. Then the child spins the spinner to find the number of scarecrows with yellow pants are needed. The scarecrows are added together to find the total number of scarecrows.
There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.
Tweezing Flint Corn with Ten Frame and Numbers
Tweezing Flint Corn with Ten Frame and Scarecrow Numbers
Free Printable: Blank Ten Frame (ten frames included in a variety of colors) by Kyle OK at TPT
Free Printable: Scarecrow number cards 1-10 (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
For this activity, the child can pick out kernels of corn, placing each kernel on the ten frame. At the end, the corresponding scarecrow number card can be placed next to the ten frame.
How to Use Flint Corn (Ornamental Corn) for Montessori Practical Life and Language Work
Tray with Flint Corn (Ornamental Corn) Tweezing and Cursive Word Tracing
This doesn’t use a free printable but is a great language activity with flint corn.
How to Use Flint Corn (Ornamental Corn) for Montessori Practical Life and Language Work
Corn Activity on Another Shelf
Corn Cob Metal Inset Design Work
I love the plastic insets from Alison’s Montessori for home use, but they’ve been discontinued. Alison’s Montessori does have the traditional metal insets, of course. And I found some inexpensive wooden insets on Etsy that look like a great option for home use. There are also DIY insets you can make for home use.
We used the Fall Themed Montessori Metal Inset Design Cards by MindfulMontessoriMe on Etsy last year. They aren’t free, but they’re a great extension to work with the metal insets! There are 12 cards in the pack, but we’re just using the corn card for this unit.
Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Pack
Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow and Corn Activities
- Free Scarecrow Printables and Montessori-Inspired Scarecrow Activities (completely different activities to give you more options!)
- Free Fall Scavenger Hunt Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities (includes some scarecrow activities)
- Free Fall Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time (includes some scarecrow songs)
- Montessori-Inspired Corn Unit
- How to Use Flint Corn (Ornamental Corn) for Montessori Practical Life and Language Work
- Corn Unit Study Pinterest Board
If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout October and November, see my October Themed Activities for Kids. and my November Themed Activities for Kids.
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