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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Scarecrows and harvest: a preschool theme week

Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Fall · October, November

One week on scarecrows and harvest for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 4 books (3 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 5 materials, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter S.

Plan this weekPrint the two sheets

Circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “What do farmers pick in the fall?”
  4. Sing: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.
  5. Read: At the Farm (level 3).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Books

  • At the Farm (level 3, free on peabody.kids): The farm in a pattern book, for the harvest talk.
  • Meg and the Seed (level 3, free on peabody.kids): From a seed to something to pick.
  • The Big Truck (level 2, free on peabody.kids): A truck in the mud, like a harvest truck.
  • Henny Penny (read aloud, level 5): A read-aloud: an acorn falls and a hen thinks the sky is falling.

Craft: Paper-plate scarecrow

You need (5): paper plate, crayons, yellow paper strips (straw), a paper triangle hat, glue stick.

  1. Draw a happy face on the plate.
  2. Glue straw strips around the edge.
  3. Glue the hat on top.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Song: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

The words

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Snack

Ants on a Log from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Peanut butter → sunflower seed butter.

Letter pack

SsS is for scarecrow. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace S and s once, then find S in the room and in the book.

Outside: Scarecrow freeze

Children flap like birds; when the grown-up calls "Scarecrow!" everyone freezes with arms out.

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The books are Peabody's own open library, free with no sign-in. The song is public domain. The snack links to the Peabody Kitchen. Nothing here asks for a child's name.