1, 2, 3 GO! Celebrate Autumn

The leaves at the Gail Borden Public Library are sure starting to fall!  Help your little one celebrate the autumn season with these rhyming songs, fingerplay games, and entertaining books.  Songs and rhymes are a natural way to learn about language.  Songs help children develop listening skills and also helps them hear different sounds in words, a key lesson in learning reading comprehension and decoding.

Leaves Are Falling Down 
(Sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell")
The leaves are falling down,
The leaves are falling down,
Heigh-ho, it’s fall you know,
The leaves are falling down.

The leaves are turning brown,
The leaves are turning brown,
Heigh-ho, it’s fall you know,
The leaves are turning brown.

The leaves are falling down,
The leaves are falling down,
Heigh-ho, it’s fall you know,
The leaves are falling down.

The leaves are turning red,
The leaves are turning red,
Heigh-ho, it’s fall you know,
The leaves are turning red.

(Repeat the rhyme using different colors such as yellow and orange.)

Two Blackbirds Fingerplay Game:
(Using your fingers or hands, act out the motions of the birds)
There were two blackbirds,
Sitting on a hill,
One named Jack,
One named Jill.
Fly away, Jack!
Fly away, Jill!
Come back, Jack!
Come back, Jill!

Sing a Song of Sixpence Rhyme
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?

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Celebrate the magic of changing leaf colors and the autumn season by sharing some of these stories:

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
A yellow leaf is not ready to fall from the tree when autumn comes, but finally, after finding another leaf still on the tree, the two let go together.
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Dappled Apples by Jan Carr
Rhyming text and illustrations celebrate the pleasures of fall, from turning leaves and apple picking to pumpkins and Halloween.
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Let it Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate autumn, with its falling leaves, crisp mornings, and gusty breezes.
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Leaf Man by Lois Elhert
A man made of leaves blows away, traveling wherever the wind may take him. On die-cut pages.
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Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Elhert
A child describes the growth of a maple tree from seed to sapling.
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Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett
A young squirrel panics when the leaves on his tree change color and fall, but he feels better when his mother tells him about autumn.
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Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber
Illustrations and rhyming text describe different leaves and the trees from which they fall.
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Nuts by Paula Gerritsen
Mouse braves many dangers while trying to collect nuts before winter sets in, including a sudden storm that first brings her disappointment, then a delightful surprise.
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It's Fall! by Linda Glaser
A child experiences the colors and textures of fall. Includes nature activities to do during that season.
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Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
When fall comes, two brothers enjoy catching the falling leaves, stomping on them, kicking them, jumping in piles of them, and using them to make pictures. Includes a description of how leaves change through the year.
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It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
A brother and sister plan early for Halloween fun by planting pumpkin seeds in their garden in the summer. Later, they watch as the seeds sprout and eventually grow into bright orange pumpkins for their jack-o'-lanterns.
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Leaves by David Ezra Stein
A curious bear observes how leaves change throughout the seasons.
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Las Hojas en Otoño = Leaves in Fall por/by Martha E. H. Rustad
Simple text and photographs present leaves in fall --in both English and Spanish
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Las Personas en Otoño = Peoeple in Fall por/by Martha E. H. Rustad
Simple text and photographs present people in fall --in both English and Spanish
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By the Light of the Harvest Moon by Harriet Ziefert
As the fall harvest moon shines on the farm, leaf families gather to celebrate the autumnal equinox.
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