Fall is here and it’s time to read some scarecrow stories and make a craft. We made a scarecrow paper bag puppet out of supplies that we had at home and I think it turned out pretty cute!
Scarecrow Books
1. The Scarecrows’ Wedding by Julia Donaldson —
My son loves Julia Donaldson’s books! This is a cute, rhyming story about 2 scarecrows, Harry and Betty, who fall in love and plan their dream wedding. They set out in search of everything they need for their wedding. Harry and Betty find that they have to temporarily separate in order to get all of the decorations they need. The farmer notices that Harry is missing, and adds a new scarecrow. The new scarecrow tries to come between the happy couple. He smokes a cigar (Betty says “don’t you know that’s bad for you?”) and causes a fire. Yikes! Harry returns to save the day! They have their dream wedding with all of their friends 🙂
2. Otis and the Scarecrow by Loren Long —
Otis the tractor has several wonderful stories. In this fall-themed one, the farmer introduces a new scarecrow to the farm. Everyone is excited to meet the scarecrow, but its frown drives them all away. The scarecrow stands silently scowling in the field, day after day. Otis worries about the scarecrow being friendless and decides to befriend him. During a game of who can sit silently the longest, Otis decides to sit quietly by the scarecrow. The farm animals join him and they all stay quietly together until the puppy gets the wiggles! Otis thinks he might have seen the scarecrow smile just a little bit to be surrounded by friends.
3. The Scarecrow’s Hat by Ken Brown —
In this circular story, chicken wants scarecrow’s hat. With some great problem solving skills and a gift for bartering, she goes around the farm trading things with all of the animals until she gets something to trade scarecrow for the hat. The reader finally learns why chicken wants the hat so badly — for a nest!
4. The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry —
I was desperate for some scarecrow stories to read with my preschooler and I saw this and bought it without really checking it out first. I am so happy I bought this book! This is a truly lovely story about seeing the good in others. The scarecrow and the crow become best friends. They see each other through the ups and downs of life, side-by-side. Get ready for compassionate feelings to bubble up and smiles to form as you read this one!
5. There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro —
The silly old lady is back in this fall-themed story. She goes on a stomach-filling journey, gobbling up fall items (a pumpkin, a rope, and some leaves). Preschoolers will laugh away at all of the silliness going on in this book! What does she make with all of the stuff? Do you think its a scarecrow?
6. The Lonely Scarecrow by Tim Preston —
This book is an amazing tactile experience. The pages have ridges and shapes to touch and feel that compliment the lovely pictures. This is a beautiful story that teaches readers that just because something looks scary/different/unpleasant, doesn’t mean that it is. The animals are all afraid of the mean looking scarecrow, leaving it all alone. How can the scarecrow convince them that it wants to be friends? When the snow comes and falls over the scarecrow, it turns it into a friendly looking snowman. The animals flock to the snowman and the scarecrow finally has friends. Will the new friends remain after the snow melts? Check this one out from your library to find out.
Looking for more fall-themed stories? Check out my list of FALL BOOKS and APPLE-THEMED activities.
Scarecrow Puppet Craft
Make a fun scarecrow paper bag puppet with only a few supplies:
- 1 paper bag (lunch size)
- construction paper
- scissors
- glue stick
- googly eyes
- a marker
My son picked out all of the colors for his scarecrow: greet hat, brown face, blue shirt, pink cheeks, blue patch, and yellow straw.
I cut out the shirt, face, cheeks, patch, and hat for him. He cut the yellow straw pieces.
First, my son glued the blue shirt onto the bag. Next he glued the face onto the flap of the bag. He glued the straw to the underside of his hat before gluing the hat onto the scarecrow’s head. Next, we flipped the puppet over and my kiddo glued straw pieces to the back of the sleeves. This made it look like straw was poking out the shirt.
After gluing all of the pieces onto the paper bag, my son picked really big googly eyes for his puppet. He stuck them on the scarecrow’s face, slightly under the straw. He drew on a great, big smile with a green marker for his finishing touch.
Alphabet Worksheet
Make your way through this straw bale maze to get to the scarecrow at the end. Color the bales in alphabetical order to find your way out.
Click HERE to download this free PDF version of the Alphabet Straw Bale Maze for your preschooler to practice their alphabetical order skills.
Fall I Spy
If you haven’t already tried this fall-themed I Spy, now is your chance! It is full of cute fall-ish things that I love: hedgehogs, leaves, sunflowers, pumpkins, and of course, scarecrows! How many of each picture can you find? Write your answers in the boxes next to their pictures.
I hope you enjoy these scarecrow stories and craft!
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