Scarecrows Unit Study

Scarecrows are a fun and colorful part of fall. Children of all ages will enjoy a special scarecrow themed unit featuring books, activities, writing prompts, and printables related to scarecrows. If learning with themes is new to you, check out my post on How to Create a Unit Study.

The Unit Study Planning Pages in my shop can help you organize your scarecrow theme. As you go through the suggested ideas below, select the ones that will work best for your children and record them on your planner page.

History of Scarecrows

Here is a bit of the history of scarecrows. Did you know they go back to the Ancient Egyptians? Amazing! (Parents may want to read ahead of time and summarize for their children.) Keep track of facts you learn about scarecrows using this printable: Facts About Graphic Organizer.

Scarecrow Craft

Sometimes it’s not possible to make a real scarecrow out of clothes and hay. If you are looking for an easy scarecrow-themed craft made of paper, see this Scarecrow Craft in my shop.

Barn Dance Read Aloud Book

Barn Dance! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is the delightful story of a young boy who sneaks out to the barn in the middle of the night when he hears the animals and scarecrow head out there for a hoedown. The scarecrow leads the way with his fiddle playing and the animals join in with a wild dance in the barn. This Reading Rainbow Book has fun language and entertaining illustrations that will appeal to young children.

After reading Barn Dance!, your children can complete either a Story Map or a Reading Response for the book. Here’s an example from my shop.

If your children enjoy barn books, you can see more of them in this post: Fun Barn-Themed Books for Kids.

How To Make A Scarecrow

Scarecrows can look so many different ways – funny, happy, scary, and more. Here are a few different ways to make a scarecrow!

A smaller scarecrow

A Scarecrow Song For Little Ones

Here is a fun song for little ones who need to move around a bit.

Fall Memory Game

Play a Fall Memory Game that includes all kinds of fall items, including a scarecrow!

Little Bear Dances With A Scarecrow

One of the very cutest episodes of Little Bear is “Moonlight Serenade” when Little Bear goes dancing with a scarecrow under the harvest moon.

Scarecrow Writing Prompts

Ready to do some creative writing? Here are some fun scarecrow writing prompts to use. If your child is too young to write for herself, have her dictate her story to you. For more writing prompts, see my Scarecrow Writing Prompts!