Materials:
Stuffed animals or puppets
Instructions:
1. Tell the following story using stuffed animals or puppets to act out the story:One fall morning Woody Woodchuck headed straight for Mrs. North's garden. Autumn winds were blowing leaves, red, orange, yellow and gold, right across his
path. Woody scampered along even more quickly when he noticed the falling leaves and the wind. "I must eat as much as I can to fatten myself up. Soon winter will be here and I will sleep in my cozy underground burrow."
All of a sudden someone came racing along the path, knocking Woody over and falling over herself. It was Sally Squirrel. Her apron had been full of nuts that were now scattered all over the path. "Oh my, I have so little time left," Sally said. "Prince Autumn has come. I must gather many nuts and acorns, for once King Winter comes it will be difficult to find food." She looked up high in the treetop at her nest of leaves. Already she had buried nuts in the ground all around the tree, stuffed some in a hollow spot, and even carried a few to her nest. She turned to Woody.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you did I? It's just that I'm in such a hurry! Do you understand?" Woody picked himself up and shyly shook his head. "No, frankly, I don't understand why you're hiding those nuts. Shouldn't you be eating as many as you can find?" "Oh no," said Sally. "I need to store those away to eat during the cold winter days when the trees are bare and little food will be found." "But don't you sleep underground all winter like I do?" asked Woody. "No, no!" Sally shook her head. "I spend a lot of time in my nest, but I'm up and about, too. I visit Mrs. North's bird feeder every morning for a sunflower seed breakfast. I lunch on nuts dug up from hidden stores...."
The wind seemed to sing a song:
"Squirrel Nutkin has a coat of gray
Quite the loveliest in the wood today.
Two bright eyes look round to see
Where the sweetest nuts may be."
Woody waved a shy good-bye and was soon eating the cabbages in Mrs. North's garden. Soon he would be plump and full and would spend the winter sleeping and dreaming in his
burrow. Sally began to bury an acorn. She would have plenty to eat during the winter. The autumn wind blew more leaves of red, orange, yellow and gold!
More to do
Art: Make a picture bulletin board with the children illustrating Sally climbing to her treetop nest and Woody sleeping in his underground nest. Show other animals who are asleep, such as chipmunks, or awake, such as deer.
Outdoors: Feed the birds during the winter.
