Important Notice:

Several of the activities listed in this unit use real nuts or nut products.  Please make sure that none of your students have a NUT ALLERGY before doing any of the activities using nuts in your classroom.

I have provided many activities that do not include using real nuts.  You can also make substitutions for activities using nut counters (erasers, buttons, photocopied nuts etc)
 

Little Squirrel

I am a little squirrel,
I love to eat and play.
I like to run and chatter,
And this is what I say:
(squeak, squeak,
grunt, grunt,
squabble, squabble,
chatter, chatter,
sputter, sputter)

Busy Squirrel

Busy squirrel, she does not rest
Until she builds her cozy nest.
Dried leaves and grasses are the best
For making a squirrel's special nest.
 

Squirrel

Chitter chatter squirrel
Fussing on a fence.
All you do is run around
And get in arguments.
Acorns by the acre fall
But all you do is scold.
Gather some and bury some
Before the earth is cold.

Five Little Squirrels

Five little squirrels sitting by the door,
One ran away and then there were four.
Four little squirrels climbing up a tree,
One ran away and then there were three.
Three little squirrels with coats so new,
One ran away and then there were two.
Two little squirrels warming in the sun,
One ran away leaving only one.
One little squirrel wasn't having any fun,
He ran away and then there were none!

The Little Squirrel

This little squirrel said,
"Let's run and play!"
This little squirrel said,
"Let's hunt nuts today!"
This little squirrel said,
 "Yes, nuts are good."
This little squirrel said,
"Yes, they're our best food."
This little squirrel said,
"Come climb this tree.
And crack these nuts, 1-2-3"

Five Furry Squirrels

One furry squirrel dashes by,
Two furry squirrels are way up high.
Three furry squirrels have some nuts to hide,
Four furry squirrels all play outside.
Five furry squirrels chase round and round,
Scattering acorns on the ground.

A Little Squirrel

I saw a little squirrel,
A-picking up acorns.
I saw a little squirrel,
She ran up a tree.
She ran up and ran down,
She ran up and ran down.
A busy little squirrel,
As busy as could be.

A Squirrel Song
Tune:  "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"

I'll be gathering all the acorns 'til they're gone.
I'll be gathering all the acorns 'til they're gone.
I'll be gathering all the acorns, gathering all the acorns, gathering all the acorns 'til they're gone.

Other verses:
Hiding all the acorns
Eating all the acorns

Five Little Squirrels

Five little squirrels sitting in a tree.
The first one said,
"It's getting cold for me."
The second one said,
"The leaves are falling to the ground."
The third one said,
"Let's get busy there are nuts to be found!"
The fourth one said,
"We better not wait."
The fifth one said,
"Fall is really great!"
 

I'm a Nut

I'm an acorn small and round,
Lying on the cold cold ground.
Everybody steps on me
That is why I'm cracked you see.
I'm a nut. (click, click)
I'm a nut. (click, click)
I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut. (click, click)

Whisky, Frisky

Whisky, frisky, hippity hop
Up he goes to the treetop.
Whirly, twirly round and round
Down he scampers to the ground.
Furly, curly what a tail
Tall as a feather, broad as a sail.
Where's his supper?  In the shell.
Snappity, crackity, out it fell.

You can purchase
The Squirrel's Tale
directly from my website by clicking the book link below:

A-Z Acorn Matching

Photocopy a picture of an acorn 26 times.  Write the uppercase letter on the top and lowercase on the bottom.  Cut and laminate.  Have the children match the pieces.

Squirrel & Acorn Letter Matching

Photocopy clip art pictures of a squirrel and acorn (I got this one from The Mailbox Magazine).  Color and laminate.  Write the uppercase letters on the squirrels and lowercase on the acorns.  Match.

Nuts About Math!

If you live in an area where acorns are readily available, have youngsters help you collect some for these activities.  If acorns are not available buy a variety of nuts at the grocery store.

Place some acorns or nuts in your math center and:
*  Sort and classify into categories:  big/little, cap/no cap,
*  Weigh the acorns on a balance scale

Nut Sorting

Buy a variety of nuts from the grocery store.  Have children sort them by color, shape, size or type into muffin tins.

Nutty Counting

Gather ten empty Pringles cans.  Cover each one with brown construction paper.  Cut an oval shaped hole in each one (this is the squirrel's tree hole!)  Label the cans one through ten.  To play this game have children identify each numeral and place the correct amount of nuts in each tree hole.

Sink or Float?

Do acorns sink or float?  Have children make predictions first.  Then fill a bucket with water and place acorns in.

Acorn Observation

Place a variety of cracked and whole nuts for the children to observe with a magnifying glass.

Peanut Butter Playdough (Edible)

1 cup Honey
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Dry Evaporated Milk

Mix all ingredients.  Add additional milk to make dough pliable.

Have children make acorn impressions in the play dough!

Squirrel Tail Painting

Use the long oval dusters with handles (similar to feather dusters but they aren't made of feathers).  Fill cookie sheets with red, orange, yellow (pretty fall colors!) paint.  Drag the dusters through the paint and then twirl, wiggle and drag the "tail" on large sheets of paper.

Acorn Maracas

Place several acorns inside a large plastic egg and seal with masking tape.  Have the children shake their acorn maracas when singing your seasonal songs!

Acorn Painting

Place a piece of construction paper in the bottom of a shirt box lid.  Dip an acorn in paint and then place it in the box lid.  Have the children move the box lid slowly to make the acorn roll around on the paper.