Thinking Big This Fall!

Fall is just around the corner, and in some areas, thinkers are already seeing things starting to change. Temperatures are cooling, leaves are falling, and plants and animals are making changes themselves. All of this presents the perfect opportunity to harvest a little bit of critical thinking and great conversation with young minds.

Here are some great seasonal questions to get things started:

· Fall is a time of change, but is there ever a time when we don’t see change somewhere? Is change always happening?

· In the fall months, many creatures make their homes under fallen leaves, and other places we might not notice. What makes a place a home? Can home be very different for different creatures?

· When the cooler weather comes, does everyone experience it the same way? Can cool for one person feel warm for another? Why do one person’s senses work differently than another’s?

· Some pretty big, important holidays start happening in the fall. What makes a holiday different than an ordinary day? How do we decide what, when, and how to celebrate something?

· What’s your favourite fall treat? What makes it so yummy? Does everyone think this is yummy, or would some people think it’s yucky? What’s the difference between yummy and yucky, anyway?

· As the leaves are falling, try to find the perfect one. Is there such thing as a perfect leaf? Is there such thing as a perfect anything?

However you mark the arrival of autumn, be sure to sprinkle in opportunities to think big, and make time and space to share them with each other. Remember that there are lots of ways to explore big questions, including talking, writing, drawing, acting and building. Let your little thinker go first, keep an open mind, and make sure everyone explain gives reasons for the way they think.

Happy fall, and happy thinking!