Garden Scarecrow

• Build your own scarecrow for your home or class garden. The first thing you will need is a frame to hang the clothes on. You can construct one using wooden dowels or two-by-fours nailed into a cross shape. Stuff an old shirt with plastic bags or wadded up newspaper, securing the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt with elastic bands. Stuff a paper shopping bag with plastic bags or newspaper and secure the bottom with an elastic band to create the scarecrow's head. Have children decorate the head with a face using markers or paint, adding hair and whatever other details they choose. Add a straw hat to the scarecrow's head and secure it with a hot glue gun. Attach all the pieces to your wooden cross frame and place your scarecrow in your garden.
  
  

Scarecrow Coloring Book

• This activity is best for children who are just learning to read. Create a coloring book for children using a printable scarecrow template (see Reference). On each page, write a sentence describing the colors of the scarecrow. For example, write "Look at my red shirt" on one page and "Look at my blue pants" on another. If you'd like, write all the directions for coloring in the scarecrow on one page and tell children to add details on other pages, for example, "I am a scarecrow. Draw a garden around me."
  
  

Collaborative Farm Scene

• Scarecrows can enhance a classroom farm or garden theme. Unroll a large sheet of butcher paper and ask children to work together to draw a big farm scene. They can include crops, a barn, animals and any other farm details they would like. When the farm scene is finished, give each child a craft stick and some fabric scraps to create her own scarecrow. Hang the farm scene in a prominent place and allow each child to place her scarecrow on the scene using tape.
  
  

Life-Sized Paper Scarecrows

• Group children in teams of two for this activity. Have each child on the team lie down on a piece of butcher paper and be traced by his partner. The students will then use scissors to cut out their life-sized figures. Give students access to fabric scraps, grass clippings or hay and any other craft materials you have available. Allow each student to decorate his scarecrow in any way he chooses. Use these scarecrows to decorate your classroom for the harvest season.