November is here!

November is the first month of dark nights from the clocks having gone back. Leaves still crunch underfoot, the sun hangs low in the sky and early mornings bring mist and fog. It’s a month seemingly full of constant rain, shoes are wet, umbrellas are lost, windows steam up and classrooms and nurseries house damp children and wet clothes. Summer seems a lifetime ago, Christmas is still a way off and everyone seems to have the sniffles.

But it is a month that is peppered with traditions and festivals as it marks the end of harvest and the beginning of winter.

November brings us the magic and wonder of bonfires and the whoosh and swoop of fireworks. See our teacher resources on the history of Bonfire Night, including our Bonfire Crossword. It is the month that sees many of us wear a splash of red on our collar or lapel as we remember the fallen in the wars on Remembrance Day. Take a look at our Remembrance Day Quiz – see how much the children learn by taking part! November is also the month Americans everywhere celebrate Thanksgiving and we have created a teacher resource about the history of thanksgiving starting with the Pilgrim Fathers right up to the present day and Macy’s Parade!

So let’s all get wrapped up, step outside and embrace the wind if it blows and the rain if it falls and enjoy the wonders of the month ahead.

“November comes, and November goes,
With the last red berries and the first white snows.
With night coming early, and dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket and frost by the gate.
The fires burn and the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest until next spring.”
– Elizabeth Coatsworth

Download our November resources here:

• Remember Remember the fifth of November
• Bonfire Crossword
• Remembrance Day Quiz
• We will remember them
• All about Thanksgiving

Originally written 5 November 2015