Fall activities and crafts are fun and easy to do. With very few resources, these simple activities can be done with a few things most people already have around the house and a little help from the natural world.
Leaf Activities and Crafts
In the fall there is a plethora of leaves, on trees and blowing around. Go for a walk with the kids and gather as many leaves as they want. Encourage them to find different kinds from different trees, shapes and colors, and to pick them up off the ground as opposed to pulling them off the tree itself. This is an easy way for them to explore and have fun and an opportunity to teach them about different kinds of trees.
At home, take out crayons and paper to do leaf rubbings. Put the leaf under the paper and gently rub the crayon over the leaf – the imprint of the leaf will appear to the child's surprise and delight. This will also show detail that the child may not have noticed by looking at the leaf on its own, such as veins, indents, bumps, etc. Children can put as many rubbings as they want on a page, and change the colors of their crayons to make it colorful.
Leaf hats or bouquets are also an easy craft to do with leaves. For a bouquet, the kids can pick out a variety of leaves, put them into a vase and place in the center of the table. Presto it is done!
For a hat, cut a piece of construction paper about 2 inches wide and long enough to fit around the child's head. Let her decorate it with her leaves by gluing them on, and then adding any other items such as ribbon, beads, etc. Let it dry flat; when dry staple it together and put it on.
Nature Activities With Trees
Find an area where there are lots of trees, and have the kids pair up. If there is only one child, an adult can do this with him. One child closes his eyes and the other guides him safely to a tree. Without opening his eyes, the child gently explores the tree with his hands, feeling the trunk, branches, leaves, etc. of the tree. When he has explored it to his satisfaction, his partner brings him away from the tree. The child then opens his eyes and goes to see if he can find his tree. Once he has found the right tree, the partners switch.
Tree or bark rubbings are lots of fun with kids. Give them each a piece of paper and a crayon to take outside. Ask them to find a tree that they like. Place the piece of paper up against the trunk, hold it there, then gently rub the crayon over the paper. A pattern will come through, an imprint of the bark on the tree. Younger children may need assistance with holding their paper; another person can hold it, and then they can do the rubbing.
Fall Wildflowers
Just because it's fall does not mean that there are not lots of wildflowers still blooming. Take the kids out and see what they can find. Bring a wildflower book to help identify what they see; also bring the camera to take pictures of the flowers to enjoy at home. Don't pick the flowers. Teach children to leave them for others to enjoy! The location will determine what can be found, so do a quick search online or at the local library to find out what's in season.
At home, have the kids draw or paint a picture of their favorite wildflower, or help them to find out one interesting fact.
Pine Cone & Acorn Crafts
The squirrels love them; kids find them fascinating. Let children gather ones that have fallen on the ground, and collect different kinds, shapes and sizes. At home, the kids can place them decoratively in the garden, or use them indoors for crafts. They can glue them on paper to make a fall picture, combined with any other fall items that they found.
The pine cone or acorn man is easy and popular. Use pipe cleaners, googly eyes and glue. Glue the eyes onto the cone or acorn itself, cut the pipe cleaners to the desired size and glue them on, or stick the pipe cleaners into the cone to make arms and legs. Use construction paper to make clothes, hats or other features. If the kids found some moss along the way, glue that on top to give him some hair!
Exploring Nature in the Fall
There are many things in the natural world that are easy to teach children about by exploring with them, collecting them, and turning them into activities or crafts. There is such a variety of colors and textures in Fall, the kids will never tire of going outside to see what they can find or make!
For more information on Fall Nature Crafts for Kids, go to Enchanted Learning or Kaboose.
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