Whether your child is 5 or 15, chances are he or she enjoys hands on learning through interactive crafts and activities. Now that we're well into fall, my family loves making the most of all that nature has to offer this time of year. We usually have a fall-themed lesson plan that includes all sorts of crafts and learning opportunities with things like pumpkins and fall leaves.
It's a family tradition for us to visit the pumpkin patch every autumn. It's so much fun for the kids. They love taking pictures, discovering all the varieties of pumpkins and then picking up a few to take home. I love baking all kinds of pumpkin-flavored goodies during this time so I always pick up a few too.
Below are a few of our favorite fall-themed crafts. As with everything, make sure safety is your first priority with these activities, and make sure you're always there in case your child needs your assistance.
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Go on a nature walk and collect fall leaves of varying shapes and sizes. When you get home, have each child select a leaf to paint using any color or combination of colors. Once they're done, have them press the leaf, paint side down, onto a piece of paper for a few seconds and then pull back slowly.
You'll need:
- Leaves
- Paint and paintbrushes
- Paper
To see an image and find more instructions, take a look at this craft on Pinterest.
Every year we make it a point to create a thankful tree. It gives all of us an opportunity to write down what we are grateful for. There are so many ways to get creative with these, you may have a hard time deciding which to choose. We usually create more than one and place them in different parts of our home.
You'll need:
- Leaves (paper or fabric)
- Branches (real twigs or paper)
- Pen or pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
To see an image and find more instructions, take a look at this craft on Pinterest.
This is a great craft for older kids since it requires more detail and precision. Using a brown paper bag from the grocery store, kids create a woven basket to store anything from hair accessories to electronics chargers.
You'll need:
- Paper grocery bags
- Ruler and pen or pencil
- Scissors
- Clothes pins
- Hot glue gun
To see an image and find more instructions, take a look at this craft on Pinterest.
Older kids love this craft because they can use the finished product to decorate their room, as a pencil jar or to store arts and crafts items.You'll need plain mason jars (no ridges), Mod Podge, a sponge brush and either real or fabric fall leaves. The finished product even makes a great gift that you can fill with hot chocolate mix, pretzels or a battery-powered candle.
You'll need:
- Mason jars
- Mod Podge
- Leaves (real or fabric)
- Sponge brush
To see an image and find more instructions, take a look at this craft on Pinterest.
Get in a science lesson with this activity that has your child learning about and labeling all the parts of a pumpkin, both outside (rind, ribs, stem) and inside (seeds, pulp, fibrous strands). Before cutting it open, have the kids make predictions about what they think the inside will look like.
You'll need:
- Pumpkin
- Knife
- Paper plate
- Scissors
- Paper
- Glue
- Pencil or Pen
To see an image and find more instructions, take a look at this craft on Pinterest.
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