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Fall/Autumn Ideas for Teaching Children

Fall can be a fascinating season: leaves, plants, flowers and trees change in preparation for the winter months; animals also change their behavior, gathering food in preparation for winter, and certain holidays and celebrations are also associated with fall, such as Halloween and harvest. Teaching children about this season can be great fun. There are plenty of different activities available, and most children will love the chance to get outside on a nature walk.

Leaf Printing
- Gather as wide a selection of leaves as possible.
  
  Take your students outside to gather a selection of fallen leaves. Aim for as many different sizes and shapes as possible. Back in the classroom, instruct students to lay one leaf at a time on a flat surface and cover it with a piece of paper. Students will then use appropriately-colored crayons to gently rub over the paper. The texture of the leaf underneath will result in a leaf picture on the paper. Once students get the hang of this technique, they can use leaf rubbings to make pictures such as a leaf person.
Fall Worksheet
- Students will learn about fall with this writing activity.
  
  Choose a selection of words related to fall, such as "scarecrow," "harvest," "pumpkin," "equinox" and "rake." Discuss the meaning of each word before Instructing students to copy these words, placing them in alphabetical order. Apples 4 the Teacher has a printable worksheet for this activity; alternatively, write the words on the board and ask students to copy them onto a sheet of paper. You can also add your own words, such as "acorn," "conker" and "hibernation," to the list.
Poem Leaves
- Students will enjoy gathering leaves for this project.
  
  Read through a selection of fall poems with students, then head outside to gather leaves. Each child will require one large leaf. Instruct each student to draw around his leaf, cut it out and color it in with crayons of the appropriate color. Set the leaves to one side, and instruct students to write their own fall poem, using ideas from the poems you read earlier. The poems need not be huge masterpieces; a few lines is all that is required. When each student has finished her poem, instruct her to carefully copy it onto her decorated leaf. These leaves can then be strung up and hung as fall bunting around the classroom.
Tissue Paper Tree
- Take students outside to look at the shapes of different trees.
  
  For younger students, instruct them to draw around their hands, including their forearm, which will be the trunk of the tree. After the hand and arm have been cut out, students can decorate their "tree" in the appropriate colors. The next step is to scrunch up small pieces of tissue paper and stick them to the fingers or "branches." Older students can make a similar project, using a 3-dimensional tree. Instruct students to draw a simple tree shape on a piece of stiff paper. Fold the paper in two and cut around the tree, creating two identical tree shapes. Cut down the center of one of the tree shapes, leaving just a small part still attached, then slot this shape over the other shape, creating a tree that should stand up. Decorate with tissue paper as before.

Nature