Our fall season here in Kansas has been absolutely beautiful so far and we’ve been doing our best to make the most of this stunning weather with our grandkids. Playing in the park, admiring the changing colors of the leaves, lighting up a bonfire for s’mores, eating a picnic outside…what a fun time of year!
If you are looking for some fun fall activities to do with your kids or grandkids, here are a couple easy craft ideas that encourage you to get outdoors and enjoy nature together. We had such a good time doing them that I wanted to share. Enjoy!
“Treasures” Mobile
One of my granddaughters absolutely loves gathering “treasures” as she plays outdoors. During our latest adventure through the park, we brought some of these home and made a craft to put them on display! Bring a bag with you on your next walk with your kids and encourage them to gather some special “treasures” of their own. When you get back home, let them tie each of their special finds to a string and hang them at varied lengths along a stick to create their own fall mobile!
You will need:
- Bag for gathering
- Sturdy stick (between 1.5-2 ft long)
- String, yarn or twine
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Bring a bag with you on your next walk or time in the park. Have your kids gather “treasures” they find along the way: a pinecone, some pretty leaves, an acorn, etc. Also find a stick to serve as the hanger.
- When you get back home, cut varied lengths of string then have your kids tie one end of the string to a “treasure”, and the other end to the stick hanger.
- Encourage your child to pay special attention to the weights of their pieces and place them accordingly to see if they can make the mobile hang evenly!
- When you are finished, hang the mobile by cutting one final length of string and attach it to the center of the stick. Now you are ready to hang it up!
Leaf Rubbing Guidebook
As the trees around us change their colors and shed their leaves, it’s a great time to admire and learn more about them! Take your kids on a walk and gather as many different shapes of leaves as you can find. Carry them back home with you and have them make their own leaf guidebook by creating rubbings of their leaves and binding the finished pictures together. Make the project even more educational by borrowing a tree identification book from your local library and looking up the leaves you found to discover more about the tree they came from!
You will need:
- Paper
- Crayons
- Stapler
- Tree identification book
Instructions:
- Go on a walk and gather as many different shapes of leaves as possible.
- Place one leaf underneath a piece of paper, taping it to the page to keep it securely in one spot if needed. Have your child rub over the leaf with the side of a crayon until you can see the complete outline of the leaf.
- Once your child is finished with the rubbings, hang them up for display, or staple them together to make their very own a tree guidebook.
- If you’d like, look up the leaves in a tree identification book and find out more about each leaf that you placed in your book!
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