November 6, 2019by ppearls1 CommentLesson Plans

Autumn Activities: A Comprehensive List

Aside from Saint Patrick’s Day, this is one of my most favorite times of year for celebrations. I decided to move our Flisat table from the dining room into Vicky’s bedroom. I had taken an old chalkboard out of storage, so I wanted to set up a little seasonal activity table, starting this week. I’m looking forward to this next theme. I have our fairy house decorated with our autumn trees and our autumn hand kite, along with a few other goodies she enjoys playing with every day. What’s your favorite part about autumn?

Science: Peanut Butter Pine Cone Bird Feeder

We will have to thank Mr.PiedmontPearls for this activity. He mentioned that his mother used to help him spread peanut butter over pine cones and coat them in bird seed. They were great kid-friendly bird feeders. Hearing this, of course we had to try it at home. But learn from my mistake, coat the bird seed on the pine cone in an enclosed environment, like a deep pot. We’re still picking bird seed off the floor and it has been several days.

Small World:

Fun at the Fairies’ House

Oh my goodness, I love this picture way more than I thought I would. We had a little color match activity and Vicky enjoyed it immensely. To be fair, she relishes saying the word “orange” in any context, but playing with fall colors was fabulous in her book. What I really loved was that all of these pieces came from different makers and yet it all works well together! You don’t need fancy loose parts…just grab a few orange, yellow, red, and green items lying around. Put them in a basket and hand them to your child. Loose parts are not there for us to define, but for the child to create.

College Football Invitation to Play Tray

This past Saturday, I decided to prep an invitation to play in the hopes that I could enjoy one of my favorite fall pursuits…college football! FSU had its game against UM, and unfortunately, as of writing this, I don’t know the result of the game. That being said, go Noles!

I picked up this little tray at Hobby Lobby and threw in our trusty decorative pumpkins. The rest of the tray includes:

Invitations to play and beautiful trays don’t have to be complicated. Go with a theme (my alma mater’s colors of garnet and cold) and just go with it!

Miscellaneous:

Nature Walk

We spent some time outside, talking about fall and the changing of the leaves. She loves the color orange and we gathered quite an impressive collection of fall leaves from the ground. But then of course, she wandered over to one of our evergreens on our lawn…I know it’s a type of fir, but I don’t remember which. Anywho, Mom had to consult google before she was able to speak intelligently about evergreens! But, what a lovely fall activity, and super easy, with no prep time!

Autumn Cape

“If a year was tucked inside a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.” – Victoria Erickson

I love this playsilk shop I stumbled onto called The Gnome’s Treasure Chest. I explained that Vicky was petite but needed an autumn cape for her adventures. We ordered one in “Leaves of Autumn”. It came in and Vicky has refused to take it off since then. They’re very durable and I feel comfortable letting her outside wearing it. Check her out! Let her know Rachel sent you!

Art:

Painted Pinecones

Arts and crafts time! I really don’t do enough craft projects. It’s just not the type of Mom I am. My Pinterest board is littered with beautiful, yet unrealized ideas. That being said, an arts and craft project that is like shaking a Wendy’s salad….well, that’s right up my alley. First, we squeezed three different colors of Crayola washable paints into some old tupperware. Then we put some small pinecones in. Then I put the top on and made sure it was perfectly sealed…And then I handed it to Vicky. The results are gorgeous! Stay tuned to my stories to see what they look like!

Ghost on the Wall

Contact paper for the win again! This one is an easy Halloween activity that you still have time to set up. All you’ll need is painters tape, contact paper, and cotton balls. I drew a rough outline of a ghost and absentmindedly wrote “Boo!” on the wrong side. She spent an entire hour before dinnertime filling in his body with the white cotton balls. When we were done, the painters tape easily came off the wall and the activity was a cinch to clean up.

Autumn Leaves Paint-in-a-Bag

I finally got over my fears of this activity. I’d seen it in all the Pinterest posts, but I was scared to pull the trigger on “paint in a bag”. However, it turned out wonderful! I sketched a brief outline of a tree in permanent marker on card stock (a good idea in a wet environment). Then I squeezed three or four bits of paint into a ziploc gallon bag. I placed the cardstock in the bag and laid it flat on the floor. I used my trusty painter’s tape and sealed it to the ground. Once she saw it, the rest was history. Except for mom’s fingers getting a little dirty getting the paper out, it was mess-free. I let it dry outside and it was ready for the fridge in less than 2 hours!

Sensory Bin: Halloween Sparkles

Are you struggling to kill time until trick-or-treating tonight? Put together this easy sensory bin. We used black beans as a base and threw in some colorful, sparkly, glitter poms. Very bright and very Halloween-y against the pitch black base of the black beans. I put in Chickadees Wooden Toys scoops and spoons and V just went to town. The great part is that they are all different sizes and some can pour, as well as lift out the beans. I think this will get us through! Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Fine Motor: Pre-Writing with a Pattern Board

Pre-writing skills are important skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child’s ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and color. One of the first ways you can begin practicing is through pattern tracing. I picked this pattern tray up from Sensory Play. V wasn’t ready for using a wooden stylus, so we practiced placing different colored autumn-themed felt balls on each line. While we weren’t holding a pencil, it was definitely strengthening her hand muscles. And of course…reinforcing our color lessons!

Social/Emotional: Recognizing Parts of the Face with our Jack-o-Lantern

This fall activity is also tied into recognizing parts of the face. I used some pieces of felt from Hobby Lobby and cut a basic jack-o’-lantern face. Felt is clingy so she’s able to stick and re-stick each part. She also loves it because she is very texture-based and she relishes the softness of the fabric.

Numeracy: Counting Pumpkins

For this activity, I took the same pumpkins from our dining table centerpiece and grabbed Chickadees Wooden Toys’ Number Coins. Numbers have been slow going for us. When I say “One”, Vicky will reply “Two”, but I don’t sense understanding there. So today, we started grouping the pumpkins in different amounts and putting them with their corresponding coin. Slowly, but surely!

Gross Motor: Balancing Act

This gross motor activity costs exactly $0 and Vicky spent all morning playing. I took the centerpiece pumpkins out of a bowl on our dining table (which I suppose counted as a cost like 8 years ago) and showed her how to balance it on top of a few paper towel rolls I had been hoarding. You can replicate this activity with any other small decoration you have hiding around the house. Your little one will have to practice balance and precision while trying to keep still. Voila! Seasonal gross motor bliss!

Did you try any of our activities? Comment below and let us know how it went!

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