Fall is officially here! What do you do with all those fallen leaves on your lawn or balcony? How about the apples left over from apple-picking that you don’t think your family will get through? Welcome the season with fun and creative nature-based activities to keep kids learning, growing, and imagining all fall long!
For more fun crafts and activities, check out our collection of award-winning children’s magazines!
Hootie the Owl
Here’s a creative way to preserve fallen leaves from your own backyard, or gathered on a nature hike! Turn colorful leaves into a friendly owl pal with this fun, easy craft from LADYBUG Magazine!
What you’ll need:
- Leaves
- Construction paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue stick or glue
- Googly eyes or crayons for drawing
What to do:
- With a grown-up, collect 12-15 small leaves to use as feathers. Leaves that are not too dry and are all around the same size and shape work best. You also need one small, long leaf for the owl’s beak.
- Cut off the stems from the leaves.
- Draw the shape of the owl’s body on the construction paper, then cut out the shape. We think it’s easiest to fold the paper in half the long way, draw half of the owl’s body, and then cut that out.
- Spread glue on the bottom half of the owl’s body. Arrange a single row of leaves at the bottom of the body, and gently press the leaves into the glue.
- Glue another row of leaves above the first row. The bottom tips of the leaves should cover the top of the first row. Repeat this step until you have three rows of leaves.
- Draw eyes or glue googly eyes onto the owl’s head.
- Now take your long leaf for the beak, and glue it between the eyes.
Woo-hoo, you’re “owl” done! Be sure to let the glue dry completely before moving your owl!
Make a Leaf Rubbing
Save your favorite fall leaf finds forever with a leaf rubbing! The latest issue of LADYBUG Magazine spells out the magical process in the story “Autumn Treasures.” While real leaves eventually crumble and turn brown, your leaf rubbings will always look fabulous!
What you’ll need:
- Leaves from outside
- A crayon
- White paper
What to do:
- Peel the wrapping off of your crayon.
- Put your chosen leaf on a table or another flat surface and place the white paper on top of it.
- Use the side of the crayon to color over the leaf, being sure to capture the texture and the edges of the leaf. They should show up through the paper.
- If you’d like to make your leaf rubbing even more vibrant, after you’re done with the first three steps, you can remove your leaf from under the paper, grab another color of crayon, and color in the white spaces left behind by your first rubbing.
Fall Leaf Lantern
As days get shorter, light the way to your door with beautiful homemade lanterns from SPIDER Magazine, all decorated with fallen leaves! This is a beautiful, nature-inspired to make trick-or-treaters feel welcomed at your home as we get closer to Halloween.
What you’ll need:
- Clean glass door
- Foam brush
- Mod Podge glue or homemade glue mixture
- Dried, pressed leaves (or silk leaves, if you don’t feel like using the real ones!)
- Battery-powered candle
What to do:
- Paint Mod Podge glue all over the outside of the jar with foam brush. (You can also use a homemade glue mixture!)
- Press a leaf on the glue-covered jar. Brush the leaf with glue until it is coated.
- Repeat Step 2 until the jar is covered with leaves. Don’t overlap too many, or the light won’t shine through.
- Let the glue dry, then apply a second coat.
- When the second coat dries, put a candle inside the jar and let your leaf lantern glow!
Hidden Secret Apple Cake
We’ve all been there: a picture-perfect family apple-picking trip, followed by bags full of unused apples rotting in the fridge. Use up those extra apples with this easy fall recipe from CRICKET Magazine! Kids love lending a hand on this recipe and finding the secret hidden apples!
What you’ll need:
- 4-6 medium apples, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup margarine, melted
- 1 cup sugar (separate)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Fill 9 or 10-inch pie dish about 2/3 full with sliced apples. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the apples.
- In bowl, combine melted margarine, sugar, flour, egg, and optional chopped nuts. Mix very well and pour over apples.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until warm. Serve with ice cream.
Will you try any of these fall activities with your kids? Let us know!
