Autumn is my favorite season. Hot apple cider, boots, scarves, gloves, pinecone and acorn hunting… there is just so much I love about Fall. My favorite autumn phenomenon however is the changing of the leaves. I can literally stay outside for hours and enjoy the beauty of colorful leaves on the tress, gently falling and floating on the autumn breeze. My son however sometimes need a little encouragement to get of his electronics or taking a break from his LEGO®️ and Plus-Plus®️ constructing.

If your child finds the chilly weather deterring, here are some activities that will tempt them to step outside and capture their curiosity in nature. Bonus for homeschoolers, you can make these activities a part of your school day!

Nature Challenge

This challenge is like a scavenger hunt, but instead of one find per item on a list, you and your child will hunt for the most of one specific item in a certain amount of time. It’s a race to see who can find the most yellow, orange, or red leaves. Then hunt again to see who can collect the most acorns, pinecones, or twigs. Use whatever seasonal nature scavenger items are in your area to inspire your child’s exploration of nature. This challenge can happen in your backyard, on a hike, or at the beach! Seashells, mermaid purses (which are actually shark eggs), and sea glass also make for a great nature challenge in tropical places year round. The Nature Challenge offers good exercise, lots of fun, and gives kids a reason to be outside for a while.

Draw a Map

In your yard, choose a starting place and an endpoint or vice versa and help your child map it out. You can have a cache for treasure or a time capsule for the next adventure at the map destination to make things more interesting. Point out a stump or other landmark as you go so your child can draw and write it on their map. Ask them if they notice any landmarks as well. Maybe you have a little creek near by or a bird bath they can use. A compass would make a great tool for this activity. They can learn how to determine where East and West are at home and show that on their map. For example, the cache is North of the stump and West of the bird bath. When they are finished mapping it all out they can add color, a key, or copy it for a treasure hunting party. There are so many ways to customize this activity, your child is sure to enjoy it.

Field Journal

Take a blank book and some creative tools on an expedition. When it comes to field journaling there is more than one way to do anything. Your child can draw what they see, mount leaves in their pages, or write about their experience. Let them observe with their eyes, hands, and magnifying lens. Sort the species they find by tree type, color, or size. Or cottontail tracks versus deer tracks. There are so many great ways to make Field Journaling fun. (This is another good homeschool activity for science lessons). Encourage your child to record their observations and experiences of the expedition in their field journals.  They can draw their findings in color, note measurements, and color data. Develop their writing and memory skills as they describe their expedition and leaves collected. Parents can join the fun too by field journaling together.

Share your autumn expeditions and activities with us on social media:
@Pinecone_Grove & #PGExpeditions