Autumn is here! As our children and young people return to the routine of school and nursery, the seasons also enter their predictable return to crisper mornings, red and brown leaves, and lots of upcoming festivities. We love to use this time of year to explore nature with young children, so thought we’d give you a rundown of what to look for as the weather turns. Understanding the World is a key tenet of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for nursery and Reception children, while exploring the changing patterns of nature is a great way to get older learners engaged in scientific thinking. Here are a few fun things to spot (or not spot!) in nature.
Observing the trees
Nothing quite says autumn is here like the change of leaves! Observe with your children what happens to the greens of summer as the weather cools, and explore why. For younger children this might be simple observations, while older children might like to explore the role of chlorophyl and life cycles
Autumn also brings lots of treasures from trees. Why not go pine cone collecting or find big acorns? You could even go so far as to collect any large autumn leaves and preserve them in beeswax to make a leafy garland that will stay preserved all autumn long.
Autumn treasure hunt
Nature gives up all sorts of marvellous goodies at this time of year - so why not take a basket or bag, and collect what you find? Acorns, pine cones, twigs and dried leaves are all fab finds, and you could even take them home to make autumnal transient art, collages and more. Make sure to ensure children know not to pick up any fresher finds, like mushrooms and berries. This would be a great opportunity to explore scavenging safety.
Hibernation
Autumn is as much about what you can see as what you can’t. Where did all the flowers and green grass go? Why? Children might not spot many birds around, and insects are fewer and far between. Now is great to explore the process of hibernation, as well as comparing this process to the way we humans also prefer to quieten down when the weather is darker!
Further resources
We hope our tips signposted you in the right direction - but if you’re keen for more, we have plenty of places to send you.
Forestry England is a great place to start, with Julia Donaldson themed trails, leafy checklists and more available in their Things To Do In Autumn page. They also have a wonderful collection of autumnal themed activity sheets for checklists out and about!
The Royal Horticultural Society are another great resource for things to do with kids in the autumn. They have a lovely selection of simple autumnal activities from nature wands to apple crumble recipes, all designed to celebrate this time of year.
What will you be doing this autumn? Planning on exploring more of the great outdoors? Let us know what you get up to!
