Autumn Adventures

Let's get autumn ready...

Slip on your wellies, wrap up warm, and head outside together. Stomp through muddy paths, crunch leaves underfoot, and splash through puddles. As you walk, look and listen for the signs of autumn all around you – the changing colours of the leaves, the sound of conkers dropping, the chill in the air, or the smell of bonfires in the distance.

Encourage your children to collect little treasures – colourful leaves, acorns, conkers, pinecones, or even interesting twigs. These can become the building blocks for many of the activities you’ll find on this page. As you go, talk together about what you see, hear, and feel. Notice the shapes, textures, and colours of the season.

This simple autumn walk helps children to connect with the world around them, and it gives you a bank of natural materials to explore, play with, and learn from. It can be done many times during these autuminal months. Most importantly, it sets the scene for curiosity, creativity, and conversation.

Activity Ideas

The activity ideas below, will give you an outline of ways in which you can utilise the world around you to create learning opportunities. For more detailed support in creating a progressive curriculum for your child or if you would like a series of activities for a particular subject area, the please access the Bespoke Support Pages

Tree-mendous words

Use your conversations from your walk to help inspire the activity below. Taking videos or photos, of parts of your walk, may really help your child remember specific details.

What do I need?

Card, scissors, string, pens, tape, hole punch
OR twigs, leaves, pebbles (or other natural materials). Along with pens such as 'chalk pens' that you can use to write on the objects.

What do I do?

Write autumn-themed words on cards (e.g. harvest, migrate, windy).
Hang them on a real tree outdoors OR a paper tree indoors, or if using pebbles, create a tree outline with them.
Discuss meanings, draw illustrations, use words in sentences.
This can easily be extended by looking at synonyms for these words or by looking at the etymology of these words. You could even create your own tree-mendous dictionary.

What do I learn?

EYFS: Build vocabulary around autumn changes.
KS1: Read/write seasonal words.
KS2: Expand vocabulary, use in stories/descriptions.

🌿Take it outside: Tie cards to branches or chalk words on paving stones.

🏠Keep it inside: Make a wall display tree and add leaves over time.

📷Recording options: Photo journal, scrapbook, digital blog.

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Leafy pieces

Fractions can be a very tricky concept; you don't need to use this terminology straight away. Start by using the term 'equal part'. If your child is still unsure, try sharing something a bit more delicious, like a biscuit, if the parts are not equal, your child will soon tell you!!

What do I need?

A collection of leaves (different shapes/sizes).
Chalk or paper + scissors.

What do I do?

Draw or cut around leaves.
Fold leaves to see if they can be symmetrical.
Sort leaves into halves, quarters, or symmetry folds.
Draw chalk outlines of leaves and divide them into equal parts.
Compare fraction parts between big and small leaves.
Add or subtract fractions of leaves.

What do I learn?

EYFS: Explore halves with folding/cutting.
KS1: Identify halves/quarters of shapes.
KS2: Use fractions to compare and calculate.

🌿Take it outside: Collect, fold, and chalk fraction lines onto leaves or trace around them on your patio or outdoor space.

🏠Keep it inside: Use paper cut-out leaves for fraction work.

📷Recording options: Photos of fraction leaves, maths journal, or labelled diagrams.

Poet-tree

For your older, KS2, children, get them to also think about similes, metaphors, alliteration and personification. This would form a series of lessons rather than a one off activity.

This is primarily a poetry focus, but could also link to a wider science lesson about senses.

What do I need?

Paper, pens, autumn objects (leaves, conkers, spices)

What do I do?

Explore senses: What do you see, smell, hear, feel in autumn?
Brainstorm words together and group by sense.
For younger children, you could write starters such as Autumn smells like... and then get them to come up with a list of smells. This would then move onto, Autumn tastes like...etc..
Use poems as a model to help your KS1 children create their own. This lovely resource from David Harmer and Roger Stevens (See - KS1:Magical Powers) has some great ideas and model poems.
Use the poetry book The Lost Words as inspiration for your KS2 children.

What do I learn?

EYFS: Use descriptive words linked to senses.
KS1: Write simple patterned poems.
KS2: Experiment with figurative language (similes/metaphors).

🌿Take it outside: Collect sensory objects in a basket walk.

🏠Keep it inside: Create a “senses tray” with autumn items.

📷Recording options: Copy poem onto decorated paper, audio record reading, add to scrapbook. Or create your own poet-tree and hang the poems from the tree's branches.

Conker Quest

There are so many learning opportunities with this simple activity. So please take it in the direction that it naturally goes. For your littlest learners, using conkers just as count equipment, sorting by shape an size, weighing, comparing their stack with someone else will provide plenty of opportunities for learning. For older children they can collect data and create charts as well as create their own Autumn Quests. This could also lead to some nice instructional writing e.g. 'How to create a conker tower'.

What do I need?

Conkers, sticks, string, tape

What do I do?

Challenge: build the tallest/strongest tower from conkers and sticks. (this could become a Quest - with points given for quests completed).
Test which design holds best.
The Conker Kingdom - Measure and compare heights - whose is the highest, sturdiest etc..

What do I learn?

EYFS: Explore stacking/balancing. Counting.
KS1: Compare lengths/heights using standard measures. Counting, skip counting. Multiplication.
KS2: Investigate forces (gravity, balance, stability).Creating charts and comparing data.

🌿Take it outside: Collect natural materials, build structures outdoors.

🏠Keep it inside: Use conkers + straws/sticks for mini towers.

📷Recording options: Measure and chart results, photo evidence, simple write-up. Use excel to create charts.

Har-Feast creations

Cooking creates so many chances for learning and incorporates so many skills and curriculum links. If you are not confident in the kitchen or don't want to bake real food, you can utilise an outdoor mud kitchen (or something similar) and still make the most of the learning opportunities.

What do I need

Simple autumn ingredients (e.g. apples, blackberries, pumpkins).
Basic cooking utensils.

What do I do?

Choose a seasonal recipe (fruit crumble, pumpkin soup).
Involve children in weighing, mixing, cooking.
Talk about where food comes from and seasonal cycles.

What do I learn?

EYFS: Explore food prep, talk about healthy food.
KS1: Measure using cups/scales, sequence steps.
KS2: Understand seasonality, practise accurate measuring and following recipes.

🌿Take it outside: Cook on a campfire (safely supervised) or picnic.

🏠Keep it inside: Bake/cook in the kitchen, decorate table with autumn produce.

📷Recording options: Write recipe cards, take photos, create a seasonal recipe book.

Seasonal Extras

Use the 'seasonal extras' below for extra autumn inspiration.

Shadow Stories

On a bright autumn day, place objects or leaves in the sunlight to cast unusual shadows on the ground or a wall. Talk about what the shadows look like — animals, people, or creatures — and invent stories around them. Older children can write and perform their stories for the family.

Lost Letter from a Scarecrow

Hide a “mystery letter” from a scarecrow in your home or garden. Younger children can draw or dictate their replies, while older ones can write letters in more detail, either sympathetic or persuasive. This activity sparks empathy and imagination as children step into a character’s shoes.

The Whispering Woods

Go on a walk to gather fallen sticks, then use them to “write” giant words on the ground outside or on a patio. Younger children can explore letters and simple words, which can then be extended to spelling patterns for your KS1 aged children. While your older ones can challenge themselves to spell trickier vocabulary. Use the words as prompts for sentences or even short stories.

Conker Calculations

Collect conkers and use them for hands-on maths. Younger children can count them, sort them into groups, or make patterns. Older children can arrange them into multiplication arrays, work out factors and remainders, or even explore prime numbers and more complex calculations.

Twig Towers

Use twigs, sticks, or natural objects to build towers or structures. See how tall or strong you can make them. Little ones can compare the heights of different towers, while older children can measure, calculate perimeter or angles, or even explore balance, ratio, and stability.

Leaf Probability

Collect a handful of leaves in different colours or shapes. Make a prediction: which type will be most common in your garden or local area? Younger children can sort and count, middle ages can record tallies or pictograms, and older children can present data as fractions, percentages, or even probability experiments.

Autumn Potion Lab

Mix together leaves, mud, berries, water, and other safe natural materials to make your own “potions.” Encourage younger children to describe how things look, smell, or feel. Older children can talk about the properties of different materials, compare mixtures and solutions, or even test acidity with natural indicators like red cabbage water.

Mini Migration

Choose a migrating bird (like a swallow or goose) and follow its journey on a map. Younger children can enjoy hearing a simple story of the bird’s travels, while older children can research routes, measure the distance, and discuss why animals migrate — linking it to food, weather, and habitats.

Decay Detectives

Take different items (an apple core, a leaf, and a piece of plastic, for example) and place them in the garden or in small containers of soil. Check on them each week. Talk about which items are changing and why. Older children can design simple investigations into how fast things decay and link this to recycling and environmental issues.

Leaf Lanterns

Collect autumn leaves and press them between paper for a few days. Once dried, glue them onto a glass jar (with adult help if using candles). Younger children can explore colours and shapes, while older ones design patterns or experiment with different layering effects. Pop in a tea light or LED candle for a glowing autumn lantern.

Nature Paintbrushes

Tie leaves, pine needles, or feathers onto sticks with string or elastic bands. Dip them into paint and see the marks they make. Younger children can enjoy exploring textures, while older children can experiment with techniques to create autumn landscapes or abstract patterns.

Seed Sculpture

Gather acorns, conkers, sycamore seeds, and pinecones. Use clay, playdough, or even soil to stick them together into creatures or structures. Younger children can focus on imaginative creations, while older ones can plan and design more complex sculptures.

Twig Engineering

Challenge your child to build a bridge or shelter using sticks, string, and leaves. Younger children can try simple shelters for toy figures, while older ones can test how much weight their bridge holds, learning about balance and strength.

Pumpkin Mechanics

Cut open a pumpkin (with adult help) and let children scoop out the insides. Younger children can explore the textures and seeds, while older ones can experiment with designing carved faces, patterns, or even simple “machines” such as pulley systems using the pumpkin shell.

Autumn Bird Feeder

Make a simple bird feeder using pinecones rolled in peanut butter (or lard) and seeds. Younger children can focus on making and hanging it, while older ones can record which birds visit over time, linking design with observation.

Harvest Stories

Research old harvest traditions in your local area or family history. Younger children can listen to simple tales and act them out, while older ones can compare harvest then and now, writing about how people celebrated in the past.

Scarecrow Through Time

Talk about scarecrows in history and how farmers used them. Younger children can design their own scarecrow character, while older ones can research scarecrows from other countries and times, linking them to farming and community traditions.

Autumn Myths and Legends

Explore myths linked to autumn (like Persephone and the changing seasons). Younger children can enjoy a retelling and simple drawings, while older ones can compare myths from different cultures and discuss what they tell us about human history.

Autumn World Map

Look at how autumn is celebrated in different countries (like Thanksgiving in the US, Moon Festival in China). Younger children can place pictures or symbols on a map, while older children can research climates, crops, and traditions across the globe.

Weather Watchers

Keep a simple weather diary through the autumn months. Younger children can draw sunshine, clouds, or rain symbols, while older ones can record temperature, rainfall, and look for patterns, linking to bigger ideas about climate and seasons.

Tree Detectives

Go on a walk and collect leaves from different trees. Younger children can match leaves to simple tree names, while older ones can research types of trees, habitats, and how they change in autumn, even creating their own field guide.

Autumn Animation

Use a phone or tablet to make a short stop-motion film with leaves, conkers, or toy figures. Younger children can help set up scenes and move objects, while older ones can add titles, sound, or narration to tell a full autumn story.

Digital Autumn Collage

Take photos of autumn colours on a walk. Younger children can choose and arrange the photos into a digital collage, while older children can edit images, experiment with filters, or combine photos with words and poems.

Seasonal Coding

Use simple coding platforms (like Scratch) to design an autumn-themed game or story. Younger children can move characters through falling leaves, while older ones can code more complex interactions, such as scoring points for catching conkers or avoiding rain.

Winter Learning

Spring Learning

Summer Learning

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