Fall Crafts and Activities for Kids

How to Make Fall Crafts and Learning Activities for Home Schools, Preschools and Libraries

 

Turn ordinary newspapers into inexpensive rakes for active fall learning! Children can use the homemade rakes to gather paper leaves for counting games, number recognition, sight-word practice, relay races, or a fall-themed obstacle course. Change the words, numbers, or pictures on the leaves to fit whatever your class is learning.

These newspaper rakes are especially useful for fall festivals, homeschool groups, and classroom centers because they are inexpensive to make and easy to adapt for different ages. Younger children can practice colors, counting, and letter recognition, while older children can use the leaves for math facts, vocabulary, or team challenges.

What you will need: Newspaper, Tape and Leaves

How to Make the Newspaper Rake:

1. Layout about six pieces of newspaper, one on top of the other, and roll them up starting on a long side.

2. Place another full sheet of newspaper on the floor and set the newspaper roll at one corner so that the corner of the newspaper is at the center of the roll as shown in the picture. Roll the newspaper around the newspaper roll and tape it closed in the center (on the opposite corner). Stuff the extra newspaper into one end of the roll. Cut the extra newspaper off the other end of the roll.

3. Cut six inch slits about 3/4" apart around the cut end of the roll to make the rake.

 

Learning Activities:

1. Math Review Games

Math Facts - Write math facts on leaves (Write the same math fact on both sides of the leaf) and have your children race to separate the math facts into groups using their rakes. For example, you may tell the children to find all the math facts that have an even answer. They would then use their rakes to move the leaves with even number answers to a designated area. The child that finds and piles up the most leaves matching your description wins.

Rake the Number - Call out a number and have children rake the matching numbered leaf into their pile.

Rake and Count - Children rake up a group of leaves, count them, and record the total.

Addition Rake - Put numbers on the leaves. Children rake two leaves together, then add the numbers.

Greater Than/Less Than - Children rake up two numbered leaves and decide which number is greater.

Shape Rake - Add simple shapes to the leaves and have children rake the requested shape.

Odd or Even - Children rake numbered leaves into separate “odd” and “even” piles.

Rake to 10 - Children choose two numbered leaves that add up to 10 and rake them together.

 

Word Review Games

Vocabulary Rake - Write words that your children are studying on leaves and place them on the floor. You can use them to review many things such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, sight words. Have your children separate the words into piles according to what you say. For example, you can tell them to find all the leaves with words that are verbs. The child that piles up the most verbs using only his leaf rake wins.

Alphabet Rake - Write letters on the leaves. Call out a letter and have children find and rake it in.

Beginning Sounds - Put pictures or words on leaves. Children rake leaves that begin with a chosen sound.

Spelling Rake - Write letters on leaves and have children rake up the letters needed to spell a word.

Sight Word Rake - Write sight words on the leaves. Call out a word and have children race to rake it into their area.

 

Fall Festival Games:

Raking Contest - Break children up into teams. Give each team a designated area in which they can rake their leaves. (You can use masking tape to tape off areas.) Have all the children stand in a circle, and then place all the leaves in a pile in the middle of the circle. On the word "go" children should try to rake as many leaves as they can to their designated areas. The team that gets the most leaves wins. You can place stickers or write words on some leaves. Tell your children that if they find one of these leaves and rake it into their piles they will win a special prize.

Rake Relay - Children race to move leaves across the room.

Treasure Leaf - Hide one special leaf among a pile of leaves. Children race to find the treasure leaf and rake it back to their space.

Color Rake Challenge - Assign each player a leaf color. Players race to rake only their color into their pile while leaving the others behind.

Leaf Rake Obstacle Course - Set up a “Rake the Leaf Obstacle Course” with pumpkins, cones, cardboard boxes, hay bales, or chairs as obstacles. Each child starts with one or more paper leaves and must use only the newspaper rake to move them through the course and across the finish line.

To make it more fun, you could add simple challenges such as weaving around pumpkins, raking under a “bridge” made from a box, circling a hay bale, or pushing the leaf into a final target such as a basket or taped circle. If the leaf gets stuck or blows off course, the child has to bring it back using the rake rather than picking it up.

Biggest Leaf Pile — Give teams the same amount of time to rake as many leaves as possible into their area. At the end, count or measure the piles.

- - We would love to hear how you used the newspaper rakes and leaves in your classroom. Email us and we will place your ideas here.- -

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Create beautiful textured fall leaves using aluminum foil tape and craft foam. Children can add embossed patterns, veins, and decorative details to the foil surface, then use the finished leaves for fall displays, Bible verse pictures, or seasonal decorations.

What you will need:

Craft Foam

Four-Inch Aluminum Foil Tape

Utensils to Engrave the Tape Such as a Ballpoint Pen, Straws, the End of a Paintbrush, and the Tines of a Fork

Card Stock Paper (Heavy paper)

Scissors

Sharpie Fine-Tip Permanent Markers

Printer Paper

 

How to Make Foil Tape Fall Shapes and Picture:

1. Print out the leaves and acorn patterns and the saying pattern onto colorful paper. Cut out the leave patterns and use them as templates.

Free Digital Download

2. Cut craft foam pieces big enough to fit the leaf patterns. Cover the craft foam with foil tape.

3. Place the leaf or acorn templates on top of the foil tape and craft foam and trace around the edge.

4. Cut out the shapes and then engrave the tape with objects such a straw, tip of a paint brush, ball point pen, etc. by pressing the objects into the tape or drawing designs on the tape surface.

5. Use permanent markers such as Sharpies to color in the patterns. Do not press down on the tape when coloring. Quickly wipe off the excess ink with a paper towel to make the ink translucent.

6. Cut out a saying pattern and glue it to the center of a piece of construction paper or card stock. Glue the leaf and acorn shapes around the edge of the saying.

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Create a cheerful scarecrow for fall with these easy printable patterns. Children can color or trace the pattern pieces onto construction paper or craft foam, then assemble their scarecrow and add straw, raffia, or strips of yellow paper for the hair, hands, and feet. The simple jacket, hat, pants, and tie pieces are easy to decorate with patches, stitching, and different colors, so every scarecrow can look a little different.

This craft works well for fall, harvest, farm, or scarecrow-themed lessons and displays. Finished scarecrows can be hung individually or combined to create a colorful classroom or bulletin board display.

Printable patterns in color and black & white are available for the scarecrow’s clothing, hat, and body pieces.

Library Storytime Craft: This easy scarecrow craft also makes a fun hands-on project for fall library programs and storytimes. Read a favorite scarecrow, farm, or harvest-themed picture book, then let children create and decorate their own scarecrows. Provide crayons, markers, paper scraps, yarn, raffia, or other craft materials so children can give their scarecrows their own unique personalities. Display the finished scarecrows together for an instant fall library display, or let children take them home after storytime.

Books to Read with This Scarecrow Craft

Pair this scarecrow craft with a fall or farm-themed picture book for a fun library storytime, classroom read-aloud, or homeschool activity. After reading, children can make and decorate their own scarecrows using the printable patterns.

Good choices include:

Hopefully the Scarecrow by Michelle Houts

Otis and the Scarecrow by Loren Long

The Lonely Scarecrow by Tim Preston.

Supplies needed:

Paint Stick or other Stick, Card Stock (Heavy Paper), Crayons or Colored Pencils, Glue, Yellow Paper, and Scissors

Member's

Copyright 2011, Digital by Design, Inc. - See Copyright Information

 

 

What you will need:

Bulletin Board Paper, Fall Colors Colored Paper - Brown, Orange, Yellow, and Red, Fall Leaves, Glue, Stapler, and Scissors

 

How to Make a Fall Bulletin Board Display:

Member's

1. Cut brown construction paper into one-inch thick strips and staple them to your bulletin board to make a rustic looking fence. I cut the paper so that they were uneven to make the fence look old. You could also use white paper and make a picket fence.

2. Make a "Happy Harvest" sign and print it out onto yellow paper and staple it to the top of the board.

3. Cut pumpkin shapes from orange and brown paper and staple them to the board.

4. You can also cut leaf and acorn shapes from different colors of paper or use silk fall leaves. (Pattern available to members only.)

5. To make the scarecrow use the pattern above.

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What you will need:

Fall Colors construction Paper, Scissors, White paper, Crayons or Colored Pencils, and Glue

 

What to do:

1. Print out the patterns sheets and cut out the shapes.

Member's

2. In class have your children write a fall poem on the frame and glue onto the middle of a sheet of construction paper, and then glue the fall pictures around the sides of the paper.

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What you will need: Newspapers, Brown Grocery Bags, Brown Lunch Bag, Paper Bowl, Construction Paper, Tape, Glue, Stapler, and Paint and Markers

 

How to Make the Paper Bag Garden Scarecrow:

1. To make the main stake, roll up 6 sheets of newspaper to make a tight roll. Roll another sheet of newspaper around the roll and tape it closed. For the arms, roll up 5 sheets of newspaper to make a tight roll. Roll another sheet of paper around the roll and tape it closed. Glue or tape the arms across the main stake to make a cross shape.

2. To make the head stuff a brown lunch bag with crinkled up newspapers. Place the top of the bag on the top of the main stake and gather it around the stake. Tape it to the stake. Draw a face on the bag.

3. To make the clothes. Open up some brown grocery bags and flatten them. Place the scarecrow frame on the grocery bags. Draw around the frame to make an outline of a shirt and pants. Draw the outline at least 3" from the edge of the frame. Cut out the shirt and pants shapes and use them to trace another pattern for the back of the shirt and pants. Paint a design on the shirt and pants and then glue or staple the front and back shapes to each other onto the frame. Leave the arm holes and leg holes open.

4. To make the straw for the hands, feet, and hair. Fold a piece of yellow construction paper in half lengthwise. Cut slits down the short length of the folded paper, but do not go all way through stop about 2" before you get to the fold. Roll the paper up and crinkle up the cut paper slightly. Place some glue on the folded end and shove them into the arms. Glue or staple some straw in the arm and leg holes, and around the neck, and on the head.

5. To make the hat, lay another grocery bag out flat on a table. Place a paper bowl in the center of the bag. Trace around the edge of the bowl and then draw a large circle around the bowl. Cut out the circle and the inter circle. Glue the circle onto the hat. Paint the hat and glue it to the head.

6. To display your scarecrow, pound a stake into the ground and slide the scarecrow on the stake.

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Fall Crafts from other Pages