Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Weekly Theme: Explore the Great Outdoors – More Activities
Leaves
Autumn is a wonderful time to collect leaves. As the cooler weather approaches, leaves
turn a rainbow of colors. The next time you're out walking, why not take a small bag with
you to collect some leaves. You can make beautiful crafts using Fall leaves.
Collecting Leaves:
While out walking, collect different leaves. Get a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Try
not to be too greedy, collect only the leaves you think you might use. Remember that
fallen leaves are good for the soil.
Craft Ideas:
1 Lay some of the leaves you have collected under a blank sheet of paper. Color
. across the paper with a crayon using long strokes – like magic the outline of the
leaves will appear. Use a variety of colors.
2 Make a leaf booklet. Use the best from each type of leaf that you collected. Glue one
. leaf per sheet of paper. Label the leaf and write something about it.
3 Leaf pictures: Use a variety of leaves, big, small and different colors to make
. animals, scenarios or anything your imagination can come up with. Once you have
laid out your picture on the paper, gently glue each leaf into place. When collecting
leaves for this craft, make sure to get smaller leaves that can be used for eyes, ears
& noses, etc.
Fall Scavenger Hunt
Take students outside to a designated area and provide them with a baggy and a list of
fall items to find. You can also divide them into teams for this. Provide each student or
team with a list of the following items (you can add other items depending on your area):
1. Red leaf
2. Brown leaf
3. Orange or yellowish leaf
4. Green leaf or needle
5. Acorn
6. Pinecone
7. Small twig
8. Small rock
9. Something interesting
10. Something soft
After everyone brings their collections back inside, you can make a Fall Group Collage
or Fall Wreath with the items collected!
July 2009
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Online Games:
Autumn Hangman: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/hang-man/hangman.htm
Fall Concentration: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/memory/index.htm
Autumn Tic Tac Toe: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/tictactoe/index.htm
Build a Scarecrow
With old clothing, build a scarecrow and let your students help you stuff the
clothing with newspaper.
Dramatic Play Area Ideas
Bring out the tent and camping gear. Include canteens, plastic lanterns, mess
kits, pans, plastic food (fish, berries, etc..), sleeping bags, camp chairs, cooler
for camping books and even a tent. Provide lots of dress-up options from
bandanna's, hats, flannel shirts, backpacks, etc... Build a fire using river rock
and logs (Paper towel tubes with cellophane (orange) flame. Use your art
project of evergreen trees for the background. Your could include a small pool
for fishing and assorted stuffed animals on the forest floor. Another really fun
activity for a dramatic play campsite is to set up a fake Christmas tree and in
the tree attach several silk birds. Last of all, take small dowel rods and glue
cotton balls to the end for roasting marshmallows.
Leaf People 2
Have your children glue a large leaf on a piece of paper. Then with a black
pen, have them draw on a head, two arms and two legs. Next have them glue
a small leaf on for hands and feet and one for a hat.
Scarecrow Movements
Playing all types of instrumental music (classical, jazz, modern, etc.) have the
children move the way they think a scarecrow would move in rhythm to the
music. Using “Follow the Yellowbrick Road” from the Wizard of Oz or “Ease on
Down the Road” from The Wiz would give them music and moves from two
famous scarecrows.
Squirrel and Nut
One child is chosen to be "it" and is given a nut to hold. The other children form
a circle, sitting on the floor. They extend one hand and close their eyes. "It"
tiptoes around the inside of the circle and puts the nut into one of the
outstretched hands. The one who receives it jumps up and chases after the
other until he catches "it". He/she then becomes "it" and the game proceeds as
before. The children open their eyes as the chase begins. Or you can play
Squirrel, Squirrel, NUT!! (the same as Duck, Duck, GOOSE!!)
Stick Man...
Take your group out to hunt for their own stick. Then let them paint and
decorate the sticks with odds and ends. They can add wiggly eyes also. They
come out so cute and creative! Students can give their stick men names and
July 2009
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
can glue them on construction paper and write their names or a story about
them if they wish.
Insects...
Students go on a hunt for small nature objects such as small twigs, leaves,
nuts, pine needles etc. etc. etc. Then they can assemble their very own bugs
out of the items they found by using glue. They can also use a rock and glue
their items on a rock to make an insect or a “rock person”.
3-D Campfire
To make a 3-D campfire have each of the children paint a paper towel tube
with brown paint. When the paint dries, glue 4 of the tubes into a square shape
for the base of the campfire. Then glue the remaining tubes up towards the
center, like a pyramid. When the glue is dry and cool, allow the children to glue
pieces of yellow, red and orange tissue paper to the wood, representing the
fire. This can be used in dramatic play as a real "fire". Watch out, it's hot!
Miniature First Aid Kits
In each canister (use pill bottle or a CLEAN film container) you put:
 a band-aid
 a small sterile gauze pad (in wrapping)
 a cotton ball
 half a Q-tip
 an alcohol swab or Wet Nap (in packet)
Around the outside you wrap six to eight inches of bandage tape (the white
stuff)...making sure to trap a loop of twine so the whole thing can be hung on
your hat.
Then write "First Aid" (the red cross symbol is copyrighted by the Red Cross)
on the outside, and hang from your hat with a large safety pin! (note that the
bandage tape and safety pin are also part of the kit)
Milk Carton Tent
What You Need:
 Construction Paper
 Milk Cartons
 Paint, crayons, or markers
What You Do:
 First Cut Flaps into the milk cartons. Next give them to the children and
let them decorate them as tents. They can glue paper on them, or paint
them, or color, etc.
Campfire Picture
Blow red and yellow paint with a straw and then add craft sticks painted brown
for the logs.
July 2009
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Stuffed Fish
Stuff a paper lunch bag with newspaper and add a rubber band near the top.
Fan the end out for the fish's tail and then paint.
Block Center & Reading Center
Provide Lincoln logs, sticks, pebbles, etc., for students to design their own mini
camp sites.
Make sure to add lots of camping books to your reading center and a couple of
camp chairs.
Great Resource Web Site:
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com
July 2009
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials