Make your own festive nature print wrapping paper
Making your own wrapping paper is a great way to add an extra personal touch to your gifts at Christmas and it’s a really fun festive art activity to do with young people as well!
Make jam jar autumn leaf lanterns
These jam jar leaf lanterns are so pretty and create a really lovely light on a dark evening. They’re also simple to make and little ones will have great fun covering the jars in glue and leaves!
Roasting foraged chestnuts
Sweet chestnuts are such an autumn treat and delicious when roasted and dipped in melted butter and salt. They taste sweet and slightly nutty and are really nutritious. If you’re lucky enough to have a sweet chestnut tree nearby, then you can forage your own which is such a fun thing to do with children.
Make a Halloween wreath
This autumn wreath has a spooky twist making it perfect for Halloween!
Go on a spooky nature photography hunt
Going on a spooky nature photography hunt is great fun for young people of all ages and all you need is a camera or smart phone!
Stop motion stick skeleton
This is such a fun Halloween activity to do with children if you have a bit of time on your hands. Making a skeleton out of sticks is also a great way to explore the structure of the human body and once you have made your stick skeleton, it’s easy to make small adjustments so you can create a stop motion animation.
Make a bug hotel
Bugs and insects are really important for the plants, soil and animals all around us. They help plants to reproduce, keep our soil healthy and provide food for birds and animals. A bug hotel provides a perfect home for insects over autumn and winter.
Make an autumn leaf snow globe
Autumn is such a wonderful time to get outside and notice the colours as the season changes. You can use some of the colourful fallen leaves to make this beautiful autumn leaf ‘snow’ globe.
Make a bottle xylophone
Making your own musical instrument is a fun project for kids of all ages and this bottle xylophone is really simple to make. You can also use your bottle xylophone to experiment with sound and how it changes depending on how much water you add to the bottles.
Make an acorn garland
Hanging this garland made from painted acorns and small cones is a really lovely way to decorate your home for Autumn (and, dare I say it, Christmas!). It’s also really fun to make and children will have fun collecting and painting the acorns!
Tie dye with natural berry dye
There are so many berries at this time of year in beautiful hues of red, purple and blue and these colourful berries can be turned into fabric dye. For this activity, I’ve used elderberries and blackberries and created patterns using the tie dye method.
Colourful wax resist leaf art
Make colourful art using the abundance of leaves around at this time of year! This activity is a twist on the popular leaf rubbing activity with crayons that is great for little ones to do, particularly in autumn when it is so much fun to collect the colourful fallen leaves.
Make a paper aeroplane catapult
This paper aeroplane catapult is amazing! Not only does it make paper aeroplanes fly really far and really fast, but it also still works on paper aeroplanes that have their noses all squashed and bent - game changer!
Make a driftwood photo hanger
This driftwood photo hanger is really easy to make and is a great way to display your beach photos!
Make blackberry ice cream
This is a simplified recipe for blackberry ice cream that you can make with foraged blackberries. It’s really easy and quick to make and so, so tasty with a really intense blackberry flavour!
Make Elder beads
Making Elder beads is a really satisfying activity for both children and adults alike. Once you’ve mastered making Elder beads, you can use the beads in lots of different crafts.
Glass jar succulents
These little succulents in recycled glass jars make perfect gifts! Shop-bought succulents are often sold in clumps which are so easy to divide so you can make lots of succulent arrangements with just a few bought plants.
Make seashell candles
These seashell candles are so pretty and really simple to make. We always collect a few shells on our trips to the beach so it’s a lovely way to use them rather than letting them gather dust somewhere!