Harvest Themed Homeschool Activities

What’s not to love about fall? Cooler weather, colorful leaves, apples, and pumpkins are the perfect inspiration for harvest-themed homeschool activities you can enjoy with your family. It’s an ideal season for both indoor and outdoor creativity, so here are just a few ideas to jumpstart your fall plans.

Crafts

Pumpkin Carving

Probably the easiest one to start with is pumpkin carving—a classic harvest tradition. What’s great about it is you can carve just about anything you want into your pumpkins: family initials, leaf shapes, animals, words, etc. If you don’t relish the thought of taking out the insides of pumpkins, you could simply use craft paint to create all sorts of fun designs and pictures on the outside instead of carving them. (Tip: I’ve tried the pumpkins made of foam; they are just as fun to carve and a lot less messy!)

Acorns

Last year, our daughters came up with their own fall craft. We have oak trees behind our house that drop loads of acorns on the ground. Our girls decided to collect acorns and paint them, and in a couple of weeks we had a bowl full of colorful acorns. The girls had fun experimenting with colors and designs. They painted stripes, polka dots, and swirls on the acorns; they painted faces on some of them and made others that looked like bees and ladybugs. It was an easy, cheap activity that provided hours of amusement!

Preserving Leaves

Another popular fall craft is preserving leaves, and this is a simple one to do with younger children. There are several methods, but perhaps the best one for preserving leaves the longest is by using glycerin. You can find it at health food and craft stores or online. Mix a solution of one part glycerin to two parts water in a shallow pan. Place the leaves in the solution and place a heavy pan or dish on top to completely submerge them. Then all you have to do is wait two or three days; by then the leaves should be supple and soft. If they’re still dry, leave them in the solution for another two to three days. When they are pliable, remove them from the pan and gently pat them dry.

Outdoor Homeschool Activities

Nature Walks

A great way to take advantage of cooler fall weather is to take a nature walk with your children. Engage them by asking questions about the different things you see. For example, “Why do the leaves change color and fall?” or “How do we know that fall will continue to come every year?”

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Another enjoyable outdoor activity is a nature scavenger hunt. My husband and I have made a list of several items for our daughters to look for in the woods, including yellow flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, pine cones, moss, a red leaf, a unique rock, and any animal that lives in the woods. The goal is to find as many of these things as possible, and it’s fun to search for them as a family.

Hopefully these are some homeschool activities you can use to create your own special fall family memories!

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.