Language Learning Experiences
Outdoor Education Experiences
Autumn is just around the corner, and with it comes a world of natural wonders just waiting to be discovered! The air is crisp, the leaves are turning into a beautiful palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, and nature is bustling with activity as it prepares for the winter months. It’s the perfect time to get students outdoors and embark on an exciting autumn nature hunt. Ahead of the changing seasons, we’ve created a guide for teachers to help their students explore everything nature has to offer.
The Magical Leaf Transformation
Autumn is famous for its breathtaking leaf displays, but there’s more to those colourful leaves than meets the eye! Take your students on a leaf-spotting adventure where they can search for leaves in all shapes, sizes, and colours.
Can they find a red acer leaf, a golden birch leaf, and a purple ash leaf? How many different colours can they spot? As they collect leaves, explain how the green chlorophyll breaks down as the days get shorter, revealing the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows that were hidden all summer long. It’s like a nature magic trick!
Acorn Antics
Autumn is prime time for spotting acorns, those little nuts that squirrels can’t get enough of. This is a great opportunity to discuss the life cycle of oak trees and the important role squirrels play in spreading acorns far and wide, helping new trees grow. Take your students on a mission to find as many acorns as they can. But there’s more to these nuts than just their role as squirrel snacks!
Look for acorns with and without their “caps.” Explain that these caps, or cupules, help protect the seed inside. Can they find an acorn that’s already started to sprout? As they collect acorns, keep an eye out for busy squirrels gathering and hiding them for the winter. Why do squirrels hide more acorns than they’ll ever eat? It’s all about survival of the fittest!
Fungi Fun
Autumn is mushroom season! The damp, cool weather makes it the perfect time for fungi to flourish, and your students can have a blast spotting these mysterious and often weird-looking organisms. Look for mushrooms growing on the forest floor, on tree trunks, or even in grassy areas. Can they find a puffball, a shelf fungus, or a brightly coloured toadstool? Remind them that mushrooms come in all shapes, sizes, and colours—and some even glow in the dark!
Share some fun facts about fungi. Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants? Or that the largest organism on Earth is a fungus? (It’s a honey fungus in Oregon that covers over 2,385 acres!) Remind your students that while mushrooms are fascinating to look at, some can be poisonous, so it’s best to observe them without touching.
The Great Pine Cone Search
Pine cones are another autumn treasure just waiting to be discovered. These little cones are actually the seeds of pine trees, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Discuss how pine cones play an important role in the life cycle of pine trees and how animals like birds and squirrels rely on them for food.
See who can find the biggest pine cone, the smallest, or the most unusual one. Can they spot any cones that have already released their seeds? What about cones that are still tightly closed? Bring a few pine cones back to the classroom and experiment with them. Place some in water and watch how they close up. Then dry them out and see them open again. It’s a great way to show how pine cones protect their seeds.
Awesome Animal Tracks
Autumn is a busy time for animals as they prepare for winter, and it’s the perfect season to go on a track-spotting adventure! After a rain shower, muddy paths and soft earth are great places to look for tracks. Explain how animals leave clues about their activities, such as footprints, fur, or even scat (animal droppings). Finding and identifying tracks is like solving a nature mystery!
Look for footprints left by deer, rabbits, birds, and other wildlife. Can they identify the animal that made each track? How do the tracks change depending on the size and shape of the animal’s feet? Bring some plaster of Paris along and make casts of the animal tracks you find. This way, the students can take home a cool souvenir from their nature adventure!
Berry Bonanza
Autumn is the season for berries! Many plants produce colourful berries in the fall, which are a vital food source for birds and other animals as they prepare for the winter. Remind students that while many berries are beautiful and important for wildlife, not all of them are safe to eat, so it’s best to admire them without tasting.
Look for bright red, orange, or purple berries on bushes and trees. Can they find holly berries, rose hips, or hawthorn berries? Which animals might eat these berries? See if you can spot any birds feasting on the berries. Explain how the berries provide essential nutrients that help the birds build up energy for migration or for surviving the colder months.
Wrapping Up the Adventure
After a fun-filled day of exploring, encourage your students to share their discoveries with the class. They can create nature journals, draw pictures of their favourite finds, or even present a “nature show and tell” where they explain what they learned about the leaves, acorns, mushrooms, and more.
Autumn is a season of change, colour, and wonder—perfect for sparking a love of nature in kids. With this guide, you can turn any outdoor space into a magical world of discovery where students can connect with nature, learn new things, and have a ton of fun doing it. So grab your coats, get outside, and let the autumn adventure begin!
