Get Your Children Prepped for Fun This Fall

It’s a great time of year to enjoy cooler temperatures, crunchy leaves, fun fall activities and crafts! Get your children prepped for fun this fall with our collection of ways to play, learn and explore.

Play

• Bring the season inside your home and make your own fall leaf tree or create a fall leaf suncatcher!
• Use old puzzle pieces to create a unique fall craft.
• Collect some leaves on your next nature walk to create these easy DIY fall leaf cards! Then use them to send a sweet thank you note to a loved one.
• Have your kids use their hands to make these adorable Thanksgiving potholders, perfect for gift-giving!
• Use index cards and a paper towel roll to make leaf art napkin rings this Thanksgiving.

Learn

• Join us for three nights of Family Movie Night every weekend with PBS KIDS programming! The fun begins each night at 7 p.m. on Iowa PBS KIDS .2 or streaming through the PBS KIDS Video App.
• While carving pumpkins this year, did you notice anything different? Or did your pumpkins seem the same? Check out this Wander & Wonder episode featuring a pumpkin study! 
• Hang out with Hacker for Giving Thanks Day in this clip from Cyberchase.
• Introduce your child to math terms like half and whole with this playful, homemade leaf matching game!
• What did the Pilgrims and Native Americans eat at the first Thanksgiving? Learn more from Abby Brown in this Wander & Wonder episode.

Explore

• Here's an activity that is part scavenger hunt, part color theory, to help explore nature’s colors!
• Hal’s favorite time of year is fall. Watch this clip from Nature Cat to find out what he does to celebrate the change of season!
• Use this journal to document your children’s observations and thoughts while adventuring outdoors. 
• Activate Turkey Power! Check out this clip from Wild Kratts where Chris and Martin find a wild turkey. 
• Looking for a way to level up a tea party? Create a fall leaf crown to celebrate this season!
• Explore the beautiful colors of fall leaves with chromatography. We’ll show you how in this Wander & Wonder episode.