The first day of fall was September 23rd, and before you know it, the change of seasons will have everyone buzzing. As a teacher, you may have already begun incorporating some fun fall themes into your lesson plans, but if not, here All Portable Sinks is here to help. Check out these five fun crafts and activities that your preschoolers will enjoy as the season progresses.

Leaf Owls

If you’re looking for a fun way to get outside for a nature walk, but also utilize the items you find in the great fall outdoors - these little leaf owls are precious! You can visit krokotak.com for the full list of instructions, but here is a quick overview!

Tools:

• Small plastic bags
• Leaves & nature items
• Tape
• Owl decor - construction paper, googly eyes
• Glue stick
• Scissors

After you come back from a nature walk with your collected treasures, bring them back and admire the items! When you’re ready, you can pack them into the plastic bags, fold down the top and tape it in the back. Either cut out eyes, or use googly eyes, cut out a beak, and then glue these features on. You can use leaves to make both the wings and the little feather ear tufts. These can be adorable ways to decorate the classroom as well!

Pumpkin Guts Sensory Squish Bag

Do you remember digging your hands into a big pumpkin every fall? Some kids love it, others think it’s gross - but it’s a memory for all. Because you may not want to deal with cutting pumpkins for preschoolers, and then having pumpkin guts strewn around the classroom, here is a fun way for kids to get the enjoyment will a bit less mess. You can find more about this project over at FantasticFunAndLearning.com, but here is a quick rundown.

Tools:

• Gallon sized freezer bag
• Permanent Marker
• Pumpkin
• Mess-free craft tray

The assembly of this project is simple enough. You start by drawing a large letter “P” on the front of the bag, and then after scooping the insides of the pumpkin into the bag, sealing it. There are several things you can do with this sensory bag. One is to squish and examine the pumpkin guts up close, but not too personal! Another thought is that you can trace the letter “P” into the guts as a way for letter recognition. You can also have the kids squish all of the guts away from the letter and then trace the letter in the pumpkin seeds. The original instructions also had you write the letter “P” on several of the seeds but found that they came off after contact with the pumpkin juice, so keep that in mind. This is a great activity for learning more about the pumpkin, the letter “P”, and still keeping those little fingers clean.

Corn Cob Craft Painting

This is a fun time to talk about corn, harvesting, and fall. If you want to enjoy this aspect of the season, take some time to try painting with corn on the cob! You can learn more over at NaturalBeachLiving.com, but here is a quick introduction.

Tools:

• Ears of corn on the cob
• Craft paint in multiple colors - fall-related or not
• Paintbrush/foam brush
• Paper

After you take the husks off of the ears of corn, you can paint different colors all over the ear, and then roll it all over the paper. This will make different patterns. This is a fun way to enjoy a bit of sensory play with the corn but also experiment with colors, combinations, and what happens when they mix.

Leaf Puppets

The fall season brings about the perfect time for fall leaf crafts. They are a simple, fun, and affordable activity for preschoolers. There are also many books that would pair well with this activity, you can even act out the stories with the puppets! You can learn more about this craft over at MessyLittleMonster.com, but here is a quick introduction.

Tools:

• A collection of leaves
• Chalk pens, paint, or other art supplies that would show up
• Craft Sticks
• Laminator 

This is a great time to plan a walk to collect the leaves, enjoy some fresh air, and observe some of the other aspects that fall brings. Once you have the leaves, you can use chalk pens to draw faces and designs on them. After the chalk pen dries, you can put the leaves through a laminator and cut them out. You can then tape a craft stick to the back of each leave and even add some googly eyes if you would like.



Time to Clean Up!

After every good craft project comes to an end, it’s time to clean up and move on to the next part of the day. All Portable Sinks offers a variety of portable sinks for the classroom that make it easy to clean both your surfaces and also those little hands. Check out our website if you would like to learn more about our child-friendly portable sinks. We hope you have a fun fall season with your classroom!

All Portable Sinks - Making Clean-Up Easier!