We head to the woods to play in the leaves, make natural paints and find some food for free
LEAF CATCHING
Did you know that if you catch a leaf as it floats down from the trees you are granted a wish by the woodland fairy folk? Autumn is a wonderful time to play leaf games as the trees are shedding their leaves leaving a crunchy carpet underfoot.
You could try hunting for leaves using different criteria – the biggest, smallest, most colourful or most unusual leaf. Creating a leaf blanket is a surprisingly fun and moving activity. Lie down on the ground and cover yourself in leaves (or get someone to do it for you), stay there for a while, immerse yourself in the feeling of connectedness with the earth.
MAKE MOBILES
Natural mobiles look beautiful and will last long into the season. Gather treasures such as acorns, conkers, colourful leaves, sycamore seeds, rosehips and seed heads when out on a walk. You will also need a long stick and a piece of string.
When you get home, make holes in each of the items gathered – some of the tougher nuts and seeds will need to be tackled by an adult – using a skewer or a bradawl. Knot a length of string and using a tapestry needle start to thread the items onto the string. Complete another two or three strings and then tie these onto the main stick. Attach a long piece of string to each end of the stick and this can be used as a handle to hang it up with.
MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Seed heads and pieces of bark can be put to good use creating natural music. To make your own panpipes, take a piece of bamboo about 1.5 metres long. The first stages of this project will require adult assistance. Saw the bamboo into about six pieces – the first piece should be about 5 cm and the others ascending in length with a joint at one end of each piece – the instrument needs an open and a closed end to make sound. Remove any soft matter inside the tubes with a metal rod. Sand down the outsides and tie together in order of length. Blow over the open ends to make sound.
Seed heads from plants such as poppy or dried fruits such as gourds can be used as rattles. A stick and a large piece of bark make a fun impromptu drum.
TRY NATURAL PAINTING
Ancient cave paintings were created using natural materials such as plants and berries. We can use these techniques today to create our very own paint in a variety of autumnal hues. Whilst proper natural paint has fixatives and other ingredients added to make it colour fast, these homemade colours don’t and will eventually fade but often the fun is in the creation anyway.
Try elderberries, rose hips, blackberries and sloes. Mash in a pestle and mortar (or with bare hands) and add a little water to get a good consistency. You can sieve the paint to get a smooth liquid. Be sure to wear old clothes as berry juice can stain. Add paper and a thick paintbrush and you are ready to go. These natural paints can also be used as body paints.
GO BLACKBERRY PICKING
Our hedgerows offer up a cornucopia of edible treats in the autumn months. None quite so tasty and accessible as the blackberry. They are easy to graze straight from the bush and if it’s possible to save a few these can be put to good use in an apple and blackberry pie. Choose bushes well away from roadsides, to avoid pollution. Other things to look out for are crab apples, wild damsons, sloes and sweet chestnuts, nestled inside their spiky shells.
Dana Connell, mother of four, lives in Cambridge and relives her childhood experiences of foraging with her own children. “I love returning home from a day spent in the open air, collecting food for free, the kids hands and faces sticky with juice. By the time we reach the front door, I never have enough fruit to do anything useful but we have such great fun, it doesn’t really seem to matter!”
CREATE A CROWN
Collect a pile of colourful leaves and they can be turned into crowns for princes and princesses of the woods. You will also need a strip of cardboard and a little glue for each crown. Place the cardboard on the ground and stick leaves to it. A stapler might be useful for larger leaves. Other items can be made to adorn the woodland folk, such as bracelets or necklaces using seeds threaded onto string or masks using a decorated cardboard cut-out. Experiment to create a magical memento of an autumn walk.
John Piper, father of two who lives in London tried this activity with a group of seven year olds at his daughter’s birthday party. “It was a really successful activity – lots of us adults got into making them too. Then we played silly games in the woods for ages afterwards.”
MORE INSPIRATION
READ: Forest School Adventure by Dan Westall and Naomi Walmsley
The Children's Forest by Dawn Casey, Anna Richardson and Helen D'Ascoli
