I am sat today looking out the window. Storm Alex is raging outside, with rain lashing down and the winds gusting. The leaves, in a wide range of hues, are flying through the air.
But inside I am warm and cosy writing this and thinking about some of my favourite Autumn art lessons in the past.
As the weather turns I tend to keep lessons shorter, or do a mixed lesson with a part of it outdoors and the rest indoors. This is ok! You do not need to take an all or nothing approach.
And even though the sun may be shining, it is also worth popping on warmer clothing and encouraging children to as well. The wind can have a nip to it! But equally, the wind and rain should not be a reason to stay indoors.
The range of colours in Autumn can lead to some wonderful discussions helping children learn to describe russet or pumpkin orange, golden yellow, dark periwinkle purple blue or rusty reds.
Of course, with younger children you can simply go on a colour hunt but as children get older you can start exploring the variety of shades and language associated with them.
This is such a simple but effective lesson. Can children use the falls leaves to create a tree. This can be approached 2 ways. With younger children, you can talk about a generic tree outline and complete it. The task is filled with fine motor control experiences.
But with older children you can allow them to take some paper outside. Can they sketch a tree, trying to create an accurate representation of the shape. Once they have, they should collect leaves fallen from their tree before heading indoors to stick them down.
If you have a variety of trees in your playground this can create the most wonderful wall display.
I love the work that Andy Goldsworthy inspires. He is a sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who creates transient and land art in the natural environment. He lives and works in Scotland but a quick Google search should inspire you!
There are so many ways to use natures bounty, from creating mandalas, to paths and more. All ages will find him inspirational, from nursery all the way through to adulthood. Check him out for inspiration!
I really would be doing us all a disservice if I did not mention printing.
It is a craft most associated with the younger years but there is no reason older children cannot learn and benefit from it.
Asking the children to work in Autumn hues works wonderfully. Or link it to the lesson on language of colour and ask them to try and make as many shades of the one colour. It can have huge impact!
I hope you have found these ideas helpful. I would love to see what your children or class create so please do share with us here or over on our social media pages.
And if you would like more ideas then have a wee peek at our membership site, you will see the join now link at the top of the page. We are now sitting at around 70 activity/ lesson ideas with every single one differentiated to support primary aged children from p1 to p7.
