Fall Nature Table for Preschoolers

Our fall preschool nature table – full of color & texture!

The last few weeks I’ve really enjoyed looking for nature items for our preschool science and sensory fall nature table and for a nature exchange we are participating in with a group of homeschoolers. Some I’ve found on my own time and others my group has helped to collect.

Our nature table includes:

• leaves
• walnuts
• mum flowers
• gourds
• dried weeds & grasses
• rose hips
• berries from a shrub
• small pine cones
• rocks (these were purchased rocks)
• milk weed pods
• twigs
• dried sunflowers
• corn

I didn’t have a lot planned other than to just let the children look, touch and enjoy it – and they did! The milk weed pods and seeds were the favorite:

I love how they discovered the seeds will float!

This little one enjoyed putting the grasses and flowers into the vase.

A three year old picked berries off the plant and counted them as he put them in the jar.

There were walnuts partially cracked open to separate and see what was inside.

Appreciating the colors and textures of fall!

A small piece of field corn that didn’t fully develop is perfect for little hands to inspect!

For an extension activity, children chose items from the nature table to put on their tray. Then they could draw those items. Very fun to see the older ones create their drawings!

Fall is a wonderful time of the year to explore nature! More fall nature related posts coming up!