Fall Sensory Tree: A Fun Scoop and Pour Activity

As autumn’s colours sweep over the landscape, immerse your child in the magic of the season with this Fall Sensory Tree!

Fall Sensory Play

Fall brings a sensory wonderland for young explorers! Engage kids in a collection of textures, colors, and scents with autumn-inspired sensory play. Let them squish and mold pumpkin-scented playdough, rustle through crunchy leaves, and uncover hidden treasures in sensory bins filled with acorns, pinecones, and colorful leaves. Dip little fingers into warm cinnamon-scented rice, creating sensory-rich landscapes that ignite their imagination and provide a multisensory learning experience amidst the magic of the season!

This Fall Sensory Tree has all of the elements of a good fall sensory bin but it’s in the form of a tree. You’ll need to do a little crafting to make your tree but the enjoyment your child will experience while filling and decorating the leaves is worth the effort.

Educational Benefits

• Sensory Exploration: This activity provides a multi-sensory experience, allowing children to engage their sense of touch, sight, and even smell through the natural items.
• Fine Motor Skills: Filling the toilet paper roll leaves with rice and arranging the natural items fosters fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Cognitive Learning: As children interact with natural elements, they develop an understanding of the textures, shapes, and colors associated with the fall season.
• Nature Appreciation: Incorporating natural items in the activity promotes an appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the fall environment.

WILL YOU SET UP THIS EASY FALL SENSORY TREE WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!

Supplies You’ll Need for A Fall Sensory Tree

• Piece of cardboard (large enough for your tree)
• Toilet paper rolls (empty)
• Glue or adhesive
• Sticks (for the tree trunk)
• Colored rice (in fall shades) (Find the recipe for coloured rice here)
• Pine cones, fall flowers, acorns, berries, and other natural fall items
• Craft glue

How to Make Fall Sensory Tree

Start by going on a nature hike in the fall and gathering some sticks, pine cones, acorns, flowers and other fall nature finds.

1. Creating the Tree Trunk:

• Begin by assembling several sticks together to form the trunk of your fall tree. Arrange them in a way that resembles a tree trunk’s texture and shape at the bottom center of a piece of cardboard.

2. Crafting the Tree Canopy:

• Cut the toilet paper rolls lengthwise and flatten them slightly into leaf shapes, creating a collection of “leaves” to adorn your tree. Feel free to paint or color them in vibrant fall shades for added visual appeal.

3. Attaching the Leaves:

• Using glue or adhesive, attach the toilet paper roll leaves to the top of the sticks spreading outwards in a tree shape. Arrange them in a way that creates a lush and colorful canopy.

4. Fall-Inspired Sensory Rice:

• Prepare colored rice in shades reminiscent of fall – think warm yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Learn how to make coloured rice in all colours of the rainbow using my super easy recipe here. Place the rice in separate bowls and add spoons or scoopers to each bowl for scooping.

5. Filling the Leaves:

• Fill each toilet paper roll “leaf” with the fall-colored rice. This sensory element adds texture and a tactile experience to your tree.

6. Natural Touches:

• Enhance the sensory journey by adorning your tree with pine cones, fall flowers, acorns, and berries. These natural items bring the essence of fall to life and engage the senses further.

The Fall Sensory Tree activity is a harmonious blend of crafting, sensory exploration, and nature appreciation. It provides children with an opportunity to create a sensory wonderland that celebrates the beauty of autumn. As they touch, feel, and engage with the textures and colors, they’ll not only enhance their sensory skills but also develop a deeper connection with the world around them. So, gather your supplies, invite the magic of fall into your crafting space, and embark on a sensory journey that delights the senses and sparks curiosity!

Age Suitability

This activity is good for toddlers aged children 18 months old and up with adult assistance.

Mess Level

The mess level for this activity is high.

Difficulty to Create 

Low.

Skills Developed

Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.

Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

WILL YOU SET UP THIS EASY FALL SENSORY TREE WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!