Pumpkins, Leaves & Bugs: 3 STEAM Garden Activities for Kids this September
Hortiki PlantsAs September arrives, the garden transforms into a vibrant classroom for curious minds. Fall isn’t just about cooler weather and colorful leaves—it’s a season full of hands-on learning opportunities that connect children to nature. These three activities spark creativity, curiosity, and STEAM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Each activity includes suggested ages/grades and in celebration of Library Card Sign-Up Month (#LibraryCardSignUpMonth) bonus readings!
From the creation of our first kids kit in 2017, Hortiki Plants has always incorporated reading into our kids garden kits. We are on a mission to empower kids to grow and thrive through nature, play, and STEAM. We love libraries because they empower every child to learn, imagine, and grow, providing equitable access to books, museum passes, musical instruments, and tools that nurture curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. Ready to flex those library cards and dig into some hands-on fall garden fun? Let’s go!
🍁 Leaf Art & Identification
A simple walk through the garden can become a magical journey of discovery. Kids can collect colorful leaves, observe their shapes and colors, and create art while learning about the trees they came from. This activity combines nature exploration with hands-on creativity, helping children notice details they might otherwise overlook.
Suggested Ages/Grades:
- Ages: 4–9 years
- Grades: Pre-K to 4th grade
- Notes: Younger children (4–6) can focus on collecting, sorting, and gluing leaves. Older kids (7–9) can add leaf identification, journaling, and leaf prints for deeper STEAM connections.
🧰 Supplies Needed
- Assorted leaves
- Paper and glue
- Crayons
- Wax paper and iron (with adult help)
- Plant ID book or app
🎓 Skills Kids Learn
- Observation and classification of natural objects
- Critical thinking while matching leaves to tree species
- Recording and labeling scientific data
- Creativity and artistic expression
- Sorting, counting, and comparing (early math)
How to do it:
- Collect: Explore the yard or garden and gather leaves of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
- Organize: Lay them flat to study their details.
- Identify: Use a plant guide or app to learn which trees they came from—maple, oak, sycamore—and label each leaf.
- Create: Glue leaves into a collage, or arrange them to form animals, faces, or abstract patterns.
Tips:
- Make leaf prints by rubbing crayons over the leaves to reveal veins.
- Preserve leaves between wax paper sheets with careful ironing.
STEAM Connections:
- Science: Why do leaves change color in fall?
- Technology: Use a plant ID app to explore tree types.
- Engineering: Experiment with different ways to press and preserve leaves.
- Art: Turn leaf prints into creative designs.
- Math: Sort and graph leaves by size, shape, or color.
📚 Check your local library and enjoy these Bonus Reading Recommendations:
- Younger Kids: Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Older Kids: A Leaf Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas
🎃 Mini Pumpkin Planters
Pumpkins aren’t just for carving—they can become living planters and a lesson in natural cycles. Kids love scooping out the pulp, filling the pumpkin with soil, and planting colorful fall flowers. This activity blends hands-on planting with creative design, encouraging children to observe plant growth while learning about decomposition and sustainability.
Suggested Ages/Grades:
- Ages: 5–10 years
- Grades: Kindergarten to 5th grade
- Notes: Younger kids can help scoop and plant flowers, while older kids can experiment with soil types, track growth, and decorate pumpkins with detailed designs. Adult supervision is needed for cutting.
🧰 Supplies Needed
- Small pumpkins or gourds
- Spoon or scoop
- Potting soil
- Fall flowers (pansies, mums)
- Paints or markers
🎓 Skills Kids Learn
- Understanding natural cycles and decomposition
- Taking responsibility for plant care
- Experimenting with soil and container types
- Creative design through decorating planters
- Measuring growth and comparing results over time
How to do it:
- Choose: Pick small pumpkins or gourds.
- Hollow: With an adult, cut off the top and scoop out seeds and pulp.
- Fill: Add soil and plant a fall flower.
- Water: Lightly water your pumpkin planter.
Tips:
- Decorate the outside with paints or markers.
- Once plants outgrow the pumpkin, bury it in the garden—it will decompose and feed the soil.
- Save pumpkin seeds to roast or replant next season.
STEAM Connections:
- Science: Observe decomposition and plant growth.
- Technology: Track progress with photos or a digital growth journal.
- Engineering: Test soil mixes and pumpkin sizes.
- Art: Decorate creatively.
- Math: Measure pumpkin diameters, count seeds, and track growth.
📚 Bonus Reading:
- Younger Kids: Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
- Older Kids: From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
🕷️ Insect Scavenger Hunt
Your garden is full of tiny helpers waiting to be discovered. This activity encourages kids to observe, identify, and understand the role of insects in the ecosystem. It’s a mix of investigation, creativity, and scientific thinking, perfect for curious young naturalists.
Suggested Ages/Grades:
- Ages: 6–10 years
- Grades: 1st to 5th grade
- Notes: Younger kids can observe and draw insects, while older kids can use ID apps, research roles, and record data.
🧰 Supplies Needed
- Notebook or bug journal
- Magnifying glass
- Bug ID book or app
- Sticks, leaves, pinecones (for bug hotel)
🎓 Skills Kids Learn
- Careful observation and patience
- Identifying species using tools and resources
- Understanding ecosystems and insect roles
- Empathy and gentle handling of living creatures
- Collecting, tallying, and charting data
How to do it:
- Search: Look under rocks, in soil, and on leaves for insects.
- Observe: Note behaviors—flying, crawling, feeding.
- Identify: Use a bug book or app to determine the species.
- Record: Draw or write observations in a bug journal.
- Build a bug hotel: Stack twigs, leaves, and pinecones to provide shelter.
Tips:
- Always observe insects gently.
- Encourage kids to compare behaviors and habitats.
STEAM Connections:
- Science: Study ecosystems and food chains.
- Technology: Use apps for insect identification and research.
- Engineering: Design and build a bug hotel.
- Art: Draw or paint insects.
- Math: Tally observations and chart insect counts.
📚 Bonus Reading:
- Younger Kids: The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
- Older Kids: Bug Safari by Ted Rechlin
Why It Matters
Fall gardening with kids isn’t just fun—it’s STEAM learning in action:
- Science: Life cycles, ecosystems, soil health
- Math: Counting bugs, measuring leaves, spacing seeds
- Art: Leaf prints, pumpkin designs
- Sustainability: Composting, natural decomposition, seasonal cycles
Plus, kids build patience, mindfulness, and resilience—skills that grow well beyond the garden. Incorporating the suggested bonus reading extends learning into literacy, vocabulary development, and other non-STEM areas of the curriculum.
Wrap-Up: Grow Through the Seasons
Fall isn’t the end of gardening—it’s a fresh beginning. With a few simple activities, you can turn autumn afternoons into family adventures full of discovery.
🍁 Ready to spark curiosity this season?
👉 Explore our shop for garden kits and kid-friendly tools to make these activities even easier.
