An Autumn Adventure: A Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt & Crafting Session with Leaves and Twigs

Are you tired of sorting through the same plastic pumpkins and store-bought spooky decor every single year? Imagine stepping into the crisp autumn air instead, embarking on a fun adventure with your family, and returning home with a basket full of natural treasures. This Halloween, let’s trade the crowded craft store aisle for a quiet, sun-dappled forest path.

This guide provides a complete, two-part activity that combines the simple joy of a nature scavenger hunt with the creativity of a Halloween crafting session. We’ll walk you through every single step, from gathering beautiful leaves and rustic twigs to transforming them into charmingly spooky ghosts, spiders, and monsters.

This is so much more than just a craft tutorial; it’s a blueprint for a memorable, screen-free family experience. We will show you how to easily link the outdoor walk with the indoor crafting time. This helps build a love for nature as you create unique decorations that tell a special story.

Materials & Tools You’ll Need 🛠️

This is a two-part adventure! We’ll start by gathering our main materials on a nature walk before we head inside to craft.

Part 1: For the Nature Scavenger Hunt

• Collection Bags or Small Buckets
• Comfortable Walking Shoes
• Optional: A Printable Scavenger Hunt Checklist (you can look for different leaf shapes, colors, acorns, etc.)

Part 2: For the Crafting Session

• Found Materials (The Treasures):
  • Fallen Leaves (various shapes, sizes, and colors—maple and oak are great!)
  • Twigs & Small Sticks
  • Acorns & Acorn Caps
  • Pinecones
• Household Tools & Supplies (The Magic):
  • White Craft Glue (like Elmer’s) or a Hot Glue Gun (for adults only)
  • Twine or String
  • Scissors
  • Optional: Non-toxic paint (white, black, orange), markers, googly eyes

Pro Tip: Let’s practice being good stewards of nature. Only collect materials that have already fallen to the ground. This protects the plants and all the little critters that call them home, following the principle to leave what you find!

Step-by-Step Instructions 🚶‍♀️➡️🎨

Let the autumn adventure begin! We’ll start with our outdoor quest and then bring our treasures inside to give them a spooky new life.

Step 1: Embark on Your Scavenger Hunt 🍂

The first part of our project is to head outdoors to a local park, trail, or even your own backyard to gather all the natural art supplies we’ll need.

1. Grab your collection bags and head out! Make it feel like a real expedition.
2. Encourage your kids to look for a variety of textures, colors, and shapes. Point out the pointy leaves, round acorns, bumpy pinecones, and spindly twigs. Ask them, “How does this feel?”
3. Focus not just on collecting, but on observing. Take a moment to listen to the crunch of the leaves under your feet and feel the rough texture of bark. It’s all part of the experience.
4. Gather more than you think you’ll need. It’s always better to have plenty of options when you get back to your crafting table.

Step 2: Prep Your Natural Materials ✨

Now that we’re back inside with our bounty, we’ll quickly clean and prepare our nature finds so they are ready for crafting.

1. Gently wipe your leaves, twigs, and acorns with a dry or slightly damp paper towel to remove any loose dirt or moisture.
2. For flatter crafts like our leaf ghosts, you can press the freshest leaves inside a heavy book between two sheets of paper for a few hours. This helps them lay flat.
3. Sort your materials into piles on your workspace: a pile for leaves, a pile for twigs, and so on. This makes the creative process much smoother and more organized.

Pro Tip: Don’t worry about making everything perfect! Slightly curled leaves or knobby twigs add so much character and a rustic, authentic feel to your Halloween creations. These imperfections are what make them special.

Step 3: Crafting Your Leaf Ghost Garland 👻

Let’s start with a spooky classic! We’ll turn some of our most beautiful, pale leaves into a friendly troop of floating ghosts.

1. Select several light-colored, fan-shaped leaves. Maple leaves work perfectly for this, but any broad leaf will do.
2. (Optional) If you want your ghosts to be extra bright, you can paint the entire leaf with white paint and let it dry completely.
3. Use a black marker or a small brush with black paint to add two eyes and a mouth. Give each ghost its own personality—some can be spooky, some can be silly!
4. Once all your ghosts are completely dry, use a hole punch or carefully poke a small hole in the stem area of each leaf.
5. Thread a long piece of twine through the holes one by one to create a festive, floating ghost garland. So cute!

Step 4: Building Your Twig Spiders & Skeletons 🕷️

Using our wonderful collection of twigs, we can assemble some creepy-crawly spiders and funny little skeletons to decorate with.

1. For Spiders: Find a small pinecone or a large acorn to serve as the spider’s body. Break eight small twigs into similar lengths for the legs. Use craft glue or a hot glue gun (adults only!) to attach four legs to each side of the body. For an extra fun touch, add a couple of googly eyes.
2. For Skeletons: On a piece of black construction paper, arrange your twigs to form a stick-figure skeleton. Use a longer, thicker twig for the spine, and smaller ones for the ribs, arms, and legs. You can use a small, light-colored rock or an acorn cap for the head. Once you’re happy with the layout, glue all the pieces in place.

From Walk to Wow: Connecting Your Adventure 🌟

The real magic of this activity is connecting the outdoor walk with the indoor craft time. It’s more than just a craft; it’s a full adventure. Here’s how to make it a fun, eco-friendly experience your family will remember.

• Tip 1: Use the Storytelling Method. Frame the nature walk as an important mission! You aren’t just getting leaves; you’re “Halloween helpers” or “forest detectives” on a quest to find the perfect natural items to turn into spooky characters. This turns a simple walk into a fun story and teaches kids to use the things nature gives us for free.
• Tip 2: Set Up a “Creation Station.” Don’t just dump your finds on the kitchen table. Lay down a brown paper runner and sort the items into different zones with little hand-written signs: “The Leaf Patch,” “The Twig Depot,” and “The Acorn Stash.” This shows respect for the materials you gathered and makes the crafting feel like a planned part of your adventure.
• Tip 3: Make the Eco-Conscious Connection. While you’re crafting, talk about why this is so special. Ask questions like, “Isn’t it amazing that we made all these cool decorations without going to the store or using any plastic?” This shows how valuable your activity is and introduces the idea of caring for the environment in a positive way. It makes this project different from crafts that only happen indoors.

Finishing Touches & Customization Ideas 🎨

Now for the best part—displaying your beautiful, natural creations!

• Hang your Leaf Ghost Garland in a doorway, across a mantle, or on a window.
• Place your Twig Spiders in houseplants or on bookshelves for a creepy-crawly surprise.
• Arrange your Twig Skeletons on a spooky tablescape or hang them on the wall.

Want to take it a step further? Here are a few more ideas to make it your own:

• For a Witchy Vibe: Create a miniature “Witch’s Broom” by tying a bundle of small pine needles or thin twigs to a larger stick with twine.
• For a Pop of Color: Paint pinecones in classic Halloween colors like black, orange, and purple. Once dry, you can place them in a bowl as a festive centerpiece.
• Create a Monster Mash: Use a larger piece of bark as a base and let your kids glue on various leaves, twigs, and acorns to create a unique “Nature Monster.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 🤔

Q1: My leaves are curling up as they dry. What can I do? 🍃

This is totally normal, as that’s what leaves naturally do! You have two choices. You can press them in a heavy book between sheets of paper overnight to help them flatten. Or, you can embrace the curl! A curled leaf can give a ghost a more 3D, “flying” look that adds a lot of character.

Q2: We don’t have many trees where we live. What other natural materials can we use? 🏞️

Great question! Nature offers treasures everywhere. Look for interesting rocks you can paint as pumpkins or skulls, or find tall grasses you can bundle together to make tiny brooms. If you’re near a coast, even seashells can be used—a white shell makes a fantastic ghost body!

Q3: How can I make the scavenger hunt part more engaging for older kids? 🗺️

Turn it into a fun challenge! Give them a specific list of items to find (e.g., “one red maple leaf, one yellow oak leaf, a forked twig, and a smooth, flat stone”) and see who can find them all first. You can also ask them to find materials to build something more complex, like a dragon or a fairy house.

Q4: How long will these natural decorations last? ⏳

Because they are made from natural, unfixed materials, these are meant to be temporary decorations for the season. They will likely last a few weeks indoors before they become brittle. This is a great way to teach a lesson about the temporary and changing beauty of nature, an idea known as transient art.

Congratulations on completing your family’s autumn adventure! You now have a collection of unique, charmingly rustic Halloween decorations that tell a story—a story of a day spent together, exploring the outdoors and getting creative.

Better yet, you’ve created these wonderful memories without any plastic or an extra trip to the store. You’ve shown your family that creative magic is right in your backyard, turning a simple walk into a fun, eco-friendly way to celebrate the season.

We would be absolutely thrilled to see your creations! Share a photo of your nature walk finds and your finished crafts on social media using a fun hashtag like #NatureCrafts. Happy haunting and happy crafting!

Sources & References 📚

1. Child Mind Institute. (2023). Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/why-kids-need-to-spend-time-in-nature/
2. Leave No Trace. (n.d.). The 7 Principles. Retrieved from https://lnt.org/why-leave-no-trace/the-7-principles/
3. Heywood, S. (2021). What is Transient Art and Why is It So Powerful? The Art of Education University. Retrieved from https://theartofeducation.edu/2021/08/23/what-is-transient-art-and-why-is-it-so-powerful/