Getting Ready for Autumn
Books for Little Treasure Hunters
Cooler mornings, golden leaves and fallen acorns - autumn brings a whole new world of little treasures to discover.
Autumn doesn’t arrive all at once.
It slips into our neighbourhoods, one small change at a time.
September and October are lovely months to get ready for autumn exploring with children. Choose your books, plan a few simple activities and start noticing what’s changing in your own garden, local park or neighbourhood.
Cooler mornings, heavier dew,
a golden leaf on the pavement and an acorn cup at your feet.
Our autumn books offer stories to share and inspiration for curious eyes and busy little hands. Order ahead of your planned adventures, so you can enjoy them together before heading out - then return to their pages as your autumn discoveries unfold.
Whether you’re getting ready for your first leaf hunt or watching for familiar seasonal favourites, there are precious appreciations waiting to be found.
Each Season Has Appreciations to Be Found & Felt
To cultivate appreciation, we have to be as curious as a child - and give ourselves time to notice the little delights right in front of us.
Explore together. What has changed since your last walk? Which leaf catches their eye? What can they hear rustling, or see growing?
With a little forward planning and curious eyes, we can discover so many treasures hidden in plain sight in our everyday surroundings.
Sometimes children lead us to the little delights that
we would otherwise walk straight past.
Autumn Treasures to Look For
Autumn arrives at a different pace across the UK, and from one county to the next. Here are a few things to watch for together through September and October:-
- ☐Notice the first autumn leaves. Which colours appear first in your area? Collect a few fallen leaves and see if you can discover which trees they came from.
- ☐Hunt for fallen acorns and their little cups. Can you match them together? Use a few to make little woodland people or animals, with an adult helping.
- ☐Make a little autumn nature space. Give small hands somewhere to display their discoveries: fallen leaves, an acorn cup or a dried flower seed head. A windowsill or small tray is plenty.
- ☐Discover whether sweet chestnuts grow nearby. Look for their prickly cases with an adult. If you plan to gather any to eat, go with someone who can confidently identify them. Horse chestnuts, or conkers, are not edible.
- ☐Look for flowering ivy. Watch quietly for visiting bees and butterflies. Can you spot an ivy bee? A local wildlife guide can help you discover what you’ve seen.
- ☐Watch for late-summer and autumn butterflies and moths. Find out which species occur locally, then keep your eyes open for them on your walks.
- ☐Enjoy the dahlias still blooming. If you grow them, let children compare the flowers with their hands held nearby. Which bloom is biggest? Which colours do they love?
- ☐Collect seeds for another season. Save calendula seeds, or seeds from another suitable garden plant, and label them together. Sow at the right time for your chosen plant, then make a simple chart to record its first shoots, leaves and flowers.
Collect only where permitted, leave plenty for wildlife - some discoveries are best enjoyed where they grow. Supervise younger children with small treasures.
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Back Home After Your Walk, or for a Rainy Day
Bring autumn into the kitchen. Choose leaf, pumpkin or woodland-animal cookie cutters and make autumn-shaped biscuits together.
Getting Ready for Autumn - from our 'BOOKs & More'
So let’s get ready - not just for colder weather,
but for curious eyes, busy little hands and the everyday delights of autumn.
September and October are lovely months to choose your autumn books and order them ready for your family’s adventures. Here are a few from Coralee’s Emporium to explore together.
A favourite book gives us something new to look for
next time we step outside.
Any walk can become a treasure hunt,
a windowsill - a seasonal nature table.
- Getting Ready for Autumn - National Trust
Ages 2-5 | Paperback sticker storybook
Get ready for autumn with a gentle rhyming story, 11 full-colour scenes and over 120 stickers. Fill the trees with apples, find fallen conkers and choose a pumpkin as you explore the pages together.
A spotting checklist adds more details to discover in the pictures - and inspiration for things to look for on your own autumn adventures.
- When Autumn Comes - National Trust
Ages 0-2 | Paperback picture book
For the youngest autumn explorers, this first picture book shares one little girl’s joyful discoveries as the season changes. Colourful leaves, pine cones, shiny conkers and pumpkin picking lead to cosy moments at home.
A sweet and simple story to share together, then see which autumn treasures you recognise when you step outside.
- A Story of the Seasons - National Trust
Ages 7-9 | Large hardback
For children ready to discover more, this illustrated, fact-filled nature guide follows animals and plants through all four seasons. Begin with the autumn pages, following hedgehogs as they find safe places to hibernate among the falling leaves.
Keep it close as autumn turns towards winter, then return to it throughout the year - a seasonal nature book for the whole family to share.
All three are published by Nosy Crow in partnership with the National Trust.
Colouring for Quieter Autumn Moments
For rainy afternoons or a little quiet time after your walk, explore our Late Summer and Autumn Printables (for all levels) with colouring pencils ready for the colours you’ve noticed outside.
Keep Exploring...
For more seasonal inspiration, visit our Mabon article in the Wisdom Traditions & Healing Journal.
Happy 🍂 hunting for precious appreciations 🌰
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Coralee's BOOKs & More - helping families notice the little autumn treasures.