This fall scavenger hunt sends children outside to find the signs of autumn: red and yellow leaves, acorns, pinecones, maple seeds, a squirrel getting ready for winter and a pumpkin on a doorstep. There is a picture checklist, a big-picture page for preschoolers, a fall leaf hunt with leaf rubbings, a fall color hunt and fall bingo, all drawn for this set and free to print in color or black and white.
Quick answer: Print the 12-picture fall scavenger hunt printable and tick each thing you find on an autumn walk: a red leaf, a yellow leaf, an acorn, a pinecone, an apple, a squirrel and more. For preschool, use the 8-picture page; for a group, print four different fall bingo cards.
Printable samples
A few of the PDFs on this page. The full list is under Ready-to-print worksheets.
Fall Scavenger Hunt12 fall pictures.PDFPreschool Fall HuntBig pictures, no reading.PDFFall Leaf HuntLeaf colors and rubbings.PDFFall BingoFour different cards.PDF
Fall leaf hunt: why leaves change color
The leaf hunt page asks children to find a red, an orange, a yellow, a brown and a still-green leaf. It is a good moment for the science: in autumn, trees stop making green chlorophyll, and the other colors show through. The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry explains it like this:
Leaf color
What makes it
Trees to look for
Red and purple
Anthocyanin pigments, which form in some leaves in autumn
Dogwoods and sumacs
Yellow and orange
Carotene and xanthophyll pigments, there all summer but hidden by green chlorophyll
Sugar maple (brilliant orange); some trees turn only yellow
Brown
A mix of what is left in the leaf as the other colors fade
Many oaks, whose brown leaves can stay on the tree until spring
Under the color boxes are four leaf rubbing spaces. Put a leaf under the paper, vein side up, and rub over it with the side of a peeled crayon. Then circle the edge: smooth, toothed (like a saw) or lobed (with rounded fingers, like an oak leaf).
What to look for on a fall walk
Find
Fact to share
An acorn
Acorns are the seeds of oak trees. Squirrels bury them to eat in winter and forget some, which grow into new oaks.
A maple seed
Its two wings make it spin like a helicopter as it falls. The seed is called a samara.
A pinecone
Pinecones hold seeds between their scales and open when they are dry.
A squirrel
Busy squirrels in fall are storing food for the cold months.
A pumpkin and an apple
Both are harvested in fall; look on doorsteps, at markets or in the kitchen.
A mushroom
Damp autumn weather brings mushrooms up. Look, but never touch or eat them.
How to run a fall scavenger hunt for kids
A park, a tree-lined street or a backyard with one big tree is enough. Clip the sheet to a board, bring a crayon for rubbings and walk slowly; most finds are on the ground under trees. For a class or a party, hand out the bingo cards so every child has a different order and call out when someone gets four in a row. Older children can try the fall color hunt, which asks them to find something gold or something that is still green.
Fall leaves are fine to collect, since they have already dropped, but leave acorns and pinecones for the squirrels where you can.
Frequently asked questions
6 quick answers
What do you look for on a fall scavenger hunt?
Signs of autumn: colored leaves (red, orange, yellow and brown), acorns, pinecones, maple seeds, squirrels, apples, pumpkins and mushrooms. This printable has 12 on the main page and 16 on the bingo cards.
Is there a fall scavenger hunt for preschoolers?
Yes. The preschool page has 8 big pictures and big tick boxes, so children who cannot read yet can do it on their own.
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Trees stop making green chlorophyll as days get shorter and cooler. Yellow and orange pigments that were hidden all summer show through, and some trees make red anthocyanin pigments.
Is this fall scavenger hunt printable free?
Yes. Pick a sheet in the Ready-to-print list, choose US Letter or A4 and print or save the PDF. No sign-up is needed.
Which leaves should children find on a fall nature scavenger hunt?
The leaf hunt page asks for a red, an orange, a yellow, a brown and a still-green leaf, with four spaces for leaf rubbings. Children then circle each leaf's edge: smooth, toothed like a saw, or lobed like an oak leaf.
Where is a good place for a scavenger hunt for fall?
A park, a tree-lined street or a backyard with one big tree is enough. Clip the sheet to a board, bring a crayon for rubbings and walk slowly, because most finds are on the ground under trees.
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