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Fall Science Activities

Everyone loves fall, so who wouldn’t love pumpkin spiced fall science activities? Autumn allows science teachers to cover topical science topics with grade 4 5 6 students. Fall science topics can include: 

  • Halloween
  • Dia de Los Muertos ( Day of the Dead )

You can integrate these holidays into your science curriculum by covering: 

Check out these ways to include fall science activities into your curriculum today! 

Fall Science Activities

Life Cycle of a Pumpkin

Nothing screams fall like pumpkins! So October is a great month to learn about pumpkins in your science classroom. 

Students can study the life cycle of a pumpkin. While learning about the life cycle from seed to pumpkin, teach students about: 

  • energy cycles
  • habitat
  • energy role as a producer and consumers that eat pumpkins

Graphic organizers can help students summarize their pumpkin fall science activity. 

This fall science activity includes

  • Science text detailing the stages of the life cycle of a pumpkin along with comprehension questions
  • Graphic organizer to summarize information
  • Digital version
  • Answer Key

October is a great month to begin learning about the skeletal system if you teach your students about the human body systems since skeletons are another symbol of Halloween. 

Teach students about the parts and functions of the skeletal system. 

After learning about the parts of the skeletal system, students can reconstruct a bone using different materials as part of a stem challenge. 

Some materials that you can use to replicate a bone are

  • Paper towel tube
  • White paper
  • 2 different colored pipe cleaners
  • Bath pouf
  • Sponge
  • Scouring pad

You can get these materials at the Dollar Store and put students into groups to cut down on costs! 

Want a ready made activity? 

This skeletal system lesson includes: 

  • Science text introduces students to the parts, functions, and how the skeletal system operates. This lesson includes comprehension questions.
  • Hands-on activity to replicate a human bone
  • Digital version of science text included

Science teachers, are you integrating Halloween into your class curriculum? If you teach how matter changes, this fall science activity will engage your students. 

Here are 3 science experiments you can use as a science demonstration or in science stations. Students will decide whether a physical or chemical change is occurring

Glow sticks: As simple as it is, students love seeing how glow sticks are activated. This chemical change will make them glow when they are broken in half. 

Pumpkins in water: Challenge students to explain what’s happening to the pumpkin candy as it dissolves in water. This physical change is simple but may confuse students. Since the pumpkin is dissolving, the candy color coating is disappearing, making students think a chemical change is occurring rather than a physical change. 

Witches Brew: Instead of calling it Elephant’s Toothpaste, Witches Brew will engage students no matter how many times they see it. Use a spooky color like red or orange as students observe the chemical change. 

These activities work well using them on Halloween or anytime near it. Students will be engaged and allows you to take their endless energy and hone it in on reviewing physical and chemical changes. 

Need a ready-made lesson? This fall science activity includes

Integrate other cultures into your classroom as you celebrate Dia de Los Muertos in your science class. 

To include this holiday in your classroom, you’ll want to

After students have a good understanding of the holiday, here are some activities that they can do to help strengthen their engineering and design skills: 

  • Create an ofrenda
  • Make marigolds

Just like scientists come from all different backgrounds, students in your class will love to make connections between science and other cultures. 

This Fall science lesson includes: 

  • History text about Dia de Los Muertos along with significant symbols and traditions
  • Two science STEM activities
    • Create an ofrenda
    • Making marigolds
  • Digital version included
  • Rubrics and answer key included

Scientist of the Month: Marie Curie

Each school year, I like to take a small amount of time out of my curriculum to teach students about famous scientists and inventors. 

A bulletin board in my classroom is dedicated to teaching students about scientists and includes famous quotes. 

In doing so, students can learn more about the scientific discoveries that were made and how they relate to the world around us. 

You can create a list of scientists at the beginning of the school year and highlight one each month by showing students a picture of the scientist and explaining their scientific contribution to our world. 

Looking for print and go (or digital) materials to use in your classroom? 

Check it out here! 
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