🍁 Week 1: Welcome to the Fall Forest!

Theme: Orientation to Nature
Skills: Social skills, sensory awareness, body awareness

• Activity: Nature scavenger hunt (find acorns, leaves, rocks).

• Creative: Leaf rubbing art.

• Reflection: Discuss the first fall impressions.

🦊 Week 2: Animal Movements & Fall Prep

Theme: Animal Behavior (Preparation for Winter)
Skills: Gross motor, cooperation

• Activity: “Move like animals” (bear crawl, squirrel hop, owl wings).

• Creative: Build animal shelters with sticks and leaves.

• Reflection: Share favorite animal moves.

🍂 Week 3: Sensory Fun in the Fall

Theme: Exploring Textures
Skills: Tactile processing, emotional regulation

• Activity: Fall sensory trail (leaves, rocks, mud).

• Creative: Nature potion-making (mix leaves, mud, water).

• Reflection: Discuss favorite textures.

🏗 Week 4: Fall Builders

Theme: Teamwork & Structure Building
Skills: Executive functioning, planning, spatial awareness

• Activity: Build shelters or structures using natural materials.

• Creative: Design and build with sticks and pinecones.

• Reflection: Discuss what worked well in the building process.

🧡 Week 5: Gratitude in Nature

Theme: Mindfulness & Emotional Awareness
Skills: Self-regulation, gratitude, interoception

• Activity: Nature gratitude walk (stop to say thanks).

• Creative: Make a “Thankful Tree” with leaves.

• Reflection: Share one thing you’re grateful for in nature.

🍃 Week 6: Art in the Fall

Theme: Nature as a Creative Medium
Skills: Fine motor, self-expression

• Activity: Make leaf mandalas or prints.

• Creative: Stick weaving or nature collage.

• Reflection: Share creations with the group.

🏞 Week 7: Fall Adventures & Bravery

Theme: Risk-Taking & Confidence
Skills: Motor planning, resilience

• Activity: Fall obstacle course (balance on logs, jump into leaves).

• Creative: Make a “Bravery Badge” to celebrate overcoming a challenge.

• Reflection: Talk about a moment they felt brave.

🎉 Week 8: Fall Celebration & Reflection

Theme: Closure & Reflection
Skills: Social connection, closure

• Activity: Memory walk and revisit favorite spots.

• Creative: Create a nature keepsake or memory book.

• Reflection: Share one favorite moment from the series.

Sample Schedule:

🌿 Week 1: Forest Explorers – Sensory Adventure

Theme: Engage the senses and build awareness through nature-based sensory exploration.
Location: Forested area, wooded trail, open grass area, shallow creek (less than shin deep)

Schedule:

• Welcome Circle (10 min): Introduction, group name game, nature safety reminders

• Sensory Scavenger Hunt (25 min): "Find something soft, something that smells good, something rough..."
  Focus: Sensory processing, attention, regulation

• Nature Art Station (30 min): Create textured nature collages with leaves, bark, moss, etc.
  Focus: Fine motor coordination, tactile exploration, creativity

• Movement Break – Animal Obstacle Course (20 min): Hop like a frog, slither like a snake, balance like a squirrel
  Focus: Gross motor coordination, vestibular input, motor planning

• Mindful Moment & Story (15 min): Sit spot and story time with deep breathing
  Focus: Self-regulation, emotional awareness

• Free Nature Play & Social Coaching (20 min): Child-led play with therapist facilitation
  Focus: Social interaction, confidence, negotiation skills

🌿 Week 2: Builders & Creators – Nature Engineering

Theme: Collaboration, problem-solving, and fine motor development through building challenges
Location: Meadow or open wooded area with natural materials

Schedule:

• Welcome Circle (10 min): Review group rules, set intention (“Let’s build together!”)

• Stick Fort Challenge (40 min): In small groups, build a fort using sticks, leaves, and logs
  Goals: Teamwork, planning, strength, spatial awareness

• Tool Time Station (20 min): Use safe tools (child-sized hammers, peelers, hole punches) to work with wood
  Goals: Fine motor, coordination, safety awareness

• Snack & Story (15 min): Sit in the fort or under a tree and listen to a story
  Goals: Recharging, receptive listening

• Balance Trail & Movement Game (20 min): Create and navigate a trail with logs, rocks, rope
  Goals: Proprioception, balance, motor planning

• Reflection Circle (15 min): “What did we build today? What was hard? What was fun?”

🌿 Day 3: Wild Water & Mud Day – Sensory Exploration & Regulation

Theme: Messy play to support sensory integration and emotional regulation
Location: Near a stream, pond, or mud-friendly zone

Schedule:

• Welcome Circle (10 min): Grounding game, water safety talk

• Mud Kitchen Station (30 min): Make “mud pies,” “soups,” and natural potions
  Goals: Imaginative play, tactile processing, fine motor

• Water Relay (20 min): Use cups and natural tools to move water between stations
  Goals: Bilateral coordination, focus, sequencing

• Nature Weaving (30 min): Use sticks and string to weave leaves, grasses, feathers
  Goals: Fine motor skills, attention, visual-motor integration

• Group Game: “Otter Tag” (15 min): One otter chases others, using safe, playful rules
  Goals: Peer interaction, self-regulation, gross motor

• Mindful Cleanup & Closing Circle (15 min): Wash hands in stream, gratitude reflection

🌿 Day 4: Nature Heroes – Confidence & Leadership

Theme: Celebrate growth, encourage leadership, and practice learned skills
Location: Familiar outdoor setting (forest/meadow combo)

Schedule:

• Welcome Circle (10 min): "Today, you’re the guides!" Set intention for leadership

• Nature Quest (40 min): Children lead small groups through stations (obstacle course, art, scavenger hunt)
  Goals: Executive function, leadership, recall of prior skills

• Group Creation: “Our Forest Flag” (30 min): Each child adds a symbol or drawing using nature paint/dyes
  Goals: Expression, teamwork, pride

• Celebration Picnic & Story (20 min): Parent-friendly optional viewing time
  Goals: Closure, shared joy, language/social interaction

• Closing Circle & Nature Hero Certificates (20 min): Each child gets a certificate for a unique strength observed
  Goals: Positive reinforcement, confidence, connection