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Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re wanting fall crafts for middle school for a fall unit study you’ll love this project. And look on my page homeschool middle school for more tips.

It may not quite be fall but pumpkin season seems to already be in full swing.

The stores have already begun to release all their fabulous pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavored goodies.

And the craft stores have had their decor out since summer.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

So, it feels like a great time to begin working pumpkins into a fall unit study. 

This art project adds some fun decor for the house which also works in fine motor skills and practical living skills (learning to use a hot glue gun, hammer and nails).

This is a fantastic activity for middle schoolers to do completely on their own with a bit of instruction.

But this activity can also be done by kids in upper elementary with a little more help.

Too, I was able to get all the supplies from Dollar Tree making this project a grand total of $3.75.

And I barely put a dent in the yarn and have plenty of nails left.

If you have any of the items lying around already you can make yours cheaper or even free.

Pumpkin Unit Study Ideas

You can easily turn this into more than just an art project by giving your middle schooler a few other activities to do before or after completing their string pumpkin art.

  • Research the different varieties of pumpkin.
  • List 10 pumpkin facts.
  • Complete the journal prompt – One night while I was walking in the pumpkin patch . . .
  • Research a recipe for pumpkin pie and bake it.
  • Find out which state grows the most pumpkins.
  • Find out how Native Americans cooked pumpkin compared to the colonists.
  • Weigh, measure, and compare a variety of pumpkins.
  • Make a pumpkin catapult – large or small.
Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

I know those ideas will get you started and use the beautiful book Farm Anatomy as a science reference to learn about pumpkins.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Here is a beautiful page from Farm Anatomy to research the different varieties of squash.

Pumpkin Art Supplies

Next, look at the easy supplies you need to make this diy string pumpkin art.

  • ½” to ¾” nails
  • Orange yarn
  • Green yarn
  • Small piece of stick
  • Glue gun/sticks
  • Scrap board
  • Hammer

Again, some of these supplies you may already have.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Here is how you make your own pumpkin string art:

DIY Pumpkin String Art

First, choose whether to make your pumpkin art horizontal or vertical.

This depends on your piece of scrap wood.

Then lightly draw out the shape with a pencil.

This piece of wood was in the craft section at Dollar Tree and they have several sizes and shapes to choose from.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Once you are satisfied with the general shape of the pumpkin you can begin to place the nails.

You can either guesstimate the space as you go or make little dots that are roughly the same distance all the way around.

You know where you will start and end with the nails when you do it this way.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Tap the nails into place, knocking them in about halfway because you want them secure.

Continue all the way around until you have the outline of your pumpkin completed.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Knot one end of the orange yarn around one of the nails.

Then wrap it all the way around the outside of the nails to make an outline.

Your child can do this once or twice to create a thicker outline.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

This next part is fun and easy.

We are going to fill in the pumpkin.

So all you have to do is crisscross vertically and horizontally around the pumpkin until you have filled it in completely.

Each nail should allow for the yarn to wrap around at least 5-6 times.

Tie the end of the yarn around a nail and cut off the excess.

Press your yarn down so that it is against the wood to show your nail heads.

This adds more texture and contrast to your art piece.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Once your pumpkin is filled in you can add your details like the vine.

Wrap green yarn once around the top center nail head.

And then twist it around the top and sides of the pumpkin.

Secure it down at the loops with a bit of hot glue.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Hot glue a small piece of a stick/limb from the yard to the top to make the stem.

You could also use a wine cork piece or another small bit of scrap wood.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

To make a hanger, flip your piece over.

And hot glue a small length of yarn to either corner.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Make several of these to hang around the house for fall.

Also, this makes a great family night or co-op activity. Start with pumpkin and build your ideas out from there.

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

Look at some of these other fall unit study activities:

This was so fun to create. You’re ready to ring in the fall season.

I guarantee you and your kids are going to want to come up with more shapes to make for all the seasons and favorite themes.

Don’t forget to check at Dollar Tree. They carry a ton of yarn and wood pieces in the craft section now.

Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

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Your kids will love this glue and watercolor pumpkin to include in a pumpkin unit study. Too, you can add this activity to my huge fall unit study.

Besides loving unit studies, I love watercolor as a medium for art.

I put the two together to give you a start for your own pumpkin unit study. 

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Watercolor is forgiving. And whether child or adult, you don’t need to be an artist to make wonderful images to display.

If you are hesitant but want to give it a try, then, today’s tutorial is the place to start.

This fall watercolor painting goes great with a pumpkin unit study.

And besides the simple tutorial I have some great ideas for you to create your own study.

Pumpkin Art

This dramatic pumpkin watercolor painting is great on its own as a simple art project.

One easy way to create contrast and drama in a simple watercolor picture is to make the outlines black and raised.

We do this with school glue colored with black craft paint.

The other way to make the watercolor stand out is to cover the entire page and leave no white space.

We are doing both of these today.

First, to make your own pumpkin unit study, always start with a couple of books that draw in your kids.

The Anatomy Series by Julia Rothman is great for so many studies.

They are worth the investment

Here is a beautiful page from Farm Anatomy to research the different varieties of squash.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

They make for great art inspiration as well.

For younger children Pumpkin Jack is a great read aloud, but also teaches about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Hands-on Activities for a Pumpkin Unit Study

  • Make a pumpkin watercolor
  • Pumpkin Experiments
  • Taste pumpkin in different ways-fresh, canned, seeds, pie, muffins,etc..
  • Bake a pumpkin pie
  • Roast pumpkin seeds

  • Use pumpkin seeds as manipulatives for math.
  • Measure, weigh, and compare pumpkins.
  • Label the parts of a pumpkin-stem, ribs, pulp, tendrils
  • Visit a pumpkin patch and talk to the farmer.
  • Test the density of pumpkins and seeds

  • Draw the pumpkin life cycle
  • Write a poem about a pumpkin
  • Give pumpkin related journaling prompts
  • Make a list of questions for your child to research online or in books
  • Create a fall bucket list – great writing practice

In addition, have your child research about pumpkins. Look at these questions below.

Research Facts about Pumpkins

  • How many different things can be made from pumpkins?
  • What state produces the most pumpkins?
  • How long do pumpkins take to reach maturity?
  • What vitamins do pumpkins contain?

Finally, gather up all your items and enjoy your delicious pumpkin themed unit study.

Begin with this fun watercolor painting.

How to Do A Pumpkin Watercolor Painting

You will need:

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

You can create any pumpkin design you like- an entire patch, a side view of a large pumpkin, or a close up view of the top of a pumpkin.

Today, I’m giving you step by step directions for the top view.

Start by drawing your design in pencil until you like the general shape. 

I started with a stem.

Easy Fall Art

Then drew the ribs of the pumpkin starting from the stem and working my way out all the way to the edge of the page.

Keep the curve moving in the same direction all the way around.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Now we are going to create a dramatic black outline and give it some texture.

You want to start with a bottle of glue that is no more than ⅔ of the way full.

This is a great way to use up those partial bottles.

Add black paint and shake the glue and paint up. If need be use a craft stick to stir it a bit more.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Once it is mixed well trace the drawing you made in pencil with the black paint, allow it to dry completely.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Once the glue is dry, lightly spritz the tray of watercolors as well as the entire page with water.

This is a trick I learned that helps the color spread better easier and allows you to layer color. This will create some dimension.

Next, mix orange watercolor and a little brown, black, or red with it.

This will make it a little darker than the rest of the pumpkin.

Go along each of the ribs with this darker color to create shading.

Make sure you do it on the same side of the ribs all the way around so it looks like the light is coming from one direction.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Fill in the rest of your pumpkin with color, adding water as needed.

Once the painting is dry add some more watercolor with less water to deepen the color.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Dry the remaining of your painting and it’s ready to share.

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

What do you think? Are you read to get started on a fall themed unit study?

Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study

Other Fall Unit Study Resources

The BEST Resources for Teaching Art at Home (K to Gray)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re like me you love art, but teaching art at home can be intimidating. Also, look at my page free Art Units Curriculum Grades 1 – 8.

Finding a quick starting point, resources for all ages, and working it into your full homeschool schedule is frustrating. So, I rounded up some homeschool art resources and organized them here so you have a place to start while keeping it easy.

Some resources are free, others are worth their weight in gold when I’ve paid for them.

The BEST Resources for Teaching Art at Home (K to Gray)

All of them will making teaching art at home a delight like it should be.

Worth mentioning at this point too is that your definition of what is art influences your teaching.

Whether it’s art history or pencil drawing, I’ve rounded up a bit of everything to give you a palette (corny pun intended) to choose from.

Homeschool Art Curriculum and Lessons

Art History  Kids is one I’ve used and loved because it’s thorough.

Also, I loved the fact that in the older grades art history is included.

If you’re overwhelmed with teaching and want to cover art with attention to basics and to be able to count it as art for the high school years, you’ll love this easy to use curriculum. It has been worth every penny I spent.

From free lesson plans for each age group to ideas organized by art period, you’ll find something fun.

You’ll have no shortage of ideas to go with your unit studies or ideas to stand alone.

Because there is so much to navigate on this site, one important tip is to click on the age AND then look at the art period.

Art for All Ages Bundle

Chalk pastel art rocks and You Are an Artist by a homeschool mom makes it easy to get started. I love the fact that you don’t need but a handful of supplies to get started.

We loved the chalk pastel sticks and through the years expanded our art supplies. But chalk pastel art allows you to quickly jump into art with minimal supplies.

This is good if you’re looking for a fun and fuss free fix.

More Art at Home Curriculum and Lessons

Also, some kids have a perfectionist streak which can be crippling when you want them to focus on the process instead of the product.

What I’ve learned through the years in teaching art (from a believe me I’m not an art mom) is that our kids need to know that art is self-expression.

Art is not copy and paste, but we can use models to express our creativity.

Looking at art galleries helped my kids to understand that self-expression comes in many different forms.

I used real life objects for my kids to draw so they didn’t always compare to another drawing or painting.

Reminding my kids constantly that we use other art as a way to learn how many different ways people self-express gives a child room to accept his artwork.

  • Art for Kids Hub.From the site: “Art lessons for kids, including how to draw for kids, even painting and origami for kids.”
  • Artful Parent. Ideas and lessons for younger kids
  • Kinderart. Not just for kindergarten. Lessons from K to High School.
The Best Resources for Teaching Art at Home at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Next, another homeschool fave of mine is ARTistic Pursuits. It’s been around for a while and there is a reason for that. Some kids especially older kids just love to pick up a book and learn without watching a video.

ARTistic Pursuits helped my boys as they got older to learn about technique, art appreciation, and art history. They wanted background information to round out their study.

ARTistic Pursuits has books from PreK to 12. You’ll love my review here of ARTistic Pursuits, Middle School 6-8: Book One -The Elements of Art and Composition

YouTube Homeschool Art

Art is subjective and I’ve tried my best to screen through channels that are appropriate for all ages, but ultimately you need to decide which channels work for your family.

I simply want to give you lots to choose from for every age because we love the school of YouTube.

Also one more tip – pause the videos as you go along. There is no sense in frustrating kids if they want to take art at a slower pace.

Look at the variety of art YouTube channels below:

  • Mr. Otter Studio. From the site: “We provide free tutorials for people of all ages and all interests. From watercolor painting to cardboard sculpting, our tutorials are broken down into simple steps.”
  • LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems! Children’s author who gives drawing lessons.
  • Alphonso Dunn. Helping you develop and refine your drawing, pen and ink, and watercolor painting skills and techniques.
  • Emmy Kalia. Pencil drawings and watercolor paintings.
  • The Art Sherpa. Easy acrylic step by step painting tutorials for. beginning artists.
  • Bob Ross. Learn how to paint for older kids.

Homeschool Art History

If you love unit studies, history, and rabbit trails like I do, you’ll want to take a look at Art History For Kids.

It’s great for the non-artsy parents who wants art projects which tie into other subjects like math and science.

You’ll want to look at The Studio Art History which is a monthly membership that introduces you and your kids to a new (super fun and engaging) art history topic each month.

Want your unit studies planned? You’ll love this. The art projects are designed with 5-12 year old kids in mind, but they’re flexible to adjust up and down.

Art Games

We love the whole Professor Noggin series and the History of Art is no exception.

You’ll love the fun and printable art games at Artsology. From a Paris Street Art game, The Salvador Dali Surrealist Exile Game, and Andy Warhol Word Find to a Tjapanangka Desert Game, you’ll find something fun.

Learn about 30 of the world’s most famous paintings with these Famous Paintings Cards.

Homeschool Art Field Trips

  • Take your teens on an architecture walk.
  • An aquarium is a great place for ideas to spark art.
  • Another time when we lived in South America, we took our sketch pads to watch the street performers and musicians downtown. Look for opportunities to watch for street performers.

The Museum of Modern Art YouTube. From the site: Our goal is to introduce you to as many artists and artworks of our time as possible.

  • We lived near a very old courthouse and tons of historic buildings which are great to ignite an idea or two.
  • Of course nature has been one of our best art teachers.

Art Coloring Pages, Images, & Tools

Art Books, Reference, & Journals

Then of course there are lot of great art books, but a few make teaching art a bit easier.

This next book is a keeper too. It’s Vincent’s Starry Night and Other Stories: A Children’s History of Art. A great way to introduce art through stories. It starts with the earliest of times and goes through current times.

A Child’s Introduction to Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings and Sculptures is for kids ages 9 to 12 and another great book to introduce the most famous painters, styles, and periods.

Complete Book of Art Ideas. Lots of art ideas and how to keep art supplies too.

Journal Sparks: Fire Up Your Creativity with Spontaneous Art, Wild Writing, and Inventive Thinking.

Drawing With Children: A Creative Method for Adult Beginners, Too is an easy-to-follow, lesson-by-lesson approach for drawing for children of all ages and beginning adults. 

Here is a really fun spin on learning art. ” This one-of-a-kind book, Art Fraud Detective, combines a mystery story, fun spot-the-difference puzzles, and a fantastic introduction to some of the world’s greatest art.”

Homeschool Much-Loved Art Supplies

Because art is about creativity, expression, and experimenting you want to have a good variety of materials to feed your children’s creativity.

As a matter of fact you don’t really have to spend a lot of money. I just purchased inexpensive ones to see what my kids liked best, but don’t do that for a long time.

Kids know good quality and if you buy something high quality it makes a difference in how artwork turns out. So if you have a budding artist be sure he or she has some great quality tools. Start with inexpensive materials, but add higher quality tools as the budget allows.

Look at the list below to get you started!

  • sidewalk chalk
  • popsicle sticks
  • glue dots
  • inexpensive construction paper
  • paper plates for mixing palettes
  • oil pastels
  • paint brushes
  • tempera paint
  • toilet paper tubes (empty of course)
  • coffee filters
  • soft pastels
  • scissors
  • colored art tissue
  • stencils
  • colored pencils

My only regret in teaching art through my 20 years of homeschooling is not doing more of it! I know this list will give you an easy starting point. If you see a link you want added, give me a shout.

The Best Resources for Teaching Art at Home (K to Gray) at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. You'll love this AWESOME roundup of YouTube art lessons, curriculum, and games. CLICK HERE!

If you need more resources or ultimate lists, you’ll love my other topics:

Hugs and love ya,

Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love this fun mixed media flower art project.

Every spring, my youngest son and I go to the local nursery and pick out a few, inexpensive, flowering plants. He brings them home and plants them in “his pot.”

It’s a springtime routine we have enjoyed together since he was a toddler.

He likes to get his hands in the dirt. I love the look of flowers on my patio. It’s a win-win.

Picking out a few inexpensive flowering plants, adding in some gardening activities and art, and you’ll have a fun hands-on mixed media flower art fun nature study! Check out how easy it is to do this fun hands-on nature activity!

This year, I decided to take this gardening activity and use to it to fuel a quick nature study as well.

Hands-On Mixed Media Spring Nature Study

What you’ll need for this activity:

  • Flowering plants (either purchased or in your own yard)
  • Something to draw and color with (we used chalk pastels because they are very forgiving, but color pencils, crayons and even markers will work too)
  • A large piece of white construction paper (make sure it’s pretty heavy)
  • Clear glue

Nature Study At Home

The day after my son planted his special spring pot, we completed a basic geology lesson about soil.

I began by asking him what components he thought made up soil. He was easily able to answer broken down pieces of rock, but we decided to do  some more research.

Soil is defined by Dictionary.com as the loose top layer of the Earth’s surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter (humus), and capable of retaining water, providing nutrients for plants, and supporting a wide range of biotic communities.

We learned that different soils exist in different locations around the globe, based on their environment and weather. This came as a bit of surprise to my son, so we spent some time discussing a the clay soil we saw on our last family trip, verses the rocky silt that exists in our backyard.

Then, we decided it was time to move on to the fun, hands-on part of our learning.

Mixed Media Nature Study

In the past, we have collected items from the beach and from our hikes in the forest, and then used them to create mixed media art as a record of our experience.

Instead of using shells or pine needles, for this activity, we used the soil, leaves and flower petals available in our own flower pot.

Spring Mixed Media Nature Study

He started by drawing his potted flowers with chalk pastels. (Because he dislikes the feeling of chalk on his fingers, he always wears latex gloves, but it works.)

Spring Mixed Media Art Project

After blurring the chalk lines, we then took some of the leaves and flower petals from our plants (only a few to keep the pot looking pretty!).

You’ll love these nature living books curriculum!

Our Journey Westward
Mixed Media Nature Art

We then glued the leaves and petals to the picture in various locations.

More Ways to Learn about Nature in Your Homeschool

After allowing the glue to dry, he grabbed a handful of our soil and we observed the various bits of rocks and sticks that blended together to create our top layer.

Easy Mixed Media Spring Art

We then spread glue around the bottom of the picture and rubbed the soil into it to create an additional area of interest in his art.

Mixed Media Spring Nature Study

That’s it! The result was a beautiful representation of our hands-on, spring time activity.

Making a Spring Mixed Media Project

I really love this idea for anyone not able to get out into more obvious natural environments like a hike through the woods or a tide pool at the beach.

Nature study can happen anywhere, with the help of a few pants, some soil and an interested learner!

Picking out a few inexpensive flowering plants, adding in some gardening activities and art, and you’ll have a fun hands-on mixed media flower art fun nature study! Check out how easy it is to do this fun hands-on nature activity!

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.

Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

For years now, we have completed “continent studies” and hands-on geography as a way to learn more about our world and it’s geography as we homeschool. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

The truth is: it was so much easier to do this when they were younger. I selected books from the library, we looked at the pictures of different dwellings and foods, and we colored in maps.

But my boys are older now. The same approach no longer keeps anyone interested for very long (including me!).

In order to keep them engaged and increasing in their overall level of knowledge, I decided it was time for a change.

This year, my boys are each “in charge” of their own continent for a more in depth study. Each month, they pick a topic to cover from their continent and “teach” each other about it.

My youngest chose Australia for his study this year without a second thought.

For his first presentation, he asked me to help him put together a presentation on Australia’s deadly creatures, because animals and danger – I am not sure I need to say more.

See how we used this hands-on Australia unit to study the continent’s awesome and deadly animals!

Hands-On Australia: Awesome and Deadly Animals

You see, I remember being in middle school. I remember preparing presentations to deliver in front of the class.

I remember listening to my friends. As much stress as it caused, I have to admit, I really learned from “teaching back” activities. I want my boys, despite being in a “classroom” of two, to experience the same.

And that’s why this hands-on activity was such a good way for us to learn about geography together!

What You Need:

My son began his research at the library, checking out various books on Australia in general, and a few on the animals themselves. For further investigation, we also watched a YouTube video and looked at various pictures of aboriginal art online.

More Hands-on Australia Activities

Then it was time to get started.

Hands-On Australia Activity

Cutting Out Australian Animal Templates

Our first step was cutting out the templates. We then used them to trace animal outlines onto black construction paper.Then we cut out the traced forms of the jellyfish, shark and snake.

Deadly Australian Animal Templates

(Incidentally, if I could do it all over again, I would eliminate the tracing portion and just have my son use the templates to paint. Cutting each animal out twice was far more scissor action than either of us have seen in a long time.)Next, he glued the black deadly creatures onto brown construction paper backdrops.

Decorating Australian Animals with Paint
Making an Australian Animal Display Board

This color scheme is consistent with what we learned about aboriginal art.Taking the q-tips and the paint with us outside, he carefully “dot painted” each of the black forms, true to aboriginal tradition. The Q-tips make perfect paint brushes and are easy to clean up!

Q Tip Painted Australian Snake

The more my son painted, the more excited he became.

Q-tip dot painting is really easy, even for children with fine motor differences or those who get a little perfectionistic with their art projects.

It looks wonderful, even if the artist struggles a bit with steadiness.

Australian Deadly Animals List

When all three had dried, he attached them to the poster board.

Giving a Report about Deadly Australian Animals

At the last minute, he also decided to add a “cheat sheet” with facts he wanted to share about the different animals (printable) as well as a list of Australia’s Top 10 Deadliest as learned from the video and books.Once his presentation was assembled, his brother and I sat down and he taught us more about Australia’s Box Jellyfish than we ever thought possible!

He did a great job and I had a lot of fun working with him on this project.

If you love hands-on geography, your kids will love some of my favorite hands-on geography programs:

Overview of Activity:

Step 1: Trace and cut-out deadly creatures on black construction paper.
Step 2: Attach to brown construction paper background.
Step 3: “Dot paint” black areas with various colors.
Step 4: Create list and fact sheet about Australia’s deadly creatures.
Step 5: Attach all to posterboard and teach what you’ve learned.

Learning about continents is a way to learn more about our world and its geography as we homeschool. This Australia awesome and deadly animal art activity is not only fun but it gives kids a chance to learn about science too. Click here to do this fun activity if you’re doing a unit study about Australia.

Overall, this hands-on activity worked well for us. It incorporated in a different culture’s art and allowed my son to really dive deep into a subject he is already incredibly passionate about. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Learn more about the countries of the world with the hands-on geography activities below!

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.