Fun Ways to Celebrate Fall in the Middle School Classroom

When you think of celebrating the fall season during the school year, two things tend to come to mind: Back to School and Halloween. But what are other ways you can celebrate and acknowledge fall in the classroom without referring to those themes?

One way is by using a Fall Digital Escape Room, but let’s discuss other lesser-known ways you can celebrate fall in your middle school classroom.

Why celebrate fall?

Fall is the time of year when the earth’s natural beauty comes into play. Of course, the earth is beautiful all year round, but if you live in a place where the leaves change colour and the trees explode with red, orange, and yellow leaves, you will understand that fall has a special sort of beauty.

Fall is also very important because it is the harvest time for many farmers, when crops are in abundance and ingredients change from light summer flavours to traditional fall foods. For sports lovers, sports and outdoor activities change from warmer month activities to those for the cooler months, such as hockey or football.

Students will probably also have noticed that many animals begin their migration, such as the Canada goose, which heads south for the winter, or the Pacific salmon, which migrates from the ocean to the rivers and streams of British Columbia, the Yukon, and Atlantic provinces to spawn.

Fun Ways to Celebrate Fall in the Middle School Classroom

There are many things you can do with your classroom to celebrate and acknowledge the fall season without having to break out your Halloween gear.

Fall Digital Escape Room

Fall is synonymous with such things as pumpkins, harvest, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, and more. This fall-themed digital escape room is a must-have if you’re looking for something that is both fun and interactive for your middle school students to do in the fall.

This digital escape room will have students working independently or with their peers to solve ten fall-related challenges, all of which they need to solve in order to “escape” from the gym storage room they’ve accidentally locked themselves into.

If you’re unfamiliar with using digital escape rooms, you can check out any of the posts listed below for reasons why you should be using them in your classroom, as well as tips, tricks, and technological help if needed:

Students love using digital escape rooms because it gives them a chance to interact with their peers and use technology in class. Plus, they require very little prep from the teacher, so they are great to grab and go.

Digital escape rooms help build community with cooperative learning and engage students in social-emotional learning for 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. This digital escape room should take your students about 30 minutes to 60 minutes to complete from start to finish. You can find the Fall Digital Escape Room on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

What Teachers Have Said About This Fall Digital Escape Room:

“These digital escape rooms are some of the best – kids stay engaged for the majority of the period and everyone is comfortable and able to contribute.” – Margaret M.
“An absolutely excellent resource. Your escape rooms are awesome. They are challenging for the students which I love. Thank you for creating amazing material. Highly recommend all your units.” – Shelley W.

Fall Creative Writing Assignment

In this Fall Creative Writing Assignment, students will select one of the provided character roles – coffee shop employee, garden rake, tree, family pet, or squirrel – and create a written or visual product based on the character’s specific writing prompt. This no-prep creative writing assignment excites and engages students. You can find the Fall Creative Writing Assignment on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Halloween Unit

This Halloween Unit is packed with 5 exciting and engaging lesson activities that will ignite your students’ love for reading and writing while exploring fascinating Halloween traditions and the economics behind this day. It comes with comprehensive lesson plans, ensuring every step of the way is carefully planned out to maximize student engagement. You can find the Halloween Unit on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Remembrance Day Unit

Remembrance Day, although not a time about fall, takes place during the fall season. It is important our students take the time to learn about this important time of year. Help your students develop a deeper connection to Remembrance Day in this two-week middle school Remembrance Day Unit. Teachers are provided with 10 in-depth, engaging, and relevant multimedia lessons to help their students explore and understand key concepts related to Remembrance Day. You can find the Remembrance Day Unit on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Use these resources to celebrate fall in your classroom.

Learn About Harvest Festivals and Lesser-Known Fall Holidays

Students might not know that Halloween and Thanksgiving aren’t the only holidays that occur in the fall months.

Oktoberfest is a festival in Germany that begins in late September and runs into early October. While many people might associate the holiday strictly with non-school-friendly drinks, celebrations often feature carnival rides, parades, and activities that highlight German culture and traditions. Oktoberfest is renowned for its lively atmosphere, traditional music, and folk dances.

Diwali is a major Hindu festival known as the Festival of Lights, and it is celebrated in the fall. It signifies the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The celebration is characterized by vibrant decorations, the lighting of the diyas (oil lamps), fireworks, exchanging gifts, and enjoying festive food.

You can learn more about Diwali in this blog post, and you can find the Diwali Non-Fiction Article on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Celebrate fall by learning about the ways people come together, celebrate traditions, and connect with their cultural or religious heritage is a great topic for students in middle school. These celebrations provide a sense of belonging and create memorable experiences through their distinct customs, rituals, and festivities. You can learn more about various holiday celebrations with your class with this Article of the Week Articles Celebrations and Holidays Bundle – find it on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

The Autumnal Equinox, Fall Astronomy, and Environmental Awareness

The autumnal equinox, which marks the beginning of fall, has significance in many cultures. Some consider it a time of balance and reflection, while others view it as a period of spiritual significance and renewal. Explore the different themes of the autumnal equinox with your students and see what facts they can find about it.

Fall is also a time when astronomical phenomena or events occur, such as meteor showers, specific constellations (such as Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, or Perseus), or celestial events. Celebrate fall by finding books about the constellations and tips on stargazing or engaging with the night sky during the season. Students are sure to be fascinated by the exploration of the night sky.

You can also shed light on environmental issues specific to the fall season, such as changes in biodiversity, conservation efforts, or sustainable practices during harvest time. Look into the sustainable practices the farms in your area follow and brainstorm tips and ideas with your students on how they can make a positive impact during the fall season.

Students can also celebrate fall by exploring topics like photosynthesis, weather patterns, animal migration, or the physics of falling leaves.

Arts & Crafts and Fall Photography

All students love arts and crafts, and fall is a great time to inspire creativity through fall-themed projects. Students can celebrate fall by doing leaf art, nature-inspired collages, or making fall-themed decorations. Have students do leaf rubbing or shadow painting, or have them put together stations where they can teach other students different fall-themed art.

You can also encourage students to work on their photography skills by capturing the beauty of fall. If you have access to cameras or any digital way to take photos, you can celebrate fall by organizing a fall-themed photography contest or researching tips on composition and capturing the beauty of the season. Students could then put all of their fall artwork together and have a fall art walk or showcase.

There are so many ways you can acknowledge and celebrate fall in the middle school classroom, and we hope you took away some ideas from this post.

Make sure you check out and get your copy of the Fall Digital Escape Room to use with your students, and let them kick off their fall exploration with some fun peer interaction and fall challenges. Let’s use these fun ways to celebrate fall in our middle school classrooms.