Colours of Autumn

Autumn is beautiful!

by Gill Hartley (revised, originally published in 2000)

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To reflect upon the colours of autumn and give thanks for the beauty of the natural world.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a collection of autumn leaves of various colours.
  
  
• You will also need some sheets of yellow, red, brown, orange, blue, purple and green paper. Alternatively, use these colours on screen. Examples are available at: https://tinyurl.com/yd8crlt5
  
  
• Have available some images of bright autumn scenery and the means to display them during the assembly. Examples could include:
  
  - a lake surrounded by trees in autumn, available at: https://tinyurl.com/ycd8wqwo
  - fallen leaves, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y7u965us
  - a bridge over water reflecting autumnal colours, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y8yc84qo
  - bright autumn colours around a lake, available at: https://tinyurl.com/ydhvckj3

Assembly

1. Ask the children to name what season it is. Ask them to describe the changes that take place in autumn.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   
2. Show the collection of autumn leaves.
   
   Invite the children to look at the leaves and describe the colours that they can see. The list of colours will include yellow, red, brown and orange. Explain that these colours are often associated with autumn.
   
   Invite four volunteers to hold up the yellow, red, brown and orange sheets of paper or display them on the screen.
   
   
3. Ask the children to think of other autumnal things that display these colours in some way.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   Suggestions could include:
   
   - yellow: sunshine
   - red: apples and rosehips
   - brown: conkers and ploughed fields
   - orange: pumpkins and the sun
   
   
4. Ask the children if they can think of other colours that are associated with autumn.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   Suggestions could include:
   
   - blue: sky
   - purple: plums and blackberries
   - green: what stays green in autumn?
   
   Invite some volunteers to hold up the appropriate coloured sheets of paper or display them on the screen as they are mentioned.
   
   Express what an amazing mixture of colours there are in the world!
   
   
5. Show the images of bright autumn scenery.
   
   Ask the children to spot the colours or just enjoy the stunning variety of colours that there are in the world.

Time for reflection

You may wish to use the different sheets of coloured paper to form the basis of a responsive prayer.

For example, ask the child who is holding the red sheet to step forward and say, ‘For the beautiful red leaves, the red apples and the berries, we thank you.’
Then, ask the child who is holding the brown sheet to step forward and say, ‘For the conkers and the ploughed soil, we thank you,’ and so on.

Alternatively, ask the children to look at the images of bright autumn scenery and take a moment to think about the beautiful places that they have visited and the wonderful variety in the world.

Prayer
Dear God,
For the beautiful world all around us, for its many wonders and all its colours, we give thanks.
Help us to care about all the wonderful things around us and take the time to enjoy them.
Help us to preserve and protect all that is in the world so that everyone can enjoy it.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Autumn days’ (Come and Praise, 4). A version of this song (2.13 minutes long) is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9mvrkQbzgc