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Early Childhood Education Newsletter: Leaves

 

An Autumn Rhyme
 

Let them flutter,
Each one falls down
Afloat in orange, red, and brown.
View them all, so wild and free,
Each one tumbling from its tree.
So we’ll grab our rakes… You see???

Whether they’re piled up to your knees or lightly sprinkled on lawns and fields, leaves are a subject of fascination for young children. Use them in a science or math lesson; have fun with them in a classroom art project. We’ve gathered a “pile” of activities for you to try.

Early Childhood Education Newsletter, October 27, 2005

  
ACTIVITY IDEAS
 

LOOK AT LEAVES
Gather a variety of leaves and show them to children.
--- Ask children what is the same and different about the leaves.
--- Let children study leaves through a magnifying glass. Point out the leaves’ veins, colors, and how the leaves’ size changes when viewed through a magnifying glass.
--- Using same-sized pieces of string, let children measure the length and width of leaves.
--- Invite children to draw pictures of their leaves.

FOLLOW A CYCLE
Cut out separate pictures of a tree during each season of the year and paper strips -- each one with a word written on it: spring, summer, fall, winter. Let children practice arranging the pictures in order (start with any season) and then placing the correct label above each tree.
Resources:
An Apple Tree Through the Seasons of the Year
One Tree Through the Seasons

LARGER OR SMALLER?
Mount separate leaves in various sizes onto index cards. Invite children to place the leaves in order from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. Children can also sort leaves by color, shape, or size.

MATCH IT
Cut out leaf shapes from one color of construction paper. (Cut half as many shapes as you have children. Example: If you have 20 children cut 10 leaf shapes.) Next, cut each leaf shape in half using a puzzle-type cut. On ten leaf halves write a number from 1 to 10. On the other 10 halves draw dots numbering from 1 to 10. Distribute all leaf halves to children and invite them to find their matching halves.

SING IT
(Sing to tune of Frere Jacques)
Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling,
‘Round my town,
Red and brown.
See them hit the sidewalk,
Hear them as they plop, drop
On the street,
On the street.

M-MMMMM!
With children, roll out packaged sugar cookie dough. Let children use leaf-shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough. Follow package instructions for baking. Then let children frost the cookies with yellow, orange, red, or brown frosting.

LEAFY MOBILES
Cut a one-inch strip of cardboard for each child. Help children tape the ends of the strip together to form a circle. Punch six holes in each strip. Next invite children to collect six colorful leaves. Use a slightly warm iron to press children’s leaves between pieces of wax paper. Punch a hole in the wax paper and tie each with a different length of onto a hole in the circular strip.
   

ON THE WEB
 

Check out the following Web sites for more background and activities.
 

The Great Plant Escape
Get some good basic science info on leaves.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case1/c1facts2c.html

Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
Here’s photosynthesis -- simply put.
http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/colorchange.html

How Plants Prepare for Winter
Try this very simple experiment to see how light affects the color of leaves.
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html#PROJECTS

Leaf Terms
Choose some basic leaf shapes and positions to show children.
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/temp/lftypes2.htm

Pressed Leaves Placemat
Let children help make a placemat to take home.
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/placemat5.html

 

 

 

 

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