We’ve been studying leaves over the past couple of weeks! In the Portland area we have an area called Hoyt Arboretum that hosts trails filled with marked trees and an abundance of fallen leaves in autumn. We had so much fun discovering and touching leaves that we have been learning about!
Leaf Man
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One of my favorite fall books to read to my students every year was Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert. This is a beautiful and creatively illustrated book about “leaf man” who goes where the wind blows him. I highly recommend adding this book to your seasonal collection! Over the course of the book “leaf man” changes into a variety of creatures and things, ending with a statement: “Maybe you’ll find a Leaf Man waiting to go home with you.” This is a fantastic transition into creating a leaf creature!
My boys loved this project, and are begging to do it again. We found and dried our own leaves in a heavy book for a couple of weeks, but a leaf creature can be made from leaves you’ve recently collected outside or from artificial leaves as well. We chose leaves and laid out our creatures on construction paper, gluing them down with white glue.
Chalk Pastel Leaves
Another fun project to do is rub chalk pastels over paper leaves. I drew/traced some leaf shapes onto construction paper and encouraged my kids to find fall colors in the box of pastels. Taking a paper towel or cloth, we rubbed over the top of the leaves to let the colors blend and mix together. Kids love this because they don’t need to stay in the lines or fill in all the white space. Then cut them out and display!
Kristen's Korner 