LEAVE IT TO LEAFS!

Leaf Hunt - Give each child a lunch sack and let them collect 2 or 3 leaves from the ground. Bring these back in the classroom and sort by shape, color, etc.  You could also graph the leaves by shape.  (Whenever you collect items outside emphasize the importance of taking things from the ground.  Return the objects to where you found them after exploring with them in the classroom.)

Research – Check out a leaf identification book from the library.  Can children match up their leaves with those in the book to identify which tree they came from.

Leaf Rubbings - Lay a sheet of paper on top of a leaf. Remove the paper from an old crayon and rub the side over the leaf to make a print.Hint! Use rubber cement to glue the leaf to the table. It will be easier for the children to make a rubbing, and you can just rub off the rubber cement after the activity.

Leaf Book - Let each child find a "favorite" leaf. To preserve, place the leaf in a sheet of newspaper and put a book on top. Place the leaf in a zip baggie. Encourage children to dictate or write a sentence about their leaf. Put the baggies together to make a class book.

I Wonder Why? - Brainstorm why leaves turn colors and fall off trees in the fall. Have children go home and do a little research with their parents and report results in class the following day.