Nature Studies { Lovely Leaves }
Leaves seem to be the focus of the season but I wanted to study them before they all began their beautiful show of colors. And then, of course, once again once they do! For the pure fact that it's easy to get lost in the colors. Leafs are such powerhouses, they deserve to be featured twice. : )
On our second go around, we will take a look at the structural power of the leaf, what it does for the tree, and why it falls to the ground once a year, only to grow anew come spring. This time, our studies focused more on using leafs as identifiers for the various trees growing in our yard and neighborhood.
It's surprising how little we know about the vegetation that surrounds us as we walk out of our own homes. So, I am on a mission to inform both myself and my little ones, one leaf and flower at a time.
We began the week with bags in hand, walking around the neighborhood collecting leaves. Then over the course of the week we used those leaves to learn, create, and just appreciate. Here's what we've been up too....
LEAF COLLECTING
This is such a simple act, but the kids absolutely love it and when something fuels their interest it can only lead to good things! Anyone can do this, no matter where you live. There must be trees around you somewhere, right?
Just give the kids something small to place their leaves in ( I used ziplock bags despite cringing at using plastic because I didn't want the leaves to blow away ). Then head out into your yard, or like we did, walk around the block as well. The goal here being to see how many different kinds of leaves you can collect.
When we got back to the house we sat on the porch and sorted through our finds, laying them out to count and examine.
This simple act laid the groundwork for the rest of the week.
TRACING CONTOURS
I found it tricky with two little ones to catch their attention long enough to actually use our field guide straight away to identify all the leaves. Wishful thinking on my part! And even when we did manage to identify something, there was no way to get the information to really stick.
So...I decided to do something I had done for fun last season...trace the leaves in a large notebook. This is a great activity because they can either help or do it themselves if they are old enough OR you can do it while they play. I did the latter. They colored and played blocks at the dining room table or the next few days while I traced leaves as moments allowed.
I numbered the leaves as I went along and then as time permitted I slowly began to identify them and wrote the names under each leaf. Each time I got a match I would excitedly show it to the kids. Sometimes they would enthusiastically share my excitement! While other time they were "too busy". But hey, either way, I was informing myself, so that was pretty cool.
What I did with my knew found knowledge that week was while we were out for walks, I would point out leaves on the actual trees and tell them the names of the tree. I would exclaim that we collected these earlier in the week and point out the unique features of the contours on that particular leaf. Funny enough, the leaf pictured on the cover here, is the Tulip Tree, and we were able to see that out and about in various locations three times.
LEAF PEOPLE CRAFT
These cute little leaf people were so much fun to make!
* Tip for these is to make sure to either press the leaves first OR press the picture as it dries under some books. Ours ended up curling as it dried because of the leaves still being so fresh.
For this activity place various sizes, colors, and types of leaves out on the table so the kids have a selection to choose from. Set out some paper and glue bottles or glue sticks, along with some magic markers. Create alongside the kids and they will get the idea.
For the one pictured above, I made the person but I asked their opinion on types of leaves and placement on each step. Then my son took the picture and drew the arms and legs. I finished it off with the eyes and there we have it!
MAKING LEAF MOBILES
This sweet leaf mobile is hanging in our kitchen window. The wires and clips are something that we already had, but you can make this happen with sticks, string, and clothespins as well! Or get creative and look up DIY mobiles. So many ways to hang them.
I love showcasing our collection and bringing a bit of Fall into the house. I truly believe that kids need to be immersed in a topic for it to soak in and for them to gain interest. Now, that doesn't mean overemphasizing, but rather incorporating it in subtle ways throughout the day. In this case, every time they pull their stools over to watch the squirrels or see dad pull in the drive, they also get to touch the leaves hanging right above their heads.
PLANTING SEEDS....
I love the potential encapsulated in weekly nature studies. Instead of feeling like I'm "teaching' or "informing", I like to think of it as planting seeds. These little "studies" may not always be focused and you may feel at times that your kids are not interested. But they are always listening and the information is getting in. When you least expect it, it will surface. Just like planting seeds, you sow the seeds, then wait and wait. But before long, something starts to grow...
