The leaves turn beautiful colors in the fall. It is fun to take a walk to collect different types and colors of leaves. This is just one fun project to do with the leaves that are collected. A great activity for the classroom or as a family activity.

Materials needed:

Paper bags – one for each child
Colored construction paper
Pencils
Scissors
Yard
Tree branches, about 12’ long and 2” thick – one for each child
If no tree branches are available – provide one clothing hanger per child
Hole punch – optional

What to do:

• Give each child their own collection bag
• Head out on an outdoors walk
• Assign the children to collect the leaves that they feel are beautiful – different types of leaves, different colors, different shaped leaves, etc.
• When they return from the walk show them how to hold a leave down on construction paper to trace around the shape of the leaf
• Cut around the shape and punch a hole in the top (stem end)
• Glue the actual leave to the construction paper shape
• Trace and cut out at least 5-6 different leaves and prepare them to be hung on the mobile
• Give each child five or six pieces of yard in varying lengths (from 6” to 15” in length)
• Let them tie their leaves onto the branch (if they don’t have a branch you can have them tie them on to the bottom of the clothes hanger)
• Cut a 24” piece of yard for each child and help them tie one end of the yard to both ends of the branch.
• They can now hang their mobile from a door knob or suspended from the ceiling.

It is fun to see the leaves move around with drafts or air vents causing slight breezes inside the room.


Books for children about leaves:
Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins
How Do I Know It’s Fall by Allan Fowler
Leaves by Kristin Ward
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Let's Read-And-Find-Out Science (Paperback)) by Betsy Maestro (1999-10-06)

Enjoy fall and the leaves!