Fall Leaves

Book Ideas:

Look what I did with a leaf by Sohi

This unusual look at the natural world explains how to create fanciful animals from leaves.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

"When Leaf Man disappears in the wind one day, readers follow his trail 'past the chickens, toward the marsh, over the ducks and geese,' which are all amazingly configured from leaf collages too."

Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson
"One cool day Mouse and Minka venture out to play. From leaves of all colors -- red, yellow, orange, and brown -- to leaves of all shapes and sizes -- from pointy to round -- Mouse learns that fall is a season full of fun!"

Ruby’s Falling Leaves- Penguin Young Reader’s Group
"Ruby is trying to collect different types of leaves but all her little brother, Max, wants to do is jump in them."

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
"As summer ends, Fletcher, a young fox, begins to worry that his favorite tree is sick. Leaves turn brown and fall. Fletcher tries to catch and reattach them but is distressed as he is unable to save any. He takes the last leaf to bed with him, sad that his tree is left all on its own. The next morning, however, he discovers the tree covered with shining icicles, 'more beautiful than ever' ."

Leaves by David Ezra Stein
"It's a young bear's first autumn, and the falling leaves surprise and thrill him. At first he tries to put the leaves back on, but by spring he's learned about the tree's wondrous cycle."

Songs and Ryhmes:

The Leaves are falling Down (to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell")

The leaves are falling down

The leaves are falling down

School is here and fall in near

The leaves are falling down.
The leaves are falling down

The leaves are falling down

Some are red and some are brown

The leaves are falling down.
The leaves are falling down

The leaves are falling down

They tickle your nose and touch your toes

The leaves are falling down.

The Leaves of the Trees(to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus")

The leaves of the trees turn orange and red

orange and red, orange and red

The leaves of the trees turn orange and red

All through the town.
The leaves of the trees come tumbling down

tumbling down, tumbling down

The leaves of the trees come tumbling down

All through the town.
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish,

The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish

All through the town.

Falling Leaves

All the leaves are falling down (flutter fingers downward)

Orange, green, red, and brown. (flutter fingers)

If you listen, you'll hear them say, (cup hands around ears)

"Wintertime is on it's way." (whispering)

Project Ideas:

#1: Thumb Print Leaves

Materials Needed:
-Brown paper for tree limb cut-out
-1 light colored piece of construction paper
-Red and Yellow Paint
-Scissors
-Glue
-paper plate
Cut out a simple tree trunk and tree limbs on the brown paper. Have your child glue it towards the bottom, middle of their blank paper. Squirt some red and yellow paint on the paper plate and then have your child mix a little of each together to make orange. Have your child dip their thumb into the paint and then press it onto their paper to make different colored “leaves” all over their tree.

My two year old had more fun swirling around the paint on her paper plate than actually making her picture. That is okay too. Remember it is about them exploring with their senses and being creative.

#2:Animal Leaf Collage

Collect a variety of fall leaves of different shapes, color, and sizes (This activity works better if you press the leaves flat with a heavy book for a day or two before doing this activity). If you don't live in a place that has all four seasons than cut out leaves from paper in various shapes and sizes and colors. Read and look through the books: "Leaf Man" or "Look what I did with a leaf" and try out some of the leaf animals featured in the book, or come up with your own.

Here are a few that we tried (Top: Turtle, mouse/Bottom: fish, butterfly, and leaf man)

This is a great project for the creative mind. I was so into it I wanted to do a few on my own. For younger children you will need to ask them what they want to make and talk it through with them, what they could use for a head or ears or feet etc....


#3:Autumn Wreaths
Collect Fall leaves, pinecones, berries, and twigs. Cut out the center of a paper plate and glue on your leaves and twigs etc...
#4:Leaf Mobile
Gather a variety of fall leaves. place them between two pieces of wax paper, making sure that you leave plenty of space between them so they don't touch each other. Iron over wax paper to fuse the two pieces together.
Cut around the wax paper


Using scissors, cut a spiral pattern in a piece of construction paper, starting from the outside edge and going in towards the middle.

Grab the center of the swirl and punch a hole in the end (this will be the top of the mobile). Tape your wax paper covered leaves on various spots of your spiraling paper. Tie a string through the hole at the top and hang your mobile.

#5: Leaf sorting

Gather various leaves or cut them out of paper, and sort them into categories.






#6: Jump in leaves

Have fun raking leaves into a pile and jumping in them.