Autumn Leaves & the Great Pumpkin

I know the New England area is renowned for the colors of Autumn, but as I get out and about here in the PNW we can be awfully proud of our own spectacular show put on by the changing of the seasons! What a sensory extravaganza! THAT of course means it’s full of learning opportunities for kiddos!

Go out on a nature walk!

Collect LEAVES: Be sure to look for
1. Different shape of leaves OR
2. Leaves in a variety colors

For example, look at this leaf I found….

Its vibrant color stopped me dead in my tracks. The photo might be hard to show it here, but it was stunning!

Let’s do some SCIENCE!

Your kidlet can compare & contrast leaves by…
• Asking them what’s alike and what’s different
• Counting the lobes on the leaves
• Putting the leaves into ‘like colors’
• Sorting the leaves by edge texture-ie., is it smooth, jagged, etc?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encourage your kiddo wonder what will happen to a leaf when they:
1. Put a leaf outside, uncovered and unprotected, but unable to blow away
2. Place a leaf in a folded paper towel outside, again being careful it can’t blow away
→ Check what happens to those leaves every couple days

Extend the Science…

Test leaves in a different setting:
1. Put a leaf somewhere indoors; perhaps, on the laundry room countertop, but somewhere out the way
2. Repeat, placing a leaf in a folded paper towel on the countertop alongside the uncovered leaf
→ Check what happens to the leaves every couple days

In the Meantime…

While you’re waiting for (any) changes READ: Wonderfall by Michael Hall. I’ve shared my LOVE of children’s picture books, nature AND science. Wonderfall is a good combination of all!

• When the leaves have ‘changed’ encourage your child to make an observation.
What happened? Why did it happen? What factor(s) do they think influenced the end result? ACCEPT all answers!

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Autumn, Pumpkins & Halloween!

The season of AUTUMN is also pumpkin time! Before heading to your local pumpkin patch,
READ: The Very Best Pumpkin by Mark Kimball Moulton.

Going to Jubilee Farm for our annual Pumpkin Patch Field Trip was a highlight for everyone from preschool kidlet to parent to teacher! Friendship is a central theme in The Very Best Pumpkin. Below you can see friendship was a central theme at preschool too! Here they’re trying to see how many friends can sit on a pumpkin at one time!

Pumpkins are Sensory Activities!

• Cut the top off and let your kidlet scoop out the pulp!

• Help your kiddo separate out the seeds from the pulp. At preschool we set it up to be done with HANDS only, but some kiddos might need to use a spoon

• Maybe you make a jack-o-lantern out of your pumpkin

OR
Instead, maybe make a jack-o-lantern out of seeds

• Make sure to save some pumpkin seeds to grow your own pumpkin next year or bake them for a tasty treat!

When the Treats Are Gone…

After Halloween, READ: Pumpkin Jack  by Will Hubbell….

Notice if your jack-o-lantern follows the same pattern as the one in the book. Let me know what happens!
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LOOK for MORE AUTUMN books and learning activities with the AUTUMN set of Go PLAY Activity Cards!

Yours in Play!
Teacher Karen