BEST SIMPLE CHANGING LEAVES UNIT STUDY

Crisp air and changing leaves. Here comes my favorite season….Fall!

This leads to nights of snuggling in by the fire making s’mores, hot apple cider, and cool mornings. Fall has some of the most unique qualities, especially watching the leaves change, which makes for a perfect Changing Leaves Unit Study!

Walk outside or gaze out the window for just a few minutes. If you live where the seasons change then you will be able to watch God’s handiwork right before your eyes. Daily the leaves will begin to change from greens…to yellows…to oranges….and reds.

Changing leaves are incredibly beautiful.

They are one of the perfect lures to get your kids outdoors too!

WHAT TO STUDY ABOUT LEAVES

There are many topics of study on leaves. I have pulled together resources that are mostly specific to the Changing color of leaves.

When you start to consider how to prepare a Unit Study on Leaves, you should consider the area where you live and choose the trees and leaves common there. Also, doing this study in the autumn months would be the perfect time to dive in.

I live in New England and we have incredible foliage that begins in late September and changes, or “peaks,” in October and November.

BOOKS

I strongly recommend a Nature Guide for your area to help you study local trees, leaves, and seeds like pine cones. Below are a few that are great resources.

Here are some amazing ones that will help educate and endear kids to discovering this season.

Stories about animals with falling leaves are also a fun addition to a unit study. Kids enjoy the personification of animals in their own habitat. It really brings the experience to life.

This Trees, Leaves, and Bark book is another terrific guide to doing a unit study.

PRINTABLES

When doing a unit study on changing leaves, you will want to spend time observing all kinds of leaves in the yard and around your neighborhood.

Why Leaves Change Lap book by Little Bins for Little Hands is a fun activity for kids to create.
Puzzles to Play has a fun Fall Foliage Word Search that kids will love
Here is a cool I Spy Fall Leaves printable by And Next Comes L
The Preschool Toolbox has a fun Leaf Graphing Page for kids to sort by color.
Below is my simple Maple Leaf template where you can use watercolors, crayons, or other coloring mediums to create your own colorful designs.

LEAVES HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES

There are lots of options for hands-on activities in a Changing Leaves Unit Study. The first thing you will want to do is get some leaves!

Trips Outside

Heading out to your backyard or to the woods for a hike is the perfect place to do some “leaf-peeping”. You can take a drive and visit head to your local Zoo for a visit to the aviary.

Ask your kids to engage their senses when in the woods also. Have them close their eyes to listen to crunching leaves, and sense their surroundings as fall has such a cool and crisp feel. Maybe you can smell a campfire too.

Grab my perfect Outdoor Scavenger Hunt to get started

Leaf Rubbing

This super simple activity can be done with little to no preparation!

Have your little ones collect some leaves of different shapes and sizes.
Place the leaves backside up on a piece of paper and lay a white paper on top.
Using fall-colored crayons, remove the paper on the crayon and gently rub over the leaves with the side of the crayon. (It is important to use the side of the crayon for a good result.)

The natural veins of the leaves will make dark lines while the rest is a lighter shade.

Create Leaf People

This is a super fun activity that you can do with your kids! You can collect items right in your yard or on a nature hunt.

leaves of different shapes, colors, and sizes
sticks & twigs
long grasses
acorns

Once you have collected some items in a brown paper lunch bag, you can spread out fall-colored construction paper. As your kids discover and observe their finds, then use classic school glue to create with your finds.

Leaf Wreath

After collecting lots of leaves of many colors and shapes, you can have kids glue them onto a cut paper plate. This will make a perfect fall craft to hang up and bring nature indoors.

Here is a cute pattern to copy or color, or clue leaves right on.

Did you collect some Pinecones on your leaf hunt? Create these simple Pinecone Birdfeeders with those.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Websites

Check out these websites and let your kids see and discover how leaves change.

Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall – Chemistry by Science Notes is a fantastic resource with graphics and printables to help kids learn.
Science Notes also has a simple Leaf Chromatography experiment for older kids to see the leaf colors.

YouTube

You can find lots of clips on YouTube about birds and nests.

Why do Leaves Change Color in the Fall? by SciShow Kids is super fun.
SciShow Kids also has this one on The Science of Fall
Why do Leaves Change? from FreeSchool is another fun and educational resource.
Here is a time-lapse video that shows a maple leaf changing.

ADDITIONAL FUN LEAF RESOURCES

Here are some additional fun items that you can grab to add to your Changing Leaves Unit Study.

Fall Fun

There are so many fun things to do in the fall. Visiting a farm. you can enjoy apples, pumpkins, leaves, and corn mazes.

Here is a simple Fall Bucket List to hang on the fridge. This will give you some family ideas for getting out and engaging with this incredible season that God has provided in many areas of the globe.