Leaves are Falling....

This week we spent time learning about the trees and their leaves. We began by reading the book, We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger.

 The book and our discussions helped us to learn how to find different types of leaves and classify them by their color and shape. After our circle time we went on a leaf hunt of our own. Each child was given a bag to carry and we led them out to various paths around the school building. There were excited shouts, "I found a yellow one!" "Look at this huge one!" "I think this is the maple leaf!" It was a great experience for us all...and it is always a fun adventure to take our learning outdoors. Here are some photos from the experience:

After the leaf hunt we returned to the classroom to do some counting with our leaves, sorting, and to make leaf rubbings.

Another book we read this week was one of my favorites, Leaf Man by Lois Elhert.

I love to read this book with the children. The illustrations are so imaginative and absolutely beautiful. After we read the book we used the felt board to make our own leaf people. The children enjoyed manipulating the leaves to make their own designs. After circle time we also incorporated the Leaf Man book into our centers and the children were able to create their own leaf person using real leaves.

It was a great week spent learning together. Our easel was being used to finger paint beautiful fall scenes, the sensory table was used to sort various nuts from trees, and we sang many songs and finger-plays together. Here is one more peak at some of our learning. We introduced patterns by using different colored leaves. The children practiced making their own "AB" pattern strip. We will continue to work on the skill or recognizing and making patterns throughout the year.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall leaves and scenery before they are gone!