October trees are beautiful as they change color, but November is the month for leaves to fall! You may wonder why leaves fall off the trees. It is because all the water in them freezes in the winter, which can harm the tree itself. Therefore the leaf protects the tree by breaking itself away from the tree in the fall.
What can we do with all the leaves? Here are some great ideas for heavy work, sensory play and direction following that incorporate leaves!
- Rake them into a pile and jump in it
- Stuff them in clothing to make a scarecrow
- Hide oversized clothing in a pile of leaves and have a relay race to run and find the clothes and put them on
- Listen to them crunch under your feet or in your hands
- Talk about the colors and why and how they change
- Scavenger hunt to find a color continuum of leaves
- Crafts! There are so many crafts to make involving leaves
- Paint them and use them as stamps
- Chop them up and put in your garden- they work great for mulch
- Leaf Rubbings
- Leaf Collage
By: Charissa Drake, MS, ORT/L