Have I mentioned yet that I really love Lois Ehlert’s books? Her collage-style illustrations are just so simplistically and realistically appealing. Particularly for fall, they really capture the vibrancy and texture of the season! In Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, Lois Ehlert spotlights one of my favorite trees, Maple, as it is selected and planted while [...]
Posts Tagged as ‘leaves’
October 17, 2009
Old-School Leaf Rubbing
I once heard someone say that we have to be careful not to be in such a rush to give our children all the things we never had, that we forget to give them the things we did have. That saying comes to mind as I think about this old-school leaf rubbing activity. I don’t [...]
October 17, 2009
Leaf Pounding
This is one of my favorite activities! Help your child take a leaf and place it between two strips of muslin or other white, cotton fabric. Together, hammer the muslin with a rubber mallet. As the mallet strikes the leaf, the chlorophyll is released from the leaf and absorbed by the fabric. Colored leaves in [...]
October 16, 2009
Falling Leaves Parachute Activity
Parachute activities are always enticing to kids. They’re great for building motor strength and control, as well as self-control. They also strengthen the child’s ability to listen to and follow directions and to work with others as a group, all great social skills. Parachutes don’t have to cost much. I picked up a small, 6 foot version, to be [...]
October 15, 2009
Autumn Leaves Song
Here’s a song you probably already know, but just in case you don’t I’ll share it with you! It’s so simple and perfect for the season. As we sing, I have the children float their hands back and forth down to the ground like falling leaves. Here’s the song: Autumn Leaves (tune: London Bridges) Autumn leaves are [...]
October 14, 2009
Book Activity: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
If there is one book that I think every child should own……OK, I could never decide on just one book, but if there was a short list of books that every child should own, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault would definitely be on that short list! It is not only a [...]
October 10, 2009
A Camping We Will Go!
Kids love the adventure of camping! Particularly when it comes to camping in a dramatic play scenario, anything can happen! When I set up a camping theme dramatic play area this week, my own 3 year old asked, “And where is the bear?” I could guess he already had a storyline brewing. In the course of [...]
October 9, 2009
The Tall and Short Tree Sort
If you’re doing a study of trees, here’s a math activity to get your kids going. It could be used as an independent game, at your working tables for example, or you could easily use it as an extension [...]
October 7, 2009
Recipe for Fun: Leaves, Sawdust, and Bugs!
If you’re lucky enough, you have childhood memories of digging through fallen leaves, twigs, and dirt to find treasure troves of bugs and creepy crawlies. Hopefully the children you love and teach get the same opportunity! Here’s a way to extend that fun into a sensory table activity. The title describes it all! In your [...]
October 6, 2009
Book Activity: Leaf Man
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert is one of my favorite fall books. I love Lois Ehlert’s unique brand of art. Generally, she uses collages to illustrate her books, which gives them an appealing texture and points of interest as children find familiar items used in new ways. In Leaf Man, Ehlert’s illustrations are done completely from [...]
