Have you tried sensory play with your children yet? Then it is time to give it a try with these awesome changing leaves activities for kids.
Exploring with your hands and all senses is so much fun.
So let’s dive right in and get inspired.
Changing Leaf Sensory Activity
Hi everyone! Firstly I just want to say thank you to Suzanne from @liltigers for reaching out and for giving me the opportunity to share our educational page – BRIGHT LITTLE BRAINS!
I started Bright Little Brains as a stay-at-home mom. Being a teacher by profession I just knew I had to turn to what I know best and that is to educate mainly focused on learning through play.
I started sharing our play activities and am so grateful for the support, positive feedback, and seeing how our activities come to life by so many followers!
Today we are sharing a seasonal activity…exploring how leaves change color! We love our walks around the neighborhood and it was so remarkable to see how many leaves are starting to change color already.
This awakened so many questions from curious Elon, so I decided to set up a sensory table filled with many opportunities for an invitation to explore and learn.
A SENSORY TABLE has multiple benefits for kids! It’s meant to encourage them to explore by using their senses to experiment with all the different open-ended items and play activities presented according to a specific theme.
How to Prepare a Themed Leaf Sensory Table
- Gather materials according to the theme for exploration. I always try to focus on different textures by adding some loose parts.
- Do research about the theme.
- Remember to keep all items and different activities age-appropriate.
- Adding educational resources like worksheets and books is always a great idea to expand their interest in extended learning and playtime.
- Guide them through each play. Having so many different items can sometimes be distracting so it is important to guide them through each one.
Next, you should try out our other great fall activities. Check out our Fall Salt Painting and Corn Sensory Bin next.
Leaves Experiment
Here is what you will need for this fun fall STEM experiment:
Materials for Leaf Experiment:
- leaves
- rubbing alcohol
- glass jars
Now here is the full step-by-step tutorial for this amazing science experiment:
Leaf Experiment Instructions:
Step 1: Collect leaves
- Collect some leaves during a LEAF HUNT.
Step 2: Sort by color
- Sort it into YELLOW (Gamboge), GREEN, and PURPLE/RED (Crimson) containers by color.
Step 3: Tore apart
- Torn into pieces (the smaller the better) and cover with rubbing alcohol.
Step 4: Mash the leave pieces
- Mash it every hour or so to break the color down.
Step 5: Leave overnight
- Leave it overnight to reveal the best color.
Step 6: Observe and learn
- Discuss the process and how due to the lack of sunlight, the leaves go into a resting state and then use the glucose they stored during summer to live from.
As they shut down for the winter the chlorophyll disappears and autumn colors start to appear.
After we explored the different colors Elon used the leaf dye to paint a falling leaves picture.
This is great for some autumn process art activities!
Elon was part of this process from the start which helped by building excitement to explore more!
We sometimes tend to not include them in the preparations of activities but it is just as important for them to be part of the whole process.
They can make some great observations being part of setups from beginning to end).
Are you interested in more kid’s activities, arts & crafts, and science experiments?
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Revealing Leaves Sensory Activity
We also made use of a fun revealing leaves worksheet from Gift of Curiosity. The free printable can be found here.
You will also need the following items.
Materials for Leaf Sensory Activity:
- free printable
- scissor
- contact paper
- green washable marker
- cotton pad
Let us take a look now at the instruction for this easy fall activity:
Playing with Leaves Instructions:
Step 1: Print worksheets
Print the free worksheet
Step 2: Prepare the printables
Cut the leaves out and cover with contact paper
Step 3: Color the leaves
Use a green washable marker to color each leave
Step 4: Wipe it down
Take a cotton pad to wipe the green off…
a new autumn color leaf will appear!
This is such a great hands-on activity to visually explore the changing colors of the leaves!
Fall Leaves Lacing:
Materials for Fall Leaves Activity:
- free printable
- shoelaces, rope, ribbons, or yarn
I added some fall leaves for Elon to practice fine motor skills with lacing. These leaves are also free printables from @giftofcuriosity
You can make use of rope, ribbons, or yarn to do some lacing! Lacing is great for developing hand-eye coordination!
Being outside is so important for kids and comes with so many benefits. Go check them out here.
You do not get your children outside? Do not worry, here are some fun ways to Engage Children in Nature.
About the Author
This guest post was written by Rozanne Steyn.
Rozanne is a qualified kindergarten, elementary school, and drama teacher with 12 years of experience. She made a career shift and managed 2 schools as a former Academic Head at a Distance Learning College.
Even though she loved the change as it presented me with personal and professional growth she started missing the typical classroom setting in front of the students. So, she returned back to the ‘writing’ board and loved her time working as a teacher at an international school and later on at a private school!
Now, she loves being a stay-at-home mom educating my kids with fun learning through play activities!
Blog: Bright Little Brains
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I hope you enjoyed Rozannes amazing changing leaves activities as much as my kids and I did.
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