Nothing sparks my creativity more than making literature connections to life. I am obsessed with reading to my son every day- literally I read to him as an infant and my husband would make fun of me reading in my teacher voice. I pull out seasonal and holiday books and have books literally in every room in our house. It is no surprise then to know that our son loves books. He will pull them all out and flip through their pages. He loves “The Little Engine that Could”, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”, and “The Going to Bed Book”. I also make sure that he sees me reading so that he realizes that it is important to me just like it is for him.
One of my favorite series are the “Let’s Read and Find Out Science” books. They are great because they not only are fun reading but they are completely educational, explaining the why behind many of life’s mysteries.
So when I pulled out my fall books I came across “Why Do Leaves Change Color?” and decided this would be a great post for this week’s Teacher Time.
Autumn Leaves:
- Advanced Leaf Scavenger hunt– There are pictures of each of the different leaves inside the book to compare to. Kids love looking for matches and will love finding different types of leaves.
- Intermediate Leaf Scavenger hunt– This activity sheet has the names and shapes of the various leaves but allows your child to find and match their leaves to each specific type.
- Beginner Leaf Scavenger hunt– this is a basic color sort. At least in Utah we can find every color of leaf. It could be fun to see if you can find the entire rainbow worth of them!
- Leaf Rub– Place a leave under a sheet of paper and rub a sleeping crayon (on its side) over the leaf. You can turn them into animals or people or just make a page of leaf rubs. 
- Leaf Press– Gather leaves. Place old rag on ironing board. Arrange leaves between two pieces of wax paper. Iron the waxed paper.    
- Learning log– this activity sheet contains comprehension questions from the contents of this book. You can do it together or use it as a resource for your classroom or children.
- Leaf Mobile– I loved this blog post from Freshly Picked. It is super easy and such a fun way to have a natural fall decoration in your home.
Printable PDF versions here : Learning Log ︱Intermediate Leaf Scavenger Hunt ︱Colors ︱Advanced Leaf Scavenger Hunt
I love that you are reading to your little guy! One of the best things you can do for him. The educational activities are great, Em! Keep them coming!