Autumn
A Colorful
Season!
Fall
in the Hudson Valley
New
York State Fall Foliage Leaf Guide
State
Tree
The sugar maple is
our main source of maple syrup made from sap stored in its trunk. Its leaves
are pointed and turn bright colors in the fall. The sugar maple was adopted
as the State tree in 1956.
Fall
Sung
to: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
Fall,
fall, fall is here.
Fall
is here today.
Winter's
coming round the bend.
Summer's
gone away.
Autumn
Leaves
The autumn
leaves are falling down,
Red,
yellow, orange, and brown.
The
autumn winds begin to blow,
The
leaves fall fast and then fall slow.
Whirling,
whirling all around,
Then
at last they touch the ground!
Leaves
Down,
down,
Yellow
and brown,
The
leaves are falling
All
over town.
Rake
them up high
In a
pile so high,
They
almost reach
Up to
the sky.
Autumn
is here! The weather is getting cooler. The leaves on the trees are
starting to change from green to the beautiful colors of Fall. It
is the beginning of a new season. Autumn
is here!
Autumn
Word Wall Words
I put
these words on leaves cut from construction paper and hang them on a large
tree trunk (also made of construction paper).
| trees |
colorful |
Fall |
Autumn |
| school |
harvest |
cider |
apples |
| pumpkins |
rake |
leaves |
hayride |
| football |
soccer |
windy |
jacket |
| Halloween |
Thanksgiving |
|
|
Online
Activities
Fall
Jigsaw Puzzle
Autumn
Slide Puzzle
Fall
Match Game
Fall
Word Search
Falling
Leaves - an online story
Why
Do Leaves Change Color?
Each
bud is the beginning of a new leaf. The sun warms the bud and a new leaf
grows. The leaf grows and makes its own food. A leaf is a tiny "food
factory." Leaves use sunlight, air, water, and chlorophyll (green matter).
The green chlorophyll covers up the other colors of the leaf so we see
only green leaves. When fall begins, leaves start to die. There is
less sunlight since the days are shorter. The leaf stops making food. Chlorophyll
breaks down and green color begins to disappear. All the hidden colors
can now be seen!
To
learn more read: Why
Do Leaves Change Color?
Leaf
Activities
1. Go
on a class nature walk. Collect lots of leaves, acorns, nuts, pinecones,
etc. Make Fall collages with these collected items.
2. Fall
Leaf Hangings - I did these last year and they came out really nice. Use
some of the collected leaves for this project. Give each child a 6-8 inch
square of clear self-stick paper with the backing removed. Let the children
arrange the leaves on the sticky sides of their squares. When each child
is finished, place another piece of clear sel-stick paper square (with
the backing removed) over the first square and seal the edges well. Punch
a hole at the top of each square and add a loop of yarn. arrange the leaf
hangings
in a window. When the sun shines through, they will sparkle with color!
3. Leaf
Creatures - Give the children construction paper, glue, markers and some
fall leaves. Have the children glue 2 or 3 leaves on their paper. Let the
children use the markers to add arms, legs, hands, feet, hair, eyes, and
other features to make leaf creatures. Glue on story paper and have the
kids write or dictate stories about their leaf creatures. Have the kids
share them with the class.
4. Sorting
and graphing - Have kids sort leaves by color, shape, and size. Count each
category and graph.
5. Autumn
Wreaths - Use paper plates and cut out the center to make a wreath shape.
Glue on leaves (either real or artificial). You could even put a picture
or photo in the center to make picture frames.
Books:
Why
Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro
Clifford's
First Autumn by Norman Birdwell
The
Big Leaf Pile (a Clifford book) by Josephine Page
When
Autumn Comes by Robert Maass
Autumn
Leaves are Falling by Maria Fleming
Red
Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Autumn
Leaves by Ken Robbins
Graphics:
