Fun Activities To Do With Leaves

Leaves are very important to plants! Leaves are the parts of the plants that make the food for the plant (photosynthesis).

Here are an assortment of activities with leaves for different ages and ability groups.

 1.Collect leaves. Science

 2.Observe leaves with a hand lens. Science

 3. Count, sort (color, shade, texture, shape), and trace (real or cardboard cutouts)
     leaves. Do you have an even or odd number of leaves? Math & Science

 4. Describe the leaves. (color, size, texture, shape, symmetrical {yes or no})
      If the colors are the same are the shades the same? Is one green lighter or darker
     than another shade of green? Are the leaves small, large, fat, thin, rough, smooth, 
     waxy, prickly, etc.? Is the right side of the leaf the mirror image of the left side?  
    Math & Science

 5. Identify leaves.(Use a field guide, internet, etc.) Science

 6. Sketch and label leaves. (maple, oak, elm, etc.) Science & Art



7. Measure leaves (length and width). Compare sizes. Math


 8. Find the surface area of leaves.
     Trace leaves onto centimeter graph paper and count the squares included in the
     drawing. Students may find it helpful to put a dot in each square or to mark an x
     in each square. They should label the data (their answer) as centimeters squared. 
     Math


 9.Press leaves.
     Place leaves between pieces of wax paper. Glue the edges of the wax paper together. 
     Place in old magazines or catalogs to flatten. Art

10.Create leaf rubbings.
      Remove the paper covering from any crayons that will be used for this activity.
      Place a thin piece of white paper over a leaf (computer paper works great).
      Rub the crayon(s) in a back and forth motion on the white paper over the leaf.
      Try rubbing over other leaves in the same way. Kids can even overlap other
      leaves in their rubbings. Label the leaves. If desired, you can punch holes in
      the pages, add a cover, and tie together with yarn to make a leaf book/album
      to share with family and friends. Art


11.Create leaf prints.
    Have students use tempera paint and paint brushes to paint the back of leaves
    (the bumpy side).  Next the students should  place their painted leaves (paint side 
    down) on white paper and press down gently. Then they should carefully remove
    the leaves and compare their prints to real leaves. What details are seen in the 
    print? Can they see the veins of the plant? (Younger students can use finger paint.)
    Art


11. Create your own leaves with colored pencils, crayons, paint, charcoal, etc. Art

12 Fun Flower Activities

Flowers grow in most parts of the world except near the North and South poles. 

Here are twelve (12) fun flower activities to do with kids.

Plant flowers from seeds.

Plant flowers from bulbs.

Observe and identify flowers on a nature walk, in your neighborhood, etc.
Bring along a camera and field guides. Observe flowers with a hand lens. Estimate the number of petals. Count the number of petals. Measure the flowers. Measure the stems and leaves of the flowers. Can you see the roots? Why? Sketch flowers. Repeat each season. Are the flowers the same each season?

Research your state flower. Sketch and plant your state flower.

Create an alphabetical list of flowers.

 

Make an alphabet book of flowers (or read an alphabet book of plants/flowers such as Alison's Zinnia by Anita Lobel.)

Press flowers.
Place between pieces of wax paper, then insert in an old magazine or catalog. Use the pressed flowers on handmade cards, bookmarks, in picture frames, or on bulletin boards.

Create poems about flowers.

some pictures by www.graphicsfactory.com

Read books about flowers.

 

   

Visit a greenhouse or nursery. (Take a camera.) 

Great field trip with the kids! Have the kids notice the physical structure of the greenhouse. Ask the kids what is different about this structure compared to their homes, classrooms, schools. ( light, temperature, irrigation, and ventilation systems) Observe how the owners/employees take care of the plants. Observe the variety of plants. (Usually the plants are labeled and tell what sun conditions are best for the plants.) Have the children take a picture of or sketch their favorite plant.

Create flowers with watercolors, clay, crayons, markers, paper, etc.

          

                                           

                  Watch a video on how to make an origami tulip.

                  Click here: Origami Tulip Video

                  

                 Learn about Vincent Van Gogh and create sunflowers

                 Click here: Sunflower Unit  (crafts are at bottom of the page)

Enjoy flowers in your home or classroom. 

Fun Fruit and Vegetable Activities

FRUITS

• A fruit is a part of a plant that "contains the seeds" that will grow into a new plant.
• Fruits grow on flowering plants.
• Fruits come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors.
• They vary a lot in smell and taste.
• They contain vitamins and are healthy food to eat.

VEGETABLES

• Vegetables are the parts of a plant that we eat: the leaves, roots, stem, and flowers.

Activities:

• Students can listen to or read books on fruits and vegetables.

 

•  Students can visit a supermarket to observe the multitude of fruits and vegetables available in their local markets. If you call ahead of time, many supermarkets will schedule a time of day for you to bring the children and they will give you a tour of the fruit and vegetable section. The children will be introduced to common and unusual plants plus learn where these fruits and vegetables are grown. (A great social studies lesson.) I've done this several times and the children were also given some fruits to taste plus everyone could choose a fruit they would like to take home. (I've found most large and small markets to be very generous.)
• Students can also visit a local orchard or farm. 

The following 12 pictures are all fruits. (Yes, even the tomatoes and peppers because they have seeds.)

• Students can sketch and label various fruits and vegetables.

• Students can count, sort (color, size, shape, texture), classify, describe, measure, and compare fruits and vegetables. 

• Students can use a Venn Diagram or other Graphic Organizer to compare and contrast fruits and vegetables.

• Students can conduct a survey to find out the favorite fruits or vegetables of their friends and families. They can tally this data and create tally charts, frequency charts, or graphs of the data.

• Students can identify vegetables that we eat that are the leaves of plants.

              (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, taro, mint, parsley, coriander)

• Students can identify vegetables that we eat that are the roots of  plants.

             (taro, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, radishes, and rutabaga)

• Students can identify vegetables that we eat that are the stems of  plants.

            (potatoes, yams, asparagus, ginger, celery)

• Students can identify vegetables that we eat that are the flowers of plants.

         (cauliflower, broccoli)

 

• Parents, teachers, and students can visit the Dole Website for lesson plans on nutrition education and lots of ideas and fun activities . Included are a Teacher's Toolkit with  Language Arts, Math, Music, Science, and Social studies lesson plans. The lessons are for PreK - Grade 5. 
• Click Here: Dole Website 
 

 

• Students can try to name a fruit or vegetable for every letter of the alphabet. For which letter can they name the most fruits and vegetables?

           A-Apple  B-Banana  C-Cucumber

• Students can be encouraged to bring to school/camp/the beach/family outings/etc.  healthy snacks as they learn more about fruits and vegetables.

• Older students can research which fruits are rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C.   (Vitamin A: cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potato, spinach, broccoli)  (Vitamin C: orange juice, grapefruit, fresh pineapple, green pepper, cauliflower)
 

• Students can watch a Brain Pop Video on Nutrition. Click Here: Nutrition Video                                                                                                                                                                                                            
  

• Students can name fruits and vegetables for every color in the rainbow/spectrum (ROY G BIV). 

                
                    RED - apple, pepper   ORANGE - orange, pepper

• • Students can help prepare a fruit salad and try to include every color of the rainbow/spectrum. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) 
  
  
  • Cathy at Nurture Store made a great Rainbow Fruit Salad......read about it and view it here.
  
  
  • Hopefully students will become excited about eating fruits and vegetables!