“We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt!” Fall Exploration Activity

I can’t believe it is already October! It seems like Fall came in with a bang this year, and we were suddenly facing cooler temps and beautiful Fall foliage. But I’m ok with that! The kids and I are having so much fun getting outside and exploring now that it’s not so hot (when it’s not pouring down rain, that is)! 🙂

I recently came across the book, We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and knew right away we would have to go explore too! Looking for all different kinds of leaves is the perfect Fall exploration activity because it is so simple, and yet so exciting for kids!

Leaf Hunt Exploration

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Before starting our adventure, we read We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt, as well as the adorable book Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett and Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson. These books are such a fun introduction to the changes we see around us this time of year, and got the kids really excited to get outside and explore themselves!

Then, to prepare for our “leaf adventure,” we discussed what we might be looking for. I challenged the kids to find as many different kinds and colors of leaves as they could.

I also challenged them to find different sizes, and to see who could find the largest and the smallest leaf.

*If you want a fun resource for seeing math in nature, scroll to the bottom of this article for a FREE poster set!*

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

And then the hunt was on! We had so much fun digging around, making observations about nature, and asking questions about the different types of leaves we found!

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

Of course we talked about the different colors and why they were starting to change and fall.

After they each had a nice assortment of leaves, we sat down to compare them and discuss our observations.

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

First we looked at all the leaves to try and determine if any were from the same tree or if they were all different.

We noticed these two leaves looked the same but were different colors:

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

We decided that they were in fact the same type of leaf, but that the green leaf had not finished changing colors yet.

We also found two leaves that were the same color and shape, but had a different texture:

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

It was hard to tell if they were from the same type of tree because they felt so very different. One was very firm and crunchy, while the other was flimsy and soft.

And of course, we had to decide who found the largest and the smallest leaves:

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

It was so fun to compare all the different sizes and shapes! There are so many activities you could do once your kiddos have a nice collection of leaves!

Fun Fall Leaf Exploration Activities:

Explore Measurement | Life Over C’s

Fall Science: Why do Leaves Change Colors? | Playdough to Plato

Learn the Parts of a Leaf (with free printable!) | A Little Pinch of Perfect

Make a Leaf Rubbings book | Gift of Curiosity

Paint them! | Simple Fun for Kids

You can also learn more about the science, as well as try to determine the types of trees your leaves came from by reading Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro.

I love this super simple fall activity for kids based on a fun children's book! The possibilities are endless when you go on a leaf hunt!

Fall is a wonderful time of year to get out and explore math and science in the world around you! Want more ideas to help your kids learn through adventure and exploration? Follow along all month as we share tons of great ideas!

Have fun!

8 Comments

  1. What a great activity! I loved using We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt with my preschoolers when I was teaching. I love you compared the leafs afterwards. Thanks so much for participating in the series!

  2. Fall leaves offer so many opportunities for learning and creativity! I love the leaf hunt idea! Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot!

  3. Loved the ideas for Going on a Leaf Hunt. I will be using them to develop my exploraton plans for this fall! thanks!!!

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