The season has changed and here in South Africa we have found ourselves in the midst of Autumn. There’s a sharp chill in the air, birds have gone quiet and brown leaves cover the ground, leaving their trees bare. While this is not my favorite season, I try to embrace it, and I encourage my son to do so to. So, over the past few days, to pass them time, we’ve been on a little Autumn adventure. We’ve learnt about the season, talked about the leaves that fall and why they fall, we’ve collected leaves, and then we turned the season in to art! In a nut shell, WE HAD FUN!

We started out our Autumn theme by going for a walk at my son’s school which is home to many old Oak trees. The leaves have fallen and their brown, red and orange colours covered our path. We discussed their colours, the fact that some leaves were big and some were small, and we listened to them crunch as we stepped on them. We also collected a few to take home.

Why Do Leaves Change Colour In Autumn?

There is a scientific answer to why do leaves change colors in the autumn. The fall leaf life cycle starts with the end of summer and the shortening of the days. As the days get shorter, the tree does not have enough sunlight to make food for itself. Rather than struggle to make food through the winter, it shuts down. It stops producing chlorophyll and allows its fall leaves to die. When the tree stops producing chlorophyll, the green color leaves the foliage and you are left with the “true color” of the leaves. Leaves are naturally orange and yellow. The green just normally covers this up. As the chlorophyll stops flowing, the tree starts to produce anthocyanins. This replaces the chlorophyll and is red colored. So, depending at which point in the fall leaf life cycle the tree is in, the tree will have green, yellow or orange leaves, then red autumn leaf color. - https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/fall-leaf-life-cycle-why-do-leaves-change-colors-in-the-autumn.htm

As we collected our leaves we sang a little song that my son had learnt at school, it goes like this:

^{Autumn winds begin to blow. (blow)}

^{Colored leaves fall fast and slow. (fall motion with fingers)}

^{Twirling, whirling, all around. (turn self around)}

^{Till at last they touch the ground. (fall to the ground)}

This is such a lovely little song that includes actions, which are great for developing your little one’s fine and gross motor skills. 

The next day welcomed us with warmer weather, so I set up some paints and paper outdoors and we spent some time doing arts and crafts, with leaves! My kid LOVED covering the leaves with blobs of paint and was thrilled to see the little leaf patterns appear as we pressed the painted leaves on paper, and then removed them. His art work was proudly gifted to his dad later that afternoon.

There are tons of art activities that leaves can be used for, you can place a sheet of paper over them and using a crayon, you can colour over the paper to “print” the leave pattern – watch as the pattern magically appears on paper! You can also crush the leaves and glue them on to paper, use them as stencils and draw or paint around them, or together with some acorns, you can make some hanging leaf mobiles. 

^{Images by @sweetpea}

Our Autumn adventure was a reminder of how wonderful the world is, and how amazing nature is. Each season brings reason, it’s both the beginning and the end of something, and there is so much to learn! If you are a parent, or teacher, embrace the seasons with your little ones. Do yourself a favour and discover and explore nature through the eyes of your little one.

Much love - @sweetpea

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