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Little Explorers' Journeys
Lesson Plans
LEAVES: A Week of Discovery
Dates: October 12–16, 2026 | Ages: 3–5 (Preschool / Pre-K)
Welcome, Families!
This week, our classroom is diving into a fun, hands-on exploration of leaves! Through play-based learning, stories, art, and outdoor discoveries, children will explore leaf colors, shapes, textures, patterns, and how nature changes around us. We have outlined our weekly journey below so you can follow along, talk with your child about what they are learning, and try some fun activities together at home.
Weekly Overview & Essential Question
- Essential Question: What can leaves teach us about plants, patterns, weather, and the changing seasons?
- Weekly Focus: Leaf colors, shapes, textures, sorting, counting, patterns, wind and seasonal changes, art, storytelling, and cooperative play.
- New Vocabulary: Leaf/leaves, stem, vein, edge, smooth, rough, bumpy, crunchy, soft, broad, narrow, long, short, round, pointed, color, pattern, sort, compare, same/different, more/fewer, predict, observe, season, fall/autumn, tree, plant.
Daily Themes & Activities
Monday: Meet the Leaves (Look, Touch, Describe)
- Large Group: We will gather around a basket of clean, dry leaves, read a tree-themed book, and practice noticing leaf colors, shapes, and textures together.
- Small Group & Centers: Children will become "Leaf Detectives" using magnifiers to inspect leaves, draw what they see, and dictate descriptions to teachers. In the blocks and art centers, children will build parks and create fun leaf rubbings.
Tuesday: Leaf Colors, Shapes, Sorting & Counting
- Large Group: We will practice sorting leaves by color, size, and shape, and learn how to count items using one-to-one correspondence.
- Small Group & Centers: Children will sort and regroup leaves by different attributes, count small sets (1–5), and match them to numeral cards. In dramatic play, kids can run a pretend "leaf market".
Wednesday: Why Do Leaves Change? (Weather & Investigation)
- Large Group: We will talk about how trees change with the seasons and test how wind makes different types of leaves move.
- Small Group & Centers: Children will make predictions about which leaves move when fanned and sequence picture cards showing a tree across different seasons.
Thursday: Leaf Art, Patterns & Creative Problem Solving
- Large Group: We will explore leaf prints and collages, discuss patterns, and brainstorm creative ideas for art projects.
- Small Group & Centers: Children will create leaf prints, build paper leaf structures, and practice making AB patterns (such as yellow-brown-yellow-brown).
Friday: Our Leaf Museum (Review & Share)
- Large Group: We will celebrate our week of discovery by sharing our favorite things learned, using sentence starters like "I noticed..." and "I learned..."
- Small Group & Centers: Children will help create labels for our classroom "Leaf Museum," graph our favorite leaf colors, and revisit their favorite learning centers from the week.
Fun Ideas to Try at Home
You can help extend your child's learning outside of school with these simple, fun conversation starters and activities:
- Take a Nature Walk: Take a short walk together and notice the leaves on the ground and trees.
- Ask Open-Ended Questions: Ask your child, "What do you notice about this leaf?", "How are these two leaves alike or different?", or "What do you think will happen to the leaves as the weather gets colder?"
- Practice Math & Literacy: Count leaves together, compare which pile has more or fewer, and talk about different colors and shapes.
Safety Note: No need to bring leaves from home unless requested. Please remind children never to taste or handle unknown plants, and always wash hands after outdoor explorations!
Leaves are falling all around!
Suggested books for the week
Leaf Man
Author: Lois Ehlert
A wonderful inspiration for leaf shapes, imagination, and creating pictures from natural materials.
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Author: Steve Metzger
Use for movement, repeated language, observation, and a pretend leaf hunt.
The Little Yellow Leaf
Author: Carin Berger
Connect to seasonal change, feelings, courage, and
social-emotional discussion.
Songs
“Leaves Are Falling”
Sing to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”
The leaves are falling down, The leaves are falling down, Red and yellow, orange and brown, The leaves are falling down!
Add movements: Wiggle fingers downward like falling leaves. Have children slowly twirl, float, and land on the floor.
Red, Yellow, Orange, and Brown”
Color recognition
Sing to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Red and yellow, orange, brown, Pretty leaves are falling down. Some are big and some are small, Some have points and some are round. Red and yellow, orange, brown, Pretty leaves are falling down.
“The Wind Blows the Leaves”
Sing to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
The wind blows the leaves around and around, Around and around, around and around. The wind blows the leaves around and around, All through the fall! The leaves go swirling down to the ground, Down to the ground, down to the ground. The leaves go swirling down to the ground, Then they rest so still!
“Leaves Make Patterns”
Math and rhythm
Chant with a steady clap.
Red leaf, yellow leaf, red leaf, yellow, Make a pattern, nice and mellow! Big leaf, small leaf, big leaf, small, Can you make a pattern with them all?
Add movements: Clap for red, pat knees for yellow.
“Goodbye, Little Leaves”
Calm-down and reflection
Sing softly to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”
Little leaves, little leaves, Resting on the ground. Thank you for the colors, That we have found. Little leaves, little leaves, What have we learned today? Colors, shapes, and patterns, Hip, hip, hooray!
Add movements: Children curl up like resting leaves, then sit up and name something they learned.
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