COOL BREEZE AND CRISP AIR, lots of color in the trees—what a perfect time for…the rake! Now I bet you were thinking football and that may be true, but this nature lover cannot help but notice the multi-colored carpet of leaves on the ground. So as I was raking a piles of leaves, I began remembering one of my favorite fall projects—a leaf journal. Since school is back in full swing, this is the perfect time to get out in Mother Nature’s classroom and spend a little extra curricular time with your pupils! Now maybe your only “pupil” is yourself, and that will still be okay!
Here’s what you need to begin:
1. Inexpensive 3 hole notebook
2. Clear sheet protectors (also 3 holed)
3. Heavy, letter size card stock
4. One tube of craft glue
5. Access to a computer and printer
6. Leaves
Once you have the supplies, go to lsuagcenter.com and look up trees and shrubs. There you will find a listing of Louisiana trees with great pictures of leaves. Collect some leaves from your very own garden, help your “pupils” identify them and create a sheet of labeled cardstock for each different specimen. Craft glue them to the cardstock, then slip that sheet inside the clear protector, and place alphabetically inside the notebook. This can be a yearlong project or you can add new pages on a daily or weekly basis.
The great thing about this project is the ability to open the doorway to all sorts of creative adventures, not to mention the tree knowledge to be gained! You and your child or friends will have fun working together and learning things at the same time. Make a page for each tree listed on the Louisiana tree site and look for new and different leaves every time you travel. When you visit a new state, see how many similar trees are there and then create new pages for different varieties from a new place. Use notebook paper to create a journal memory about where you were when you found the leaves and what you were doing or thinking. Date the page and memories are there for years to come!
Such great possibilities abound in the 24-hour classroom right out your own backdoor! Just remember to keep the classroom tidy and use that rake!
Email your gardening questions and comments to Lisa at [email protected].
