FOCUS: Leaves come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they are all designed to make food for the plant, using sunlight, water, air, and their green pigment, chlorophyll. With close observation, leaf features such as shape and venation can provide important clues to the identity of plants.
INTRODUCTION: LEAF GRAB BAG
Objective: To begin to explore and ask questions about leaves.
WARNING: Before collecting leaves, be sure to check your school grounds for any poisonous plants, such as poison ivy, wild parsnip, and chervil.
Have children work in small groups with a leader to look for different types of leaves. Provide paper lunch bags to collect samples. Ask them to collect leaves from different types of plants, such as grasses, weeds, trees, shrubs, even garden plants. Have each small group sort their leaves into two piles and see if the other groups can guess which feature was used to sort them.
Have the children save their leaves for future activities.
Materials: paper lunch bags, Fact Sheet on Poison Ivy, Wild Parsnip, and Chervil.
LEAF LOOK SORT AND FIND
Objective: To identify physical features of leaves and associated vocabulary.
Have each child choose a leaf from their Leaf Grab Bags (see Introduction above). Using the Leaf Anatomy and A Variety of Leaves diagrams, have them note the various features on their leaf. Explain that you will now be asking them to split into two groups based on one particular leaf feature. Continue reading Leaves: Nature’s Suncatchers – Activities
Nearby Nature 