How to use this Page

On Saturday, a box arrived at my door, and I remembered that an old friend from back home in Indiana had recently asked me for my address. The package was fairly large and I pondered perfunctorily what could be inside; the box felt as light as air in my hands.

Curiously, I tore off the tape and peered inside. On top of a pile of various and vibrant shades of autumn leaves rested a note that read:

Tonia,

I read a post of yours about missing the fall leaves of the Midwest & I thought I could help with that! I hope these bring a smile to your face and you’ll enjoy them for a little while!

Love & Miss Ya!

Regina

One lone tear rolled down my cheek. I was surprised by how overcome I was with raw emotion. The gift was more thoughtful and meaningful than anything ever given me by a friend. It was a gift so powerful that it left me forever touched, because it was so simple. Regina knew I was a bit homesick for the Midwest and sent me a piece of HOME – vivid, reminiscent hues from my youth – all packaged up nicely and left waiting for me on my doorstep by the mailman on an average, sunny day in California.
Where Autumn never comes.

Regina’s gift is a reminder that giving isn’t about spending or going through the motions; giving is about getting personal and evoking feeling from the recipient as a result of the kindness of the gesture. If the gift is heartfelt, it will surely be richly treasured, in a way much like I felt about my wonderful, crisp pile of leaves.

As for me and my colorful treasures, I will discover fun ways to use them this fall. And, when autumn first turns to winter, I will seal them back up in Regina’s box and use them again for another reason in a different Autumn season.

by Amy M. O’Quinn

Autumn is just around the corner, and soon there will be a noticeable nip in the air, shorter days, and much cooler nights as the earth makes its transition from summer to winter. And one of the most delightful changes of this season is when the leaves on the treesturn from green to hues of scarlet, gold, yellow and brown. What a perfect opportunity to enjoy some ‘nature study’ together as a family!

Leaf Identification

Recently I did a review of Fran Hawk’s wonderful picture book, Countdown to Fall (published by Sylvan Dell), right here on the NWFCC, and it made me wonder. How many trees and leaves can I identify? How many can you identify? Why not use this time to find out? Grab a good tree identification guide off the shelf or from the library, round up the kids, and set out for a park, a nature trail or the woods on a fun mission as ‘leaf’ detectives! Can you match the leaves to the correct trees? How many colors and shapes of leaves did you find? How many types? While you’re at it, collect some of those leaves to use for some great projects.

Leaf Art

Once you have gathered some colorful leaves during your identification excursion, the ‘art part’ can begin. Here are some ideas that children are sure to love:

1. Leaf Rubbings - Place a leaf under a piece of paper, and rub over the top with a crayon. The shape and texture of the leaf will appear. Label the type of leaf for each rubbing and compare.

2. Leaf People - Glue the leaf on a sheet of paper as the ‘body’ and add a head, legs, and arms to create a leaf ‘person’.

3. Paint Spatters - Lay leaves on a large sheet of paper. Flick tempera paint from a toothbrush over the leaves by running fingers up and down the bristles. After the paint begins to dry, lift the leaves from the paper to the see the remaining outline. Experiment with different colors.

Leaf Preservation

Preserving the colors of fall leaves for further enjoyment is easy! Here are three ideas:

1. Wax Paper Pressing - Choose a ‘fresh’ colorful leaf and lay it between two layers of wax paper (with plenty of room to trim around the leaf.) Lay a thin towel over the wax paper and press with a medium hot iron to seal the leaf inside. Of course, adult supervision and caution is necessary. Carefully trim around the leaf with scissors and label. Press several different types of leaves. You can save these in a notebook or folder—or you can attach them to a window as sun catchers. Or why not make a mobile? The possibilities are endless!

2. Glycerin Preservation - Allowing fresh autumn leaves to absorb glycerin will help them to keep their color indefinitely. Mix a solution of two parts water with one part liquid glycerin (available at most drugstores). Crush the stem ends of the leaves with a hammer so the leaf can absorb the glycerin, then stand the leaves in the glycerin mixture for several days. Afterwards, wipe the leaves with a soft cloth to remove excess moisture.

3. Dry Pressing - Of course, the old tried and true method of preserving leaves is to press them. Pressing is best for smaller leaves or for ones that tend to be more naturally flat.

Begin with a thick layer of newspaper. Cover it with a paper towel before laying the chosen leaves on top. Cover with another layer of paper towel and more newspaper. Top the stack with a heavy book and leave it in a warm, dry place for several weeks. The only drawback to this method is that the leaves tend to be very brittle, so handle with care.

Math /Science/Language Arts

Why not use the leaves to expand thinking skills just a bit? Here are some suggestions:

1. Graphing - Have the children sort the collected leaves by color and make a graph of their findings. You can make a simple graph yourself or download one at
http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets/leafgraph.pdf.

2. Measurement/Estimation - Younger children can use cubes or paper clips to measure the length and width of the leaves while older children can use a ruler to compare the sizes. These findings can also be graphed. Place the leaves in a large container and have the children guess how many leaves there are. Then count to find out.

3. Sorting - How many ways can the leaves be sorted? By color, shape, size, texture? Have the children brainstorm how the leaves are alike or different.

4. Writing - Make up poems, riddles, or stories about leaves and trees—or just about autumn in general.

5. Other Questions/Activities - Why do leaves change colors? Find out. What is photosynthesis? Make a chart outlining the life cycle of a leaf.

Some Great Books/Resources

Look What I Did With A Leaf by Morteza E. Sohi

Trees, Leaves & Bark (Take-Along Guide) by Diane Burns

Why Do Leaves Change Colors? by Betsy Maestro

I Am A Leaf by Jean Marzollo

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlart

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlart

It’s Fall by Linda Glaser

When Autumn Comes by Robert Maass

Look How It Changes by June Young

Tree Finder: A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves by May T. Watts

How Leaves Change by Sylvia A. Johnson

When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey

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Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher turned homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by various magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can visit Amy at amyoquinn.comor www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.

It was all bright pointillism and glow. It was too sky high, and I couldn't reach it, and I ached for trying, and I closed the shutter, and I kept what I could take.

A minister spoke of a baptized baby's wonder yesterday.

Wonder, he said, keeps us alive.

It has been (it will be) one of those times—eight distinctly different client projects, all on short and pressing schedules. Ballroom dancing lessons not just with Jean but with his gorgeous wife and partner Iryna, who remind me as gently as two uber-talented Belarusian dancers can that I sometimes look like a man when dancing, sometimes like a clown, and (creme de la creme) sometimes like a male clown. I start working in the deep dark, stop working in the deep dark (after an entire day has passed), and I have read nothing more than last week's NYTBR, this week's Newsweek, and that fascinating bit on John Stuart Mills (The New Yorker) in I don't know how long.

I am literature starved. I feel my vocabulary dissipating. Do not ask my point of view.

So that it came as an utter surprise to me yesterday when I, in a dash to somewhere, let my gaze drift off and up then pinch upon the lit-up colors of some fully decked out maples. You know how it is—the first heralding trees of the season, the beginning of that show.

I always miss my mother at the change in season. I think, But if only she could see this.