The JumpStart Blog

The weather is cooling, the evenings are becoming darker earlier, and the leaves are beginning to change colors. Soon, kitchens will be warm and cozy with the smell of pumpkin treats in the oven and hand-shaped turkeys will adorn the refrigerator. Fall is a time of beautiful colors as the trees begin to shed their leaves, (with the exception of the more temperate climates, of course- sorry California). But whether your leaves change to that rustic yellow and deep crimson, you can still enjoy the beauty of fall with these simple, yet stunning leaf rubbings. Bring the beauty of the season into your home with this nature-inspired activity.

What you will need:

• Several sheets of blank paper
• Leaves
• Red and yellow crayons with the wrapper removed

What to do:

1. Take your child outside to enjoy the crisp autumn weather. While you are walking around, collect unique looking leaves that have fallen from the trees.
2. Once you have collected enough leaves, place them on a flat, smooth surface.
3. Cover the leaf with the piece of paper and rub the long part of the crayon back and forth across the surface of the paper. Slowly, you should be able to make out the veins and outline of the leaf under the paper.

Ever wonder why the leaves turn colors?

Your child might be curious as to why the leaves change color and fall off. The explanation has to do with the make-up of the leaves. The leaves are the food-producing part of the tree. Chlorophyll is green chemical in the leaves turns the sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is what the tree needs to survive. As the weather begins to change for fall, the tree knows that winter is coming. The tree will not be able to get enough sunlight and water during the winter months, so it readies for the winter by shutting off the food-makers, its leaves. When the leaves stop producing chlorophyll, they lose their green color. The red and yellow colors were just hidden under all that green chlorophyll the whole time. The tree then sheds its leaves and lives off the extra glucose it has been storing for the duration of winter. Of course, not all trees shed their leaves. Those that do are called deciduous trees, and the evergreen trees are classified as coniferous.

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