We love the units pulled together by Karen Caroe and during our years of homeschooling used many of them. Falling Leaves is a great fall-themed unit covering the disciplines of language arts, science, math, art, history, and Bible. You’ll even find suggestions for including the toddlers in your family.
Falling Leaves is geared toward your youngest through your middle school student. Because the unit study is open-ended (you pick and choose the activities that you are interested in), depending on your family’s interests it can last one day, a week, or an entire month by including the recommended extension topics.
The resources recommended in the unit are just that — recommendations. They are not required to complete the unit. You’ll find our recommended resources below.
These units have been around for some time so the links are usually very outdated. But no worry! You’ll find replacement links and additional resources below.
Language Arts
10 Steps to Build a Better Speller
Ideas for using the spelling and vocabulary words listed.
Grammar-land {Free eBook and Go Alongs}
Easy way to become familiar with the parts of speech.
Dancing Minds and Shouting Smiles: Teaching Personification Through Poetry
Lesson plan at ReadWriteThink.com — perfect for studying personification and writing a poem about leaves.
Leaf Shape Book
Printable at TeacherView.com that can be used to hold a poem.
Activity: Diamond Poem {Parts of Speech Practice}
Great way to write a simple leaf poem.
Suggested Leaf Poems
These can be used for the poetry activities in the language arts section.
“How the Leaves Came Down” by Susan Coolidge
“Gathering Leaves” by Robert Frost
“The Tree” by Bjornstjerne Bjornson
“The Kitten and Falling Leaves” by William Wordsworth
“Fall, leaves, fall” by Emily Brontë
Autumn Poems
Many more fall leaf poems at TeachingFirst.net.
“A Fall Song” by Ellen Robena Field
Golden and red trees
Nod to the soft breeze,
As it whispers, “Winter is near;”
And the brown nuts fall
At the wind’s loud call,
For this is the Fall of the year.Good-by, sweet flowers!
Through bright Summer hours
You have filled our hearts with cheer
We shall miss you so,
And yet you must go,
For this is the Fall of the year.Now the days grow cold,
As the year grows old,
And the meadows are brown and sere;
Brave robin redbreast
Has gone from his nest,
For this is the Fall of the year.I do softly pray
At the close of day,
That the little children, so dear,
May as purely grow
As the fleecy snow
That follows the Fall of the year.
Science
Collecting Autumn Leaves
Activity and printable from Kid Zone to help with the nature walk.
The Parts of a Leaf
Descriptions and pictures to aid with sorting (including simple/compound leaves).
Plant Structures: Leaves
More help for sorting from the Colorado State University Extension including shapes and margins.
Leaf Morphology
Printable that shows examples for leaf sorting.
Leaf By Leaf
Printable from Ranger Rick Jr. for recording leaves on notebook page (April).
Why Leaves Change Color
Information on photosynthesis and why leaves change color for science activity #9.
Identifying Conifers
Help for activity #10 from the Colorado State University Extension.
Meet the Conifers
Recording printable from Ranger Rick Jr.
Free Nature Studies: Green Leaf Factories (Leaves)
More leaf resources from our free nature studies.
Math
How Many Leaves on a Tree
Archived version of the page listed.
History
Modern Cleared Leaf Photos
View a large collection at Berkley.
Peanut Unit {Free}
Info on George Washington Carver.
Attending to My Farm
Article from Monticello covering Jefferson’s gardening interest.
Jefferson’s Cabinet (Office)
Interactive from Monticello that explores Jefferson’s interest in botany, horticulture, and natural history (among other interests).
Free History Studies: Thomas Jefferson
More on Jefferson from our free history studies.
Arts/Crafts
How to Make a Leaf Print Picture
Another idea from Artists Helping Children similar to the one suggested.
Leaf Alphabet
Neat idea from Martha Stewart that a child could use to create his initial.
Autumn Leaves
Painting by Georgia O’Keefe.
Bible
Topical Index
From BibleGateway makes the Bible exercise easy.
Home Ec
Chocolate Leaves
Not-too-hard method from Martha Stewart.
Books
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Simple tale for the littlest of the changing and falling of leaves told through the eyes of a bear.
Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro
We’ve enjoyed many of the titles in the Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out science series. This one explains the fall colors.
Leave It To Leaves
Great free activity book download from Texas Parks and Wildlife that includes a “The Life of a Leaf” printable explaining the different characteristics of leaves including why they change color, a math activity, a leaf-rubbing activity, and composting idea.
Other Activities
Fall Foliage
Maps from the Weather Channel that show current fall foliage in various regions.
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