Make a Fall Leaf Color Wheel Wreath
Nature Cat’s pal Hal can’t get enough of fall leaves. He thinks there’s a Leaf Fairy that makes them drop off the trees. As he explores on his walk to find the fairy and stop her, he notices leaves come in different shapes and sizes — and that each type of leaf belongs to a different kind of tree. He also learns that losing leaves in the fall is an important part of the life cycle for many kinds of trees!
Do leaves change color and fall to the ground where you live? Collect them with your child to make a unique decoration to celebrate fall. What color leaves will you and your child find on a nature walk? Will you find leaves in shades of red, yellow, orange, brown, and maybe even purple? How many can you find in each color?
Even if leaves do not change color where you live, you can still explore leaves by collecting any that have fallen on the ground. How many different shapes can your child find? How many different shades of green do they notice?
Collect leaves and observe what makes them special — and then craft a unique decoration to celebrate the season!
Materials
Directions
Go outside and explore! You can do this right outside your front door by taking a walk around the block or by going to a nearby park. Invite your child to look all around and notice different colors they see in nature.
Next, collect fallen leaves! You will need about 25 to 30 fallen leaves to make your wreath, unless the leaves where you live are small — then you’ll need to collect more! Collect leaves in all shapes, sizes, and colors, even if they are different shades of green.
At home, create a pile of leaves next to the printable color wheel on a flat surface. Ask your child to group the leaves into different piles by color. Then, encourage your child to match the leaves to the sections of the wheel.
Create a base for the wreath by cutting a donut shape out of the cardboard or by cutting a hole in the middle of a paper plate.
Work together with your child to tape the stems of the leaves around the paper plate or cardboard donut. Follow the pattern your child created on the color wheel — or encourage your child to be creative and arrange the leaves around the wreath however they like.
Punch a hole in the paper plate or cardboard and thread the yarn or string through the hole. Or tape yarn or string to the back of the wreath. Then hang the fall leaf color wheel wreath on your door or somewhere in your house to celebrate fall!
Photographs by Sana Kifafi
Want more “Nature Cat” activities? Make leaf and bark rubbings and nature art picture frames to continue the fun!
Author: 
Arts