Autumn Leaf Hunt

If you are in an area with fall color, this scavenger hunt works with kids’ inclination to gather as many autumn leaves as they can. This activity focuses their hunting and gathering.

While walking, encourage children to gather one leaf from as many different types of trees as they can. It isn’t necessary to identify the species of tree, unless you’d like to do this. Persuade the kids to notice the basic shape of each leaf as opposed to the color or size. This limitation means that every so often the kids have to compare the leaves they’ve collected and decide which oak or ash leaf they are most attracted to.

If you are in a forested area or a place with a variety of leaves, you can give kids a time limit, say sixty seconds, and push them to collect as many leaves as they can. Then allow the kids to sort the leaves by type. Did any child collect a leaf unlike anyone else’s leaves?