Lesson Plan: Leaves Are Falling!

Topic: Science, Nature, and Sensory Exploration

Target Age Group: 2-3 years old

Ideal Setting: Adaptable for a one-on-one homeschool setting, a small group in a classroom, or a parent-child class.

Materials Needed

• A collection of real, clean, dry leaves in various colors, shapes, and sizes
• Basket or bag for collecting leaves (if going outside)
• Large sheet of paper, cardstock, or a piece of cardboard
• Child-safe glue stick or liquid glue
• Optional: Crayons or washable markers
• A simple picture book about autumn or leaves (e.g., "We're Going on a Leaf Hunt" by Steve Metzger)
• Lightweight scarves, tissues, or pieces of fabric (one per person)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the learner will be able to:

• Touch and describe a leaf using simple words (e.g., "big," "red," "crunchy").
• Demonstrate the concept of "falling" through body movement.
• Participate in creating a piece of art using leaves.
• Point to a leaf when asked and attempt to say the word "leaf."

Lesson Procedure

Part 1: Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Hook: The Leaf Song!

• Sit with the child and sing a simple song to grab their attention. Use hand motions to make it fun.
• Talking Points (to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down"):
  "Leaves are falling all around, all around, all around." (Wiggle fingers downwards)
  "Leaves are falling all around, all around the town."
  "Take a red one and a brown, and a brown, and a brown." (Pretend to pick up leaves)
  "Take a red one and a brown, all around the town."

2. Introduce the Topic & Objectives

• Talking Points: "Yay! That was fun! Today, we are going to be leaf explorers! We are going to play with pretty leaves. We will touch leaves, watch them fall down, and make a beautiful leaf picture! Are you ready?"

Part 2: Body - Content & Activities (15-20 minutes)

This section follows an "I do, We do, You do" model to guide the child from observation to independent exploration.

Activity 1: I Do - Look at My Leaf (Modeling)

• Educator Action: Hold up one interesting leaf. Describe it using very simple, engaging language.
• Talking Points: "Look! I have a leaf. Wow! My leaf is red. It feels a little bumpy. Listen... *crinkle the leaf near the child's ear*... it goes crunch, crunch! Now, watch! I'm going to let it go... Whee! The leaf is falling down, down, down. Plop!"

Activity 2: We Do - Let's Be Leaf Detectives! (Guided Practice)

• Educator Action: Introduce the basket of leaves (or go on a short leaf hunt outside). Explore the leaves together.
• Talking Points: "Now it's our turn! Let's look in the basket. Ooooh, so many leaves! Can you help me find a big leaf? Yes, that one is big! How about a yellow leaf? You found it! Let's touch this one. Is it soft? This one is crunchy!"
• Formative Assessment: Observe if the child is engaged. Do they reach for the leaves? Do they react to the sounds and textures?

Activity 3: You Do - Sensory Leaf Play (Independent Exploration)

• Educator Action: Allow the child to simply play with the pile of leaves. Sit with them and narrate their actions. Avoid asking too many questions to allow for free exploration.
• Talking Points: "You are holding a brown leaf. Swish, swish, swish in the leaves! You are making a big pile. Pat, pat, pat the leaves."

Activity 4: We Do - Let's Be Falling Leaves! (Kinesthetic Learning)

• Educator Action: Give the child a lightweight scarf or piece of fabric.
• Talking Points: "Let's pretend we are leaves on a big tree! Stand up tall! Hold your scarf up high, high, high! A big wind is coming... whoooosh! Here we go! We are falling down, down, down, down... and land on the ground! Let's do it again!"

Activity 5: We Do / You Do - Leaf Art Collage (Creative Application)

• Educator Action: Bring out the large paper and glue. Model how to stick a leaf onto the paper first.
• Talking Points: "Now we will make a pretty picture. I'm going to choose a leaf. Hmmm, I like this one. I will put glue on the back... stick, stick, stick... and press it on the paper. Pat, pat, pat."
• Guidance: "Your turn! Which leaf do you want? Okay, let's put glue on it. Where will you put your leaf? Great job! Let's choose another one."
• Success Criteria: Success is participation and exploration. The goal is the process, not a perfect product. The child has successfully participated if they have touched the glue and placed at least one leaf on the paper.

Part 3: Conclusion (5 minutes)

1. Recap and Review

• Educator Action: Look at the finished art project together. Point to the different leaves and talk about what you did.
• Talking Points: "Look at what you made! It's your leaf picture! You used a red leaf, and a big brown leaf. What do leaves do? They... fall down! We played with leaves today. It was so much fun!"

2. Summative Assessment

• Educator Action: Ask a simple, direct question that the child can answer by pointing or with a single word.
• Talking Points: "Can you show me a leaf on your picture? Yes! That's a leaf! You found it!"

3. Closing Song

• End the lesson by singing the "Leaves are falling..." song one more time to reinforce the theme and signal that the activity is over.

Differentiation & Adaptations

• For Younger Learners (under 2) or those needing more support:
  • Focus mainly on the sensory play (Activity 3).
  • For the art project, use a piece of clear contact paper, sticky-side up, taped to a table. The child can simply place leaves on the sticky surface without needing to handle glue.
  • Use more hand-over-hand guidance and simple, repetitive words.
• For Older Learners (3+) or those ready for a challenge:
  • Introduce sorting activities: "Let's make a pile for red leaves and a pile for yellow leaves."
  • Practice counting the leaves: "How many leaves are in your picture? Let's count! One, two, three!"
  • Create leaf rubbings by placing a leaf under the paper and rubbing the side of a crayon over it to see the pattern.