Why do leaves go crispy?

Crunch, scrunch and rustle. Why do leaves go crispy? What’s inside a conker? Let’s find out all about autumn in this exciting seasonal project.

This half term, we’ll visit the woods in school to hunt for autumnal treasures. We’ll watch what happens when frozen objects melt. Getting creative, we’ll press leaves into clay to make beautiful impressions, and we’ll trace the patterns on leaves. Things could get messy in our mud kitchen when we use different tools to dig, mix and pour. We’ll also enjoy making marks in the mud. Our maths skills will help us to count conkers, and we’ll use them to make different numbers. Using sticks, we’ll explore lengths and use the language of size. It will be lovely to curl up in the reading corner to enjoy autumnal stories and poetry. Working together, we’ll collect fallen leaves and have lots of fun playing with them! Using our senses, we’ll explore conkers and acorns, thinking about why they fall in autumn. At the end of the project, we’ll make a colourful and tasty harvest soup, and read a book about autumn that will encourage us to reflect on our learning.

Help your child prepare for their project

Autumn is awesome! Why not go for an autumn walk to play in the leaves? You could also collect natural objects to make a colourful autumnal collage. Alternatively, use recycled materials to make a woodland creature.

Areas of learning Early Learning Goals

Communication and language

Listening and attention; Understanding; Speaking

Physical development

Moving and handling

Personal, social and emotional development

Self-confidence and self-awareness; Making relationships

Literacy

Reading; Writing

Mathematics

Numbers; Shape, space and measures

Understanding the world

The world; Technology

Expressive arts and design

Exploring and using media and materials; Being imaginative