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My favorite activity, of all time, is taking walks on the trails with my family. I love being out in nature, getting some exercise, and sometimes just being silent. Lately, my son has taken to running the trails with me. We run ahead while Marshall has May in the Ergo. These are my favorite memories.
“Just you and me, Mom,” he says.
This is our road, not the trails, but the colors of fall are just as beautiful!
There are some beautiful wooded trails near our house that we like to frequent at least every other weekend. There are many to choose from and we usually just do a two mile loop. The other day, on the way back, my son was done “running,” and we decided to begin leaf collecting.
It was nostalgic, talking about each leaf, pointing out the colors, their differences, and the sounds they made under our feet. I remember spending hours finding the perfect leaves when I was a child.
We started with oak leaves. Then I noticed that there are rounded lobed oak leaves (white) and pointed lobed oak leaves (red). I really didn’t know what their specific names were until I looked it up when we got home. We also noticed the differences in the big and small maple leaves. I wanted to be teaching him the correct names! We kept collecting, as I sounded off names like “beech, birch, and elm,” without being sure of their exact specifications.
I knew I had to make some printables to sort out our leaves at home. I didn’t realize how many cards I would need to make — I made 30 cards, and many of them weren’t needed. But they may be someday! And I can always make more too. :)
We got him ready on the floor and sorted our leaf collection according to each card. John loved it.
Sorting his leaves! He was really understanding the concept of sorting! I had to explain that we aren’t necessarily following the colors, but instead sorting by shape of the leaves.
I laminated mine, but you certainly don’t have to. You could also print these off on a smaller scale (at four per page) and punch a hole in the corner and put a ring binder on these to take with you for leaf hunting with your own little botanist.
Disclaimer: I am not a botanist — I hope that these leaf identification cards are correct, but I am human. Please let me know if you see an error and I will try to correct it! :) Also, if you have a special leaf request, please let me know and I can try to make a card for you :)
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Happy fall!!
I’d love for you to share your Leaf Activity on our After School Linky Party. This is a terrific activity for children of all ages. Can’t wait to print mine off for my kids. Thanks!
I’m not a botanist either, but your hard maple looks like a Sugar Maple http://www.123rf.com/photo_1906322_yellow-sugar-maple-leaf-against-white-background.html and you Tulip, I believe is actually called a Tulip Popular http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Kentucky/tree_tulip_poplar.html.
Thanks, Jennifer :) Yes, it is hard to decipher — it seems to me that the Hard and Sugar Maple is the same tree. But I will add it on my addendum as a Sugar! (The big maple could also be a bigleaf or norway maple too!) Also, yes, about the Tulip — I am just trying to keep it simple :) Thanks for commenting, hope you like them!
I most definitely love them, and am very grateful you put the work, they are beautiful, I can’t wait to use them!! :)
I forgot to say how much I love these, though!
These are amazing! Thank you sooo much! Is there a chance you could make a ginkgo leaf card? I will be using these each year. Thank you sooooo much!!!
Kristen, yes, I will add it as an addendum on the site in the next few days :)
These are fabulous, Amy! Thanks for so generously sharing them. I was happy to feature your post as the Free Printable of the Day at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and on Pinterest. :)
Thank you sooooo much!!!!!!!
These are beautiful! I have been looking for something like this for years–thank you so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome, Sarah, I am so happy to be a resource to your Montessori teaching :)
This is WONDERFUL! so glad i found this. I’ll be doing this with my children since I love leaves and fall!
Thanks, Thaleia :)
Wow! This would have taken quite a bit of time to make 30 of these! Thank you so much for sharing them with us! I found your post on Family Fun Friday.
My kids are always asking me to identify leaves, and I have no idea! That’s why I’m printing these up right now and will feature them at the After School linky on Monday. Thanks so much for sharing!
I just found your blog through Debs at Learn with Play at Home, and I’m printing this as I type! My kids and I are so curious about all of the trees in our neighborhood and we can only name a handful of them — this is sure to be a big hit. xo
Thanks Rachelle!!
Wow! What a great resource! I’m pinning this in my (CarlaINHouston) Free Printables!! board…thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you so much for these! We actually collected a TON of leaves today in the park so we could bring them home to find a book to identify them. Then when checking my e-mails I found your wonderful printables! Praise God and thank you!!
These are wonderful! Thanks so much for linking up with Hearts for Home Blog Hop. I am featuring you as one of my favorites this week. Be sure to stop by and grab an “I’ve been featured” button. :-)
Thank you so much! I will be printing off two copies of four to a sheet to use them as a matching game, Go Fish, etc. This is great!
Thank you for linking up with the Hearts for Home link up last week. Your post has been selected to feature on this week’s instalment of Hearts for Home blog hop on Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy. Please remember to snag the “I was featured” button tomorrow morning. The blog post will be going live tomorrow morning. http://www.monstersed.co.za/2013/10/24/hearts-home-20-free-downloads
I have not seen something this in depth about tree leaves before. I have always wondered what types of trees we have based on their leaves and now my children and I can tell with the use of these identification cards. Thank you for sharing and for linking up this week to the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop.
Great work! Featuring at Family Fun Friday. :-)
Monica
http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/category/family-fun/
Thanks, Monica!!
These are such a great resource! I can’t wait to print mine out and add them to our science area!
These are Fantabulous!!!! Thank you so much for all the time you put into these.
These are wonderful, thanks ever so much for sharing! My kids are always picking up leaves and asking me the names of the trees that they come from. ~ Donya
As a Mum that is asked daily as we walk to school what is this leaf, flower, tree, bug… (you name it) I love this. Thank you so much for the resource and also for linking up to Tuesday Tots popping by to let you know that I will be featuring this over on Rainy Day Mum this week.
Just printed the leaf identification cards – thank you so much! Just what I needed for my walks in the woods with the kids.
Amy, thank you for linking up to the Hip Homeschool Moms’ Hop this past week. Our team members choose their favorite post from the links and your post was one of them chosen! Be sure to grab our “I was featured on Hip Homeschool Moms” button on our site! Here is the link where you were featured. http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2013/10/hhm-favorite-posts-weeks-hop-10292013/
We hope to see more of your posts linked up! Thank you for being a part of our community!
I really like ur gesture of sharing your learning with other learners.
Thanks Uzma :)
I love theses! I’m having trouble downloading them though. When I click on the link it takes me to dropbox and then displays an error code 404 file cannot be found. your help would be greatly appreciated as we are starting back to school on Monday with tree and leaf identification part of our science.. Thanks so much!
Meghan(homeschooling mom of 2)
Thanks for letting me know, Meghan, I just started hosting my files for printables on dropbox, and it was the wrong link! Please let me know thast this worked for you now!!
I am an independent sales rep for a chemical-free cleaning company that happens to be planting 20,000 trees in honor of their 20th anniversary. In honor of this, I am creating a Pinterest board all about trees. I found your activity and could not resist adding it! What a great way to teach children to recognize trees! Thanks for taking the time to make this!
Thanks, Suzanne — I love Norwex :)
Glad you have discovered the company. Has truly changed my family’s lives! Thanks again for sharing your great ideas!
Thank you so much for explaining how this was parent-child time and also a fun educational experience. Thanks for the free leaf cards. Pinned. I also linked to this from my recent blog post. Thanks!
You’re officially My HERO …. Many thanks again. Another print I was desperately seeking everywhere!
awww thanks Jeanine :)
Thank you
This leaf project is just what I need for my preschoolers! Thank you!
Thank you very much.
Hi Amy
I’m a new subscriber to your site. It is great! I’v checked my junk email box for the second email in order to get the leaf printable. The kids in my Kindergarten classroom are busy with leaf activities. I would LOVE that printable but cannot seem to find it or the second email with the free printables. Can you resend?
I sent you an email, hope you got it!!
Hello, I love your blog! I had found your facebook page which I love, and I just subscribed to your newsletter. I clicked on the activation link and had forgotten the password to receive the free leaf printables, ebook, and lego letters printable and when I hit the back button I couldn’t try again. How can I get the free printables and Thank you so much for making them, they are beautiful! I teach preschool art and nature classes in my home and these will be great for my classes!
I sent you an email :)
Hi, I got the same trouble. I didn’t get that we would only be able to get the page once and opened the link with my phone so I didn’t receive the free printable. I’d love to use them with my students… Is there anyway I can get it back?
Thank you so much for your help and all your wonderful work~
Marthe, I send it every week, but I will email you now!!! :)
Hi!
I would love to use these in my classroom! I subscribed, but I didn’t get the confirmation nor the printable. Could you please send me another email?
Thanks
Steffie
These are so great! Thanks for posting them! It is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
love the 30 leaf identification printables!!