Tag Archive for: autumn

'Leaves’ Nature Hunt – Children's Activity with Free Poster

September marks the start of autumn, which lasts 3 months and brings with it a stunning transition. Green leaves we’ve seen on trees over the summer will gradually change to autumn colours like brown, copper, yellow, beige and even shades of red and purple. This dramatic season of change is a wonderful opportunity to draw children’s attention to the incredible spectacle that takes place every year at this time — as well as to the wonders of nature more generally. Let’s not forget that nature is incredibly good for little ones too, so inspiring them to take an interest in spending time around nature will be beneficial to children in a myriad of ways. With that in mind, today’s post includes the release of a free ‘leaves’ reference poster for families to print out and use as the starting point for one or more nature/autumn-themed children’s activities.

Download the Free Leaves Identification Poster for Your Child

Click the preview image below to view or save the poster in Acrobat Reader format. (Whether you need to right or left click to save the poster file depends on your device’s specific set-up, so perhaps try both if you’re not sure).

Preview of the Leaves Nature Hunt poster (click to download or view the high-resolution version in Acrobat PDF format).

The leaf poster is designed both to be educational and get little ones interested in nature, which is so good for children. It will also encourage them to get outdoors to breathe the fresh air, exercise, enjoy some freedom (under supervision, of course) and experience some of the simple, though beneficial, things that life has to offer away from electronic screens and the limitations of being indoors. Nature and outdoor play are a powerful duo when it comes to benefiting children, giving them boundless opportunities for exploration, discovery, creativity, and more. Follow the bold links to learn more about such benefits.

Leaf Activity Examples

Painting leaves with paint. Leaf rubbing example. Leaves can inspire artwork. Leaf printing example. Leaves used as part of a collage design.

Examples of ways children can use the reference poster and the leaves that they find:

  • Children can use the poster in tandem with outdoor walks in parks and open spaces. They can learn to recognise the different leaves and the trees that they come from while fostering a greater appreciation of nature and its benefits.
  • Time-lapse of a year in the life of a beech tree.The reference may inspire them to see for themselves how leaves and trees dramatically change over this part of the year — the changing colours and landscapes during autumn are a wondrous spectacle!
  • Children may alternatively like to keep it simple and just collect interesting leaves and see how many different types they can find.
  • Parents/carers could challenge children to find specific leaf types, like a leaf treasure hunt.
  • Individual leaves can be ‘pressed’ and dried in a suitable book or between paper that’s weighted down.
  • Particularly once dried and flattened, leaves can be painted with colours, or used as part of a collage design of some kind. Dried leaves are a wonderful inspiration to let children get creative.
  • Leaf rubbing is great fun and very effective – place a leaf under thin paper and then scribble on the paper to reveal the features of the underlying leaf.
  • Leaf printing is also easy and results are impressive – simply roll or paint one side of the leaf and press it against paper to get a leaf imprint.

Want to Take Tree & Leaf Identification Further? Get the App!

The Woodland Trust supply an excellent free smartphone app, suitable for children from 4 years of age, for iPhone and Android. Called “British Tree Identification” it will teach children and adults alike a huge amount about tree and leaf identification, features to look out for, and much more. Learn more and download the tree identification app here.

Other Free Nature Posters for Children

Other free nature-related posters available from this Little Cedars nursery website include posters for British Birds, Minibeasts, Butterflies and an Autumn Treasure Hunt. Follow the links for more more information and to download them free.

A First-Class Childcare Service in Streatham, SW16

Little Cedars is a nursery & preschool offering high-quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rates Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderWe know how important nature and outdoor play are to children, especially those under five, and that’s one of the reasons we release nature-themed posters, identification sheets, and activity ideas for little ones here. Children at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham also benefit from our close proximity to Tooting Common where families and under-fives can enjoy nature and natural open spaces locally. Children attending the childcare nursery itself are also able to benefit from their very own planting area at the setting where they can grow vegetables. It’s both fun and incredibly educational.

Get in touch today to learn more about a place for your child at our Streatham nursery:

Little Cedars Nursery may suit families looking for high-quality childcare for babies and under-fives in Streatham as well as those nearby in Tooting, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.

Safety notice

Children should, of course, be supervised appropriately when playing and exploring outdoors. Particular care should be taken around water, hazards, traffic, the dangers of stranger danger, and anything potentially harmful including poisonous berries, sharp spines, thorns, etc. See our outdoor safety tips for children here.

Autumn Treasure Hunt — a Fun Nature-Based Activity for Children

Preview of the Autumn Treasure Hunt reference sheet.Autumn is a time of the year when magical colour changes occur across gardens, parks and landscapes. Leaves can be seen in a multitude of different colours before falling along with seeds, ripening fruits and berries. In autumn, nature shows us a wonderful metamorphosis and it’s a time of beautifully crisp air and clear distant views. It’s all incredible to behold and also offers children some unique seasonal activity opportunities.

One such activity is an autumn treasure hunt. Here, children get to explore the outdoors and see if they can spot some natural delights that are only available at this time of year. For example, can they spot a red leaf? How about a purple one… or a multicoloured one? Can they spot an acorn that’s fallen from an oak tree or spot ‘winged’ seeds falling like helicopters from a sycamore tree? Can they find some conkers or sweet chestnuts? And so on. With that in mind, we’ve put together a free reference sheet featuring 20 such items for children to look out for. Children or accompanying adults can print it out, take it along and tick off each item that’s successfully found. The activity could even be the basis of a competition between multiple children, perhaps with a treat or extra sticker for the child that checks off the most.

So, take a look and save the reference sheet by clicking the preview image below — the file is in Acrobat Reader format, so should work on most devices.

Autumn Treasure Hunt Reference Sheet (Click to Download):

Large view of the Autumn Treasure Hunt reference sheet. Click to download and view the Acrobat PDF, then print out.

This activity is great for children because it gets them outdoors, close to nature. And, as we’ve mentioned before, study after study concludes that outdoor play is incredibly important to children and being close to nature has huge benefits for them. However, remember to pay close attention to the safety and well-being of children under your care at all times, especially when playing outdoors — see some examples of things to look out for in the ‘child safety precautions’ box at the end of this article.

We hope you and your child enjoy this wholesome nature-based activity this autumn. It’s a simple but effective way to encourage children to appreciate nature and The Great Outdoors. It’s also a fun way to open their eyes and educate them about the sheer magic of nature and the natural world around them.

A Childcare Nursery for Your Child in Streatham

Are you looking for a high-quality childcare service in Streatham?

Little Cedars is a nursery & preschool offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderThis nature-based activity comes courtesy of the team at Little Cedars Day Nursery in Streatham, London SW16. We provide an outstanding early years education and high-quality childcare service for babies and under-fives. We also support free, Government-funded childcare places subject to eligibility and availability.

If you’d like to explore the possibility of your child having a nursery or preschool place at Little Cedars, please get in touch:

Little Cedars may also suit families living or working nearby in Tooting Common, Tooting, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common, Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.

Child Safety Precautions

As with all outdoor play, it’s important to ensure children are safe and kept out of harm’s way. For example, children, particularly the young, should be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times. Also, ensure they understand that they should avoid touching anything potentially poisonous like fungi and berries. Even things like conkers are poisonous if eaten. Acorns contain toxic tannins as well as being a potential choking hazard. Parents/adults should therefore ensure that children know not to put anything anywhere near their mouths when foraging or playing outdoors. And, of course, avoid touching the spiky cases of sweet chestnuts because they’re needle-sharp! These are just examples and supervising adults will need to do their own risk assessments before and during any outdoor activity involving children. More safety tips for outdoor play are available here.