Exploring Autumn: A Season of Colour, Creativity, and Connection
This autumn, children have embraced the season through creative, collaborative, and sensory-rich experiences with leaves, deepening their connection to nature and each other through play and exploration.
By Grace Sarlandie, ECE
As autumn unfolds around us, we’ve been captivated by the vibrant colours and rich textures of falling leaves. This seasonal shift offers more than just a visual transformation; it provides a meaningful opportunity to connect with nature, cultivate mindfulness, and explore our environment with wonder and curiosity.
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One of our favourite provocations this season has been collecting leaves on skewers—a whimsical, open-ended activity that invites children to engage with nature’s palette in creative and playful ways. Whether designing decorative nature displays, constructing imaginative “leaf tools,” or simply enjoying the act of gathering, this activity transforms a simple walk into an intentional, sensory experience.
The children have also worked together to build intricate leaf trails, weaving reds, golds, and browns into colourful paths on the forest floor. As they collect and arrange leaves, these collaborative efforts foster moments of connection, storytelling, and shared discovery—transforming the outdoors into both a classroom and a canvas.
Our leaf exploration hasn’t stopped there. We've:
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Incorporated leaves into numeracy games
Observed them closely at the light table
Watched them fall from trees with delight
Used paint swatches to guide colour-focused scavenger hunts
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Each of these experiences invites us to slow down, engage our senses, and deepen our understanding of seasonal change through play and observation.
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As we embrace the magic of autumn together, we are reminded how every falling leaf can spark creativity, collaboration, and care for the world around us. Thank you, little saplings, for being such thoughtful and joyful explorers—we can’t wait to see where the next season takes us.
