LEAF SORTING
| Purpose: | To improve categorization skills. To compare and contrast. To use senses to help make decisions. |
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| Season: | All |
| Materials: | Leaves of different shapes, sizes and other variations. |
| Procedure: | There are numerous categories: (1) size - large to small, wide to narrow, long to short; (2) texture - rough to smooth, thick to thin; (3) insect damage - leaves with the most holes to those with the least, leaves with the most bumps or other kinds of damage; (4) colors - reds, yellows, and other shades of autumn foliage, or variations of green; (5) smell - leaves with a pleasant smell, with an unpleasant smell, with no smell; (6) edges - leaves with smooth edges, leaves with teeth, leaves with lobes. Most younger students can handle these categories. Older students may use more technical terms such as, shape - narrow, oblong, elliptic, heart-shaped, etc. |
| Data Sheet: | This activity can be done with a printed sheet which has drawings of the categories which can be checked off by the students. |
| Questions: | How many different categories did you create? |