Leaf pile! and other fall fun
Leaf play is a fall classic, whether it’s jumping in them, shuffling through them, doing art projects with them, or just admiring the prettiest ones. If you’ve got a yard and tree, you and the grandkids can play at home. Or you can enjoy the leaves at a nature center, your local park, or along a sidewalk.
Timing matters, of course. Leaf activities have to wait for the trees. Catching the dry spells is important, too, because wet leaves are uncomfortable to play in, they don’t offer the same lovely smell, or the glorious fall crunch, and as far as I’m aware, they aren’t good for art projects, either. And the kids get busy with school and activities…but let’s assume you catch the right moment.
If a leaf pile is your aim, include the grandkids in raking. These days, many gardeners are hanging onto fallen leaves, so the leaves can act as habitat and mulch. (I’m hooked on this approach—in addition to the environmental benefits, it’s way less work and less expensive.) As the goal isn’t a pristine lawn (see link), the raking can include flying leaves, snow-plow style bulk movements, and haphazard piling, all for the sake of making the leaf-piling fun rather than a chore. (Note: You may have to re-spread or relocate the pile after play to get the habitat/mulch effect you want.) For 2- or 3-year-olds, the pile doesn’t need to be very big. If teens are involved, go giant.
Per time honored use, leaf pile activities can include:
• Jumping. With or without a running start, from ground level or a modest height.
• Hiding, and surprising (well, sort of surprising) grandparents.
• Making a house or nest.
Or go unconventional. This year our grandkids thought their nest looked more like a volcano. So (after a few false starts) we set off classic science project lava flow for a bubbling of realism in the leaf-pile center. (We didn’t make a volcano model—just used a pint jar.)
Leaf sights, sounds, smells, and science
If you don’t have the desire or space for a leaf pile, you can go elsewhere to play in the leaves, preferably somewhere else that avoids dog and cat waste, like a fenced nature center that allows it. You’ll still have to worry about ticks—tick checks are mandatory after leaf play.
To keep it super-simple, shuffle through the leaves with your grandchild. The shuffling makes a wonderful sound, smell, and feel—sensations to experience in a local park or along sidewalks, boulevards, or curbs. This activity is great for the really little ones—some like it even at the crawling stage (as always, be careful what the little ones put in their mouths!). Many older kids enjoy it, too.
While you and your grandchild are shuffling, or when you stop, you can also look…so many leaves are beautiful, and all different. Children have great fun collecting them, even if they aren’t going to use them for a project. It’s a good idea to bring along a bag. While you’re looking and gathering, you can also sneak in a lesson, if you are so inclined, about tree and shrub varieties, leaf shapes, leaf structure, deciduous vs coniferous trees, etc. Or maybe learn about those weird, and very interesting, lumps or fuzzy spots you’ll see on some leaves.
Of course, don’t forget to look up at the fall color. Maybe you can sneak in a lesson as you’re taking in the fall reds and yellows, too. One grandchild said the other day, “I don’t like to look at the brown leaves. They’re boring.” But I when I showed him an oak that was brown like a roasted marshmallow, he quickly agreed that it was pretty (and not boring), even though it was brown.
Leaf art
And leaf art possibilities are endless. You may well remember ironing leaves between sheets of wax paper, then hanging the result so the sun shone through it? Still a possibility! Or try one of these. Collecting the “right” leaves for your chosen project(s) will be part of the fun.
I can’t leave the subject of leaf play without telling a favorite family story. When our daughter was 3, we raked up a leaf pile, in which she jumped, hid, and made a nest, playing for a long time. But eventually she sat up, a leaf in her hand, puzzled look on her face, and said, “What ARE these things, anyway?” After laughing, I explained.