Recommended Age: 3 to 5 years
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium during the initial exercise, low once the child has built a repertoire of leaf shapes and can use the cards to find leaf shapes in the environment independently
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- Botany cabinet leaf shape cards
- Small box or basket to keep the cards
- Scissors
- Laminator
- Laminating sheets
- Small bag or basket for the child to collect leaves
- Small note book, writing pencil and different shades of green pencils for following exercise (drawing and labelling leaf shapes)
Preparation
- Print the botany cabinet leaf shape cards
- Cut only the cards with the label (leave the picture card and separate labels for an extension, the child may work with them as 3-part cards)
- Laminate and cut the cards
- Place the cards in a small box, basket
Steps
- Invite the child letting them know that today they will be exploring different leaf shapes
- Show the child the box/basket of prepared cards, the child may bring the cards to the table
- Sit to the right of the child, the child may take the cards out of the box/basket
- Ask the child if they recognise anything about the cards (the child may make the link between the cards and the botany cabinet in their Montessori 3-6 environment)
- Let the child know that these cards represent the different leaf shapes found around the world
- One at a time, name each card, laying them out in 2 horizontal lines on the table in front of the child
- Once all cards have been laid, invite the child to choose their favourite 3 leaf shape cards
- Put the other cards back in the box/basket
- Do a 3-period lesson with the 3 cards the child has chosen
- When finished, let the child know you are now going to search for these leaf shapes outside
- Depending on the outdoor area you have access to you may decide to go for a walk around your own backyard or go for a walk around your suburb with the child
- Invite the child to place the 3 cards into the bag, dress according to the weather (jackets and beanies if cold, sunhats and sunscreen if hot)
- Go for a walk with the child looking at different leaf shapes, comparing them to the three cards
- The child may collect the leaves and place them in their bag
- When you return home or go back indoors, if the child has collected other leaves, compare them with the other cards
- The child may stick the leaves onto a piece of paper and label them using the cards to copy the name
- The child may return the leaf shape cards to its place when finished, let the child that on another day they will learn the names of 3 more leaf shapes and go looking for them outdoors
- The child may also do this activity independently, choosing 3 cards and going for a walk in their backyard
Variations
- The child can draw and label the leaf shapes they have found, creating an album (use a small note book)
- The child may use all cards (3-part cards)
- Continue presenting 3 period lessons, 3 cards at a time until the child has memorized all leaf shape cards
- The child may do leaf rubbing with the collected leaves
