Fun With Fall-Incorporating Science, Math, Technology, and Art-A Full Project Outline!

One of my favorite things about Ontario is fall-the crisp morning air, the delicious smells and the beautiful colours. I find it remarkably difficult to spend time inside once the leaves start to turn, so I tried to come up with a project that would maximize the time I could be outside. I was thinking of the kids as well, but in all selfish honesty, I was mostly thinking about me! 

I entitled my project "Fun with Fall 2013" and here's how it breaks down. 

Step 1-Collection

The first step is to, you guessed it, go outside! On a beautiful fall day spend 2-3 hours collecting leaves. Find as many different leaves as you can-different colours, different shapes, different sizes and different patterns (in the middle of changing from green to yellow versus from yellow to red for example)-and get a few of each to use for different purposes. If you put leaves flat into Ziploc freezer bags, they will stay moist enough to use for weeks! Take pictures of the trees that the leaves came from to use later on in your students research. 

Step 2-Curriculum Integration

I figured the best way to illustrate how you can use leaves and autumn in general in your teaching would be to break it up by "subject" and then leave it (hahaha, get it?) to you, the readers, to decide on which aspects would work for your students. For those of you who want to know where each particular concept fits in the Ontario curriculum  I have also included the subject, grade level(s) and specific strands so you can adapt them to your liking. So here goes:

Math:

Sorting by colour, shape and size (Grade 1:Geometry and Spatial Sense)
Counting both the total amount and amount of each group (Grade 1 Number Sense and Numeration)
Patterning (Grade 1, Patterning and Algebra)
Graphing of each leaf group made earlier when sorting-either pictorially or numerically (Grade 1 Data Management and Probability)
Percentage and fractions (Grade 2/3/4 Number Sense and Numeration)

Science:

Classification of the leaves and their corresponding trees (Grade 1/2/3/higher, Needs and Characteristics of Living Things)
Plant food production and how it relates to the colours of fall (Grade 1-8 Life Systems)
The influence of climate on plant species (Grade 2-8 Life Systems)

Research and Technology:
Using the internet as a tool to research the names/families of the trees/leaves and where else in the world they are found and why
Creating a graph with MS Excel after pictograph/handmade graph is done.
Use Ms Excel or similar software to create a pie circle to introduce/reinforce the concepts of percentage and fractions.

Art (Grades 1-8, Visual Arts):
Rubbings and tracings
Create a painting incorporating leaves
Creating leaf stampers to make a colour collage
Creating a collage in the shape of a leaf, using leaves

I think that this could by a great cross curricular project that would incorperate enough topics to make it a truly valuable "fun with fall" experience! I plan on trying everything and will write about it-the good, the bad and the ugly-as we try it!

If any of you give any of this a go, or have something similar, please comment/share with me, I would love to here about how you had "fun with fall"!