Going on a Nature Walk

 Last week we said goodbye to fall with a walk around the school's neighborhood.  To get started, we sewed simple nature bags.  I used ribbon for the handle this year, which was sturdier.

 Back at school, we went through our findings - so many different kinds of leaves!  We used some favorite books such as Leaf Man and Autumn Leaves to identify them.  Then, each child chose a favorite leaf to write about for a class book. 

 We also recreated our walk with a map.

 The big craft project was stained glass leaves.  Have you made these before?  My assistant Mary (who is a mere 23) had never made them!  I was shocked and immediately set her to work.  If you have never done this, you should.  Here, I'll tell you how.

 First, shave some crayons - I used an old potato peeler.  Then, lay your leaves on a piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle some shaved crayons around the leaves. 

Then comes the fun part.  Put another piece of wax paper on top.  Iron the wax paper.  The crayon will melt and becomes the glue to hold everything together.  After it has cooled, cut the excess wax paper off. 

As you can imagine, this process can be used for loads of different materials such as flower petals, little pieces of construction paper, or just with crayons.

Goodbye Fall!