Autumn Awe

Awe can be expressed in so many ways. Some people stand speechless taking it all in as they watch a beautiful sunset, others start thinking up a storm asking questions about the phenomenon; still others take their experience back with them and create art in an attempt to capture it and possibly share it with others. 

This fall, Dawn has been teaching a Nature Art series to some home school families. One week they focused on the awe and wonder that happens when a New England fall is experienced. Leaves are changing color. Wind gusts blow them off branches up high in the canopy and they dance to the ground. They cover the forest floor in the colors of sunrises and sunsets. There are so many amazing colors of fall in New England! 

Here are a few activities we did that you can do at home or at school too!

Colors of Fall - collect some paint sample cards from Walmart or your local hardware store and try to match them to the colors of the leaves you see in your yard. Read some of the names of the colors from the paint card and share which is your favorite color of fall!

Leaf Insects - use leaves, twigs, berries, seeds, and other natural items to create an insect. Remember that insects have 6 legs, 3 body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), 2 antennae, eyes, mouth parts, and adults usually have 2-4 wings. You can glue your items to a sheet of paper or just arrange it on one. Add some creative writing by thinking about a day in the life of your insect and write a journal entry from its perspective. Adding drawing or even create a cartoon if you like!

Leaf Line-up - Organize leaves into color groups - yellow, orange, red, brown, green, etc. Line them up from freshest (green) to least fresh (brown). Your line can curve or be straight. Add leaves that have multiple colors to transition between color groups. Check out these amazing examples from Andy Goldsworthy!