Participating in a preschool leaf exchange

One of the wonderful things about online networking in early childhood education is the chance to participate in unique activities like a leaf exchange…

I hadn’t really thought about how not every state has a true fall season like we do here in Indiana. The leaf exchange is designed to share leaves that are common in your home state with others from other states.

A common leaf that can be found in the state of Indiana is the Maple Leaf.  We have Red Leaf Maples and Sugar Maples all around my community.

As you can see from the photos above, the maple leaves turn brilliant red, yellow, and red depending on the amount of sunlight and rain we get in the Fall. If the season is too dry, the leaves will turn brown much too quickly but given the right combination of sun, rain, and temperatures – the leaves make a beautiful fall backdrop to our community.

For the leaf exchange, organized by Little Wonders Preschool, I was sent a list of 20 other schools to send out one or two leaves. The instructions were to…

“Please send each preschool 1 or 2 laminated leaves. Label the leaves with what type of tree (If you know) and city & state.”

I gathered the leaves (shown above) and then printed out this little tag for each school…

I placed the tag and three leaves into a laminating pouch and ran the pouch through my very old, but reliable, laminator!

The laminated finish wasn’t perfect but it should keep the leaves in good condition for the mail…

I made 20 of these to send out and now all I have to do is write out all of those addresses and drop them in the mail!  The teachers from each school will then be able to share the leaves from all different states with their students…

The states participating in the leaf exchange include…

  • California (we have many from different parts of California)
  • Omaha
  • Colorado
  • Massachusetts
  • Georgia
  • Maryland
  • Florida
  • Wisconsin
  • New Jersey
  • Connecticut
  • Texas
  • Indiana (that’s me)

I would encourage you to get involved in the online early childhood education community. As you can see here, it is a great way to find new opportunities and ideas for your class as well as meet other dedicated early childhood educators!

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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