Unbe-LEAF-able Leaf Litter Investigation & Insect Art

Objectives

• Investigate lives in leaf litter and what happens to the leaves when they fall

• Collect leaves from outside

• Discuss why leave litter is important to animals and our environment

• Create a leaf rubbing to complete an insect

Materials

• Per class:

• A window or light source

• A drying rack or tray for the leaves (if needed)

• Trays for the table groups or class to hold their collected leaves (in class or outside if doing the class-wide leaf litter investigation)

• Insect viewers (a few)

• Whiteboard or chart paper & pens

   

• If doing group work option for leaf litter investigation

• Dish tubs for leaf collection (optional: labelled horizontally with top, middle, and bottom – or icons)

• Small hula hoop or rope circle (per group)

• Clipboards (1 per group)

• Leaf litter investigation worksheet (1 per group)

• Pencils (per group)

   

• Per student for Insect Art:

• Tape

• 2-3 Leaves of their choice

• Crayons (with paper taken off)

• Leaf Insect worksheet of their choice (or your choice)

• Magnified glasses (optional)

Key Questions

• What is leaf litter?
• How might insects use this area as a home?
• What kinds of insects or animals live here?
• What happens to leaves after they fall?
• Why should we keep leaves on the ground instead of picking them up and putting them in the compost bin?
• What different kinds of leaves did we find? What did they look like?

What To Do

Before you get started: 
Pre-scout an area with ample space, enough leaf litter with a nice diversity of leaves, accessible for your classes needs, and no poison ivy or other hazards in the area.

Outdoor Leaf Litter Investigation: 

• Gather group and head outside to you chosen location near you that has leaf litter.
• Set some ground rules for how they should act in the area – this is especially important if you are going off trail.
• Once at the location (or along the way): Ask students to make some observations about what they notice around them? e.g, senses, different colors of leaves, different plants, if there are any animals present, what do they hear, (there may be depending on your location!)
• Orient them to the ground and introduce them to the leaf litter you will be exploring. It is actually home to many tiny insects and animals!
• Investigation Question: What happens to the leaves when they fall on the ground?

If working in groups: 

• Have students spread out in groups of 3 to find a spot to look at. Have them put their hula hoop or rope circle on the ground. that is their study area. Students will collect the leaves on top, the leaves in the middle, and the leaves on the bottom into the dish tub.  What do they notice is happening to the leaves as they stay there for longer? Answer: they are breaking down – things are eating them and they are decomposing.
• If you are using the worksheet: Have them draw, describe and take notes about how the three layers look. Make sure to include details like smell, texture, colors, or any insects they discover.
• If they find any insects, you can collect them in the insect viewers for all students to look at briefly.
• Once that investigation is done, have the students return the leaf litter to the soil.
• Then, have EACH student collect at least 3 interesting leaves.
• Head back to the classroom!

Class-wide investigation: 

• Using a dish tub and as a class, collect leaves from the top layer, middle layer, and bottom layer together. Ask as you go, What do you notice? What is changing? What have we found? Introduce the concept of decomposition.
• Then, have EACH student collect at least 3 interesting leaves.  They will use this to make art later. If they (or you) find insects or animals living in the leaf litter along the way, you can collect them in the viewer and have everyone see them. (If you completed the Insect Investigation activity, bringing an insect viewer or two can be handy here, but not necessary).

Back in the classroom: 
If you completed the walk and the leaves are wet, put them on some racks or trays for them to dry off. They need to be completely dry in order to do the leaf rubbing.

Class Discussion: 

• Brainstorm as a class on the whiteboard or large chart paper what you all found in that place. Create a list or drawing of the environment you went to.
• Ask them how they think different insects of animals might use leaf litter?
• Discuss the different functions leaf litter plays for different animals – blankets for warmth over winter, food for slugs, hiding spots from predators, etc.
• Discuss the role it plays for our environment – when it decomposes it improved the soil and allows for more plants to grow.

Making Insect Art: 

1. Pass out the crayons, leaves in trays, tape, and insect worksheets to the students.
2. Instruct them and demonstrate how you would like them to make their art. We recommend either doing a leaf rubbing or simply taping the leaves on the front wherever you would like them to be.

Key steps if doing a leaf rubbing.

1. Pick your insect & identify which part is missing
2. Choose a leaf and placement – hold up to the light to see what it looks like
3. Make sure the veins of the leaf are against the paper – so there is a more ribbed texture for the crayons to grab.
4. Either tape the leaves in place or gently put them down on the table under the paper where you want them.
5. Take a crayon and place it horizontally against the paper. Rub the crayon back and forth to reveal the leaf!
6. Remove the leaves for them to be returned outside
7. After they are done creating their insects, have them show and tell their creations – as they are showing off their insects, read aloud and explain how that insect uses leaf litter – there is a fun fact on every page!
8. Display your art in the classroom or they can take it home!

 

Extensions

• What kinds of plants are these leaves from? Describe, categorize, and identify the plants or trees.
• What else happens in fall?
• Which specific kinds of BC species are in our area? The leaf insect prints are of categories, like spider, not specific species.