Thorndyke’s Portal to Leaf Peeping

Hey Kids,

Have you ever noticed this weird thing that happens to the trees in the fall? The leaves all decide green is a boring color and they change. Some go red, some yellow, some orange, some brown, some purple. I’m not sure why. They taste the same (Do humans eat leaves? Bears do). Eventually, a lot of them even fall off. They must get tired as winter approaches, just like me. Regardless, they make a pretty show as they come down. They remind me of confetti.

In fact, that’s a great idea! I’m including below a way for you to make your own confetti out of leaves, perfect for throwing around at a surprise party or hiding inside a holiday card. Plus, they’re biodegradable and won’t hurt the environment.

Enjoy!

Your friend,

Thorndyke

Supplies

• Fresh leaves in a variety of bright colors
• A hole punch (or craft punch)
• A cup or jar to collect the punched-out pieces

Instructions

1. Gather a bunch of leaves. Fresh ones tend to work better because dry leaves break when punching. Just make sure they are not wet! Choose a variety of bright colors.
2. Punch out the confetti. Use a hole punch to punch out confetti pieces from the leaves. Punch from the center outwards to avoid getting your puncher stuck.
3. Gather and store the confetti. Punch your pieces onto a piece of paper, then pick the paper up and use it as a funnel to pour them into a cup or jar. Keep your container somewhere cool (like the fridge), and keep any lid off for a few days to let everything dry out first.

That’s it! It’s super simple. P.S. If you want to learn more about leaves, here’s a book about why they change color, and here’s a book to help you identify trees in your backyard.