Discover the Colors of Fall

What You Need:

• Camera (could be a phone)
• Computer
• Writing platform (e.g., Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
• Adult to assist
• Printer (optional) 
   

What You Do:

1. Explain to your child that you are going to create a nature book all about the colors of fall.
2. Take your child to a park or neighborhood where there are plenty of trees, flowers, and various landscapes to photograph.
3. Go on a walk and help your child take photographs using a camera (or phone) of special things in nature that catch their eye. For example, you may take a picture of a beautiful orange and black monarch butterfly.
4. Engage your child by playing an "I Spy" game during your walk to see if they can figure out what you are looking at (e.g., when looking at a fallen leaf, you might say, “I spy with my little eye something dark red that falls from a tree this time of year. It is also crunchy when stepped on.”)
5. Continue this process, enjoying the magical feeling of being outdoors, until your child has taken around 10 photographs. 
6. Head back home and support your child in uploading these photographs to a computer.
7. Once uploaded, help your child insert the photographs on a blank word document (e.g., Microsoft Word or Google Doc). 
8. Help your child place one photo on each page, leaving a blank cover page in the beginning. Help your child brainstorm ideas for the title of their book. Some ideas include:
   • Discovering the Colors of Fall
   • My Fall Nature Book
   • Fall Colors All Around Us 
   • My Community During Fall
9. Have your child type the title of their book and place one of their favorite photographs from their excursion on the cover.
10. Explain to your child that next they will type 2–4 sentences on each page (modify this depending on your child’s needs) describing what each picture shows. Provide your child with the following sentence starter that will begin each page: 
    • I went walking in my community and I saw ________. 
11. Support your child in describing the picture. Encourage them to use interesting and descriptive words. You may want to model writing one page to support their understanding. For example, the picture of the flower and butterfly above may have the following description: 
    • I went walking in my community and I saw an orange and black butterfly perched on a magenta flower. The butterfly was sucking sweet nectar out of the brightly colored flower. The sun was shining bright and made the color of the butterfly and flower even more beautiful. 
12. Continue this process, supporting your child as needed, until they have finished all the pages of their nature book. If desired, help your child print out the pages and staple or bind their book.

Extension Ideas: 

• Learn more about nature. Help your child learn more about the animals, flowers, and foliage they saw on their nature walk by going to the library and checking out nature guides that are specific to your area of residence. 
• Add on. Encourage your child to add more descriptive sentences about their photographs once they’ve learned more!
• Create and share seasonal books. Have your child be a tour guide by creating seasonal books and emailing them to friends and family who live in different areas around the world.