On a crisp early-autumn day, the girls and I found ourselves trekking through the woods in search of as many of our favorite nature treasures as we could find. We were preparing for our “Leaf Man” craft!

“Leaf Man”, a beloved children’s book written by Lois Ehlert, is one of our favorite seasonal books to read each year! You may find this book in many forest school classrooms or nature-loving homes. This year, we decided to make our very own leaf people after reading the story!

First, we set off in search of our favorite fallen leaves for our leaf people’s bodies. Yellow, red, brown, orange, purple, green and golden; there were so many gorgeous colors laying like a giant blanket on our woodland floor!

Next, we searched for other treasures, like acorns, twigs, stems, pebbles and sticks for our leaf people’s arms, legs and facial features. This took up a good majority of our time, as it lead into a magical nature walk.

After walking, exploring and gathering, we sat down in the middle of the woods and ate some seasonal snacks while reading our book! I was sure to pack some warm herbal tea in a thermos for us to enjoy while the girls listened intently to our story.

Finally, after the story was over, we crafted our own leaf people! What fun it was to choose what they would look like. We each had such unique ideas! Many warm and wonderful memories were made.