As the days get shorter and the air chiller, the leaves of summer are turning from green to gold. How can teachers incorporate the arrival of fall into their lesson planning?

Check out this idea from the Kitchen Pantry Scientist for a seasonal treat the whole class can enjoy! Using a few odds and ends from around the house, a green leaf, and a leaf that has turned color already, classes can enjoy a lesson in plant chromatography.

For another variation on this leaf theme (or perhaps part of a larger unit plan), offer students cameras to photograph leaves and trees that they see all around them and then design their own webpages that highlight key scientific information about the leaves.  Students can include their own artwork, like a book of pressed leaves or a poster categorizing the leaves they have found.

Tell us about your ideas for a seasonal experiment.  What are you working on with your classroom?