Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get full access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a full, free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
¿Por qué las hojas cambian de color en otoño?
Weather Patterns Unit | Mini-Lesson

Spanish narration on!

Click play to start.

Back > Share

¿Por qué las hojas cambian de color en otoño?

Weather Patterns Unit | Mini-Lesson
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

CONVERSEMOS:

¿Por qué crees que las hojas cambian de color en otoño?

Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Paso
01/09
Encuentra un compañero o una compañera con quién trabajar.
Si estás trabajando solo o sola, también está bien.
Video trouble?
Paso
02/09
Obtén estos materiales.
Video trouble?
Paso
03/09
Alíneala la regla con las líneas gruesas en la tarjeta. Dobla la tarjeta a
la mitad. Remarca el doblez con tu uña para hacer un buen pliegue.
Video trouble?
Paso
04/09
Abre tu tarjeta y coloca tu hoja adentro, así. Luego pon otra hoja de
papel debajo de tu tarjeta.
Video trouble?
Paso
05/09
Colorea sobre el área donde está la hoja en tu tarjeta. Asegúrate de
que tu hoja no se mueva.
Video trouble?
Paso
06/09
Mira de cerca el dibujo de tu hoja. Compárala con el de tu
compañero/a. Conversemos.
Video trouble?
Paso
07/09
Veamos la hoja de trabajo sobre las Formas de las Hojas.
Encierra en un círculo todas las cosas que notas sobre tu hoja.
Video trouble?
Paso
08/09
Mueve la hoja a otro lugar dentro de la tarjeta y escoge otro color
de crayón. Colorea sobre la hoja otra vez.
Video trouble?
Paso
09/09
Abre tu tarjeta y escribe una cosa por la que estés agradecido/a
este año. Puedes llevártela a tu casa y dársela a alguien especial.
Video trouble?
# Has terminado la exploración y la actividad para estudiantes menores.

Ve otras lecciones de otoño para tu edad:

Video trouble?
Paso
01/11
Encuentra un compañero o una compañera con quien trabajar.
Si estás trabajando solo o sola, también está bien.
Video trouble?
Paso
02/11
Obtén estos materiales. Recibirás otros más adelante.
Video trouble?
Paso
03/11
Pon tu hoja sobre tu escritorio y cúbrela con una hoja de papel.
Video trouble?
Paso
04/11
Con un crayón vas a colorear sobre el área que está sobre la hoja
del árbol. Detén la hoja de papel para que tu hoja no se mueva.
Video trouble?
Paso
05/11
Vas a calcar tres veces más la misma hoja. Mueve tu hoja a otro
lugar debajo del papel, para que las hojas no queden una arriba
de otra.
Video trouble?
Paso
06/11
Mira de cerca las hojas. Compáralas con las de tu compañero/a.
Conversemos.
Video trouble?
Paso
07/11
Escoge un crayón de un color oscuro y remarques los nervios.
También puedes trazar el contorno de la hoja.
Video trouble?
Paso
08/11
Obtén el resto de tus materiales.
Video trouble?
Paso
09/11
Recorta cada una de tus hojas. Pégalas en tu rama del Árbol
Comunitario. Intenta no cubrir las palabras en la página.
Video trouble?
Paso
10/11
Escribe el nombre del árbol en tu hoja. Si no encuentras una hoja
igual a la tuya, no te preocupes. A lo mejor tienes una hoja especial.
Video trouble?
Paso
11/11
Pega tu rama en el tronco para formar un Árbol Comunitario.
También puedes llevarte a casa tu guía de identificación de hojas
y usarla para descubrir qué árboles crecen en tu vecindario.
Video trouble?
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up

Featured Reviews

“The best part was rubbing the leaves and finding out what kind of leaf we had, and discovering why leaves change color!”
· Lesia · Teacher
“Woah! This is my first time exploring the website and the step-by-step instructions were amazing and the recorded explanation of why trees change colours was clear and concise for kids. Super impressed. ”
· Anna-Gail · Teacher
“The video explaining the concept using scientific vocabulary terms was simple and effective. Having students gather leaves from their community and adding it to the classroom tree gave this a touch of community building.”
· Cristina · Teacher
“Leaf rubbings - fantastic learning. Loved that first graders could remember and understand chlorophyll!!”
· Colleen · Teacher
“The hands on building of our own tree was awesome. The class really got into it and we "grew" it in our hallway outside our classroom to share with the rest of the school.”
· Kristian · Teacher
“Great project!!!! Searching for leaves in nature was the best part. My kids loved it. ”
· Aurora · Teacher
“The students were engaged and had a great time while learning”
· Lori · Teacher
“The students loved making the leaf rubbings and tracing them. We can't wait to put our tree together!!Thank you Mystery Science for a GREAT activity!!!”
· · Teacher
“The best part of this activity is the Community tree! This activity is one of the best as we can tie it to different subjects (language, science, social studies, art, math) ”
· Kalyani · Teacher
“My class loved looking at the leaves and determining what kind of tree they came from.”
· Tobin · Teacher
“The children enjoyed the leaf rubbing. It was also fun to see all the different kinds of leaves they brought in to do the project. ”
· Sarah · Teacher
“Getting to go outside and take a walk and use science eyes to make observations! We saw other elements of nature that peaked our curiosity.”
· Nicole · Teacher
“The students enjoyed it and made insightful observations. They are all looking at trees more thoughtfully. Thanks!!”
· Curtis · Teacher
“Students loved leaf hunting (they found their own leaves to use for project) and the leaf rubbing part too. Once we discussed the sizes of the different leaves they also really enjoyed looking at similarities and differences in their leaves and their classmates leaves (we connected this to the similarity and differences work we were doing with characters in ELA!). As usual- Mystery Science was a hit!!!”
· Shanti · Teacher
“Our students enjoyed the video and were excited and engaged in the leaf rubbing activity. They connected with the science of leaves changing colors and learned an important "why" answer to science around them!”
· Deeann · Teacher
“The best part about this lesson was creating cards for students to take home to their families. ”
· Jessica · Teacher
“A lot of fun for the kids and got them notice how many different kinds of leaves are out there!”
· Nancy · Teacher
“They loved it all! Most of them looked closely at their leaf to identify it and did so correctly! Awesome lesson!”
· Terry · Teacher
“We loved combining art and science! so fun!”
· Katie · Homeschooler
“Thank you for this wonderful lesson! It is a question that is asked every Fall and it was a great visual to help the kids understand this concept.”
· Kristina · Teacher
“I really appreciate how easy it is to gather the materials and have this ready for kindergartners. My students know to wait until they see the "thumbs up" before beginning the next task. Thank you for such an age-appropriate program!”
· Michelle · Teacher
“The activity was excellent! Not only did our Grade 2 students become familiar with various types or trees/leaves in our community, but we also made a fabulous display of our leaf rubbings.”
· Diane · Teacher
“I loved the experience of going outdoors with the children and collecting the different types of leaves. It helped them to really pay attention to the differences in leaves and it was great for the students that needed the movement too. It was fun learning! ”
· Ignacia · Teacher
“These 5 minute videos are excellent ways to get our students exposure to science during very tight schedules! Students were engaged and excited about the topic of why leaves change colors in the fall. ”
· Martin · Teacher
“We really enjoyed the art that went with the lesson and making the tree!”
· Dhira · Homeschooler
“The children loved doing the leaf rubs and identifying them for our tree. You can laminate the real leaves and this makes it easier for the students to make the crayon(colored pencils) rubs.”
· Kelly · Teacher
“The best part was going out on our school playground and hunting for leaves. They felt like scientists.”
· Veronica · Teacher
“The videos are short and very informative! Great visuals for my ELL students. ”
· Maria · Teacher
“the kids loved going outside to find leaves. I even had some bring leaves from home the next day”
· Amanda · Teacher
“This was a perfect blend of video, discussion, and hands on for my special ed class. Thank You!”
· Darryl · Teacher
“We all really enjoyed the leaf rubbings, and finding out what caused leaves to change color. The kids really liked all the videos! I enjoyed reading what the kids were thankful for.”
· Kelin · Homeschooler
“The activity was a great way to incorporate art into science!”
· Dawn · Teacher
“great fun!! we turned our tree into a "Gratitude Tree" and are writing something we are grateful for on each leaf through this season.”
· Heather · Homeschooler
“Loved the leaf rubbing activity and the video was very nicely done. Kept my Kindergarten class engaged.”
· Alesha · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 1

Weather Patterns

Biodiversity, Plant Life Cycle

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this mini-lesson, students discover how and why some tree leaves change color when the weather starts to get colder. In the activity, Falling for Leaves, students make crayon rubbings of tree leaves, then take a closer look to observe the characteristics of leaves in their own neighborhood.
Preview activity
Community Tree Branches (Grades 3-5) printout
The template has 2 pages that are the exact same except for orientation of the branches. We suggest giving half your students one template and half the other template so that your final Community Tree will have an equal number of branches on both sides of the trunk. 		Print 15 copies
Community Tree Trunk (Grades 3-5) printout Print 2 copies
Leaf Shapes (Grades K-2) printout Print 30 copies
Leaf Thanks Card (Grades K-2) printout Print 30 copies
Leaves In My Town Guide (Grades 3-5) printout Print 30 copies
Crayons
90 crayons
Glue Sticks
Only needed for Grades 2-5
Details
30
Leaf
Fresh, flat leaves work best.
Details
30
Rulers
Only needed for Grades K-1
Details
30 rulers
Scissors
Only needed for Grades 2-5
Details
30
Scrap Paper (8.5 x 11")
60 sheets
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can complete the activity on their own.

Have Students Gather Leaves

We find that fresh, flat leaves work best. After a few days, the leaves dry out and become brittle and difficult to use for leaf rubbings. If students collect their own leaves and bring them into class, we recommend choosing leaves that are smaller than the size of their hand. If you have trouble finding leaves in your area, you can always use lettuce or other leafy greens from the local supermarket.

Prepare Your Community Tree Trunk

  • Cut out the pieces of the tree by cutting along the dashed lines of the Community Tree Trunk printout.
  • Arrange the pieces on your wall using tape or sticky dots to hold the paper in place. Watch this video to see how we did it.
  • Each student will need a piece of tape or sticker to attach their Tree Branch to the Tree Trunk.

A Note on the "Leaves In My Town Guide"

In Grades 2-5, students will try to identify their leaf using the "Leaves In My Town Guide." The guide can help to identify leaves that are collected from trees. The guide focuses on the leaves of deciduous trees so it does not include any evergreen conifers.

Grade 1

Weather Patterns

Biodiversity, Plant Life Cycle

Extend this lesson

Discussions

Activity

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Seasons Tx Lesson 7: Why do leaves change color in the fall?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn’t go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

Close

How can we help you?

💡For purchasing info, see our Pricing Page

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing