Fall leaves are everywhere this time of year, making them a simple material for playful STEAM exploration.
In this fall engineering activity, preschoolers will experiment with leaves and clothespins as they explore one simple question:
Can you make a leaf stand up?
There’s no complicated setup and no single right solution—just a playful problem for children to investigate.
Invite Play
Begin by reading Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.
As you read, notice the different ways leaves are used throughout the illustrations. After the story, invite children to think about what else they might do with leaves.
Ask: “Leaf Man was made from leaves. What else could we do with leaves? Do you think you could make a leaf stand up?”
Materials:
- Fall leaves, real or artificial
- Wooden clothespins
- Flat surface or tabletop
- Magnifying glasses, optional
Place the leaves and clothespins where children can easily explore them.
Rather than showing children how to make a leaf stand, let them investigate the materials and discover their own solutions.
Observe Wonder
This is where the engineering begins.
Children may clip the clothespin to different parts of a leaf, turn it around, reposition it, or try another leaf when the first one falls.
Watch what they change as they work.
You might notice children discovering that the size or shape of a leaf affects its balance. They may move the clothespin several times before finding a position that works.
Give them time to test, adjust, and try again.
Those little changes are problem-solving in action.
Extend STEAM
Once children begin making their leaves stand, follow their curiosity.
Ask:
- “What did you do to make your leaf stand?”
- “What happens if you move the clothespin?”
- “Are some leaves easier to stand up than others?”
- “How many leaves can you make stand?”
- “Could you arrange your leaves to make a fall forest?”
Children might begin comparing leaves, creating groups, arranging colors, counting their standing leaves, or inventing a whole scene with their new “trees.”
Follow where their ideas lead.
STEAM Experience
Science: Observe and compare the colors, shapes, sizes, and textures of different leaves.
Technology: Use a magnifying glass as a tool to examine leaf details.
Engineering: Test different ways to attach and position the clothespins so the leaves balance and stand.
Arts: Arrange the standing leaves into a colorful fall forest or create an imaginative fall scene.
Math: Count standing leaves, compare sizes, sort by color, or arrange leaves in patterns.
A pile of leaves and a few clothespins can become a surprisingly rich STEAM experience when children are given an interesting problem and the freedom to explore it.
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