Materials
real or paper leaves in fall colors (orange, red, yellow, brown) and green leaves
large piece of fabric or material (tablecloth or sheet)
two baskets or boxes large enough to hold the leaves
Instructions
l Cut strands of the colored ribbon into different lengths.
l Place one strand of each color in each cup. Each cup should contain six
different colored strands of varying lengths.
l Display the cups at a table.
What to Do
1. Invite a small group of children to work at a table.
2. Have each child select a cup and talk about its colors.
3. Instruct the children to take turns removing one ribbon at a time from
their cups.
4. As each child lifts a ribbon straight up and out of the cup, ask her to name the
color and then comment on how long the ribbon is.
5. Ask each child to place each ribbon out on the table.
6. The children take turns removing colorful ribbons and comparing lengths of
the ribbons in their own cups.
7. Afterwards, the children may compare lengths of their ribbons with one
another.
8. When the children are finished, have the children place all the ribbons back in
their original cups.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Place pairs of ribbons on a table. Can each child name the colors of the
ribbons and then say which ribbon is longer or shorter?
l Put the ribbons end to end on the carpet. Invite a child to drive a small toy
car down the length of the ribbons and talk about the colors as she
manipulates the car.
