Leaf Unit Study Resources

For most of us, leaves make the tree. The green foliage dresses bare, brown branches and gives trees their life. Literally. Without leaves, trees couldn’t live.

Leaves not only give trees their beauty and their shape. Leaves are the power plant of the tree. This is where all the food for the plant is made. Leaves can take simple ingredients, sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and create sugar, food for the plant. In this process, plants also make oxygen for us to breathe. How cool is that?!

From the time we first toddled around the backyard and picked up leaves that fell from the trees, leaves have intrigued us. We might collect them, press them, or draw them. We can, also, study leaves scientifically.

Leaf Collection

The tried and true leaf collection is the best way to get a true appreciation of the variety of trees in your area. Grab a tree guide and set out to find 20 different trees and collect their leaves. Of course, you can go bigger. Twenty is just a good start.

Leaf collections will also allow you to see the variation of leaves themselves. Some will be smooth, others rough. Some will be lobes, others elliptical. Download a leaf guide to get an idea of the variations you are looking for.

You can use the tip in this Oak Tree Identification post to tell the difference between white and red oak trees.

Study Leaf Anatomy

All ages can study the anatomy of a leaf. For young learners, start with the shape of the leaf. They can trace them or try to draw them on their own. Point out the stem and the veins.

Leaf rubbings are great ways to point out the veins and the leaf texture.

Older students can do the same activities as the younger ones, but they can also get into a lot more detail. As they learn more about the function of the leaf, they can look at microstructures within the leaf that make it work.

Leaf Function

As I mentioned before, leaves are the power plant of the tree or plant. Leaves use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create sugar that the plant uses for fuel. This process is called photosynthesis.