Is there a noticeable lack of autumn leaves in your yard or in your neighborhood? If so, don’t worry that you’ll miss out on the colorful fall staple.
To create a homemade substitute, find a brown paper bag and cut out a variety of leaf shapes. Once you’ve got a big enough pile, color the leaves with autumnal reds, browns, oranges, yellows, greens, and other hues.
At this point, you could heap them all on the lawn and jump in them (thought that would take a lot of bags), but consider making at least a few specimens last longer by preserving them for Thanksgivings to come. From now until Turkey Day, have each member of the family write (or dictate) something he or she is thankful for on a leaf, then add a name and a year. String them along some yarn to make a garland that grows throughout the month, tape them to tiles around the fireplace, or heap them in a bowl on the kitchen counter.
Spend a little time reading the leaves before diving into your cranberries and mashed potatoes. After dinner, paste the leaves (note side up, of course) into a blank journal or onto a sturdy piece of paper or cardboard to save until next year.
Need some help thinking of enough things to be thankful for each day? Beyond the usuals (family, friends, food, and the like), don’t forget to include microscopes, tortoises, Mars climbing walls, and other museum exhibits!
Ryan Miller is executive editor of the Sun. Discovery Corner is a weekly column in the Sun, highlighting events, science activities, and more for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum at 705 S. McClelland in Santa Maria. Send comments to discoverycorner@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 10-17, 2011.