Trucker Kids - Fun with Leaves

When I taught preschool I used to do this fun activity to help kids learn about falling leaves with a parachute.  I don't have a parachute at home so we substituted a blanket.  It worked but not as well as I hoped, so next time I might try a sheet.
First, I let the kids check out the fake leaves.  We talked about the colors of the leaves while they checked them out.  Then Princess helped me put them on the blanket.  We each took a side to the blanket and we started by moving it up and down slowly.  The leaves really didn't move much.  Then we moved the blanket fast.  This was Princess' favorite part because the leaves fell everywhere.  Then we got to talk about how leaves fall and leaves in the wind.  The more we did it, the more interested Buddy became.  By the end he was repeating some of the color words and trying to say leaves.