Little Ted said... 5 minute stories for under 5s

Little Ted plays with leaves

October 31, 2020 Moyra Harvey
Little Ted said... 5 minute stories for under 5s
Little Ted plays with leaves
Show Notes Transcript

Little Ted is having lots of fun playing with the fallen leaves. Before he goes home he puts something in his pocket but will it lead to little seedlings?

Little Ted was laughing as he ran around trying to catch the leaves that were falling off the trees. His Mummy and Daddy were laughing too as they watched him chasing round in circles.

“Look Little Ted, there some big leaves falling off that chestnut tree – see if you can catch some” said his Daddy.

Little Ted carried on running around and kicking the piles of leaves. He liked the rustling sound they made and because they were very light, he could scoop up a bundle of leaves, throw them in the air and try to catch them as they fell back down again. 

“Why do the leaves change colour and fall off the trees?” Little Ted asked.

“Trees shed their leaves because they’re no use for them anymore” answered his Mummy. “In Summer the green leaves turn sunlight into sugars that feed the tree. But as the weather gets colder and the days get darker, the tree doesn’t need its leaves any more so it sheds them before growing new ones in Spring.

“Won’t the trees be hungry in Winter?”

“No Little Ted, trees are very sensible and store food over Summer in their roots. They also have a rest during Winter so don’t need as much food.  Did you know that in America they call Autumn Fall, because of the fall of the leaves?”

“Now let’s see how many different kinds of leaf you can find and we’ll try to make prints with them when we get home. Find ones that have fallen but aren’t too curled up.”

Little Ted gathered up leaves of all different shapes and sizes. He also picked up some conkers from below the horse chestnut tree and some acorns from underneath the oak tree and put them in his pocket. 

When they got back to the house Little Ted went and got his paint and paint brush while his Daddy put some newspaper over the table. 

“Now Little Ted, there’s going to be some trial and error. Paint one side of the leaf but try not to use too much paint, then put the painted side face down on the paper and press lightly so you don’t squidge the leaf. We’ve got lots of leaves so you can experiment with what works best. “

Little Ted concentrated and after a few false starts, managed to get the leaf print onto the paper. He tried different colours – red and yellow like the leaves he had played with earlier, but also green and blue ones. Soon the paper was filled with different shapes and colours.

“That looks wonderful Little Ted. Once it dries we can put it on your bedroom wall to remind you of playing with the leaves today.”

As he was putting away his art stuff, Little Ted remembered about the conkers and acorns in his pocket. 

“If I plant these in the garden will a tree grow?” 

“Well we can try, although trees take a very long time to grow. We could plant them in a couple of large yoghurt pots and see if they have sprouted by Springtime. We’ll need to use a little bit of compost, make sure to water it, then leave them outside in the cold.  Who knows, maybe by the time the leaves are growing on the trees again you might have a tiny seedling of your own. It will be just like you growing bigger over winter.”

“I’m not a tree” Little Ted said, but when went to sleep that night he dreamed he was growing just like his seeds.

 

The End