Cut a cardboard ring with an open center for each child. Have the students glue the gathered leaves onto the ring facing in different directions and including different colored, shaped and sized leaves. Be sure students cover all visible cardboard with leaves. Add an orange bow to the wreath and it will be ready for display.
Have the students place a sheet of white paper over a leaf. This activity makes use of old wax crayons that are broken and have had the paper ripped off. show the students how to use the side of the crayon to rub onto the paper, over the leaf, until each vein and prong are visible on the paper. Instruct the students to make a leaf rubbing collage on their paper by using different colors and different shaped leaves.
Have the students trace their hands on a sheet of orange, green, brown, red or yellow construction paper and cut them out. Encourage students to decorate the hand as if it were a maple leaf. Display a maple tree on your class bulletin board and arrange the hand leaves, with the children's names displayed on them, to appear to have fallen from the class tree.
After gathering leaves, instruct students to glue them randomly or in a specific pattern or arrangement according to choice on a sheet of large poster board. Write the child's name in a fall colored marker on the paper. Cover the front and back of the art with clear contact paper. Smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles, secure at each side and trim the excess contact paper. Have the students use their new autumn place mat during lunch or take home to share with their family.