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Dad Field Manual · Field card 175 · Outdoors

A leaf-pile afternoon, then leaf art

Raking is a chore until there's a pile to jump in. Rake it together, jump, then bring the best leaves in for rubbings and art.

Time
1 hr 30 min
Cost
$0
Ages
2 to 10
Where
Backyard

What you need

  • Rakes, one kid-size if you have it
  • Gloves and old clothes
  • A bag or basket for the best leaves
  • Paper, crayons with the wrappers peeled, glue stick

Before you start

  • Back yard, not the curb. Build the jumping pile in the yard, never at the curb or in the street, where a driver can't see a kid in it.
  • Check the pile. Rake it yourself first and feel through it for sticks, rocks and anything sharp before anyone jumps. For 2- and 3-year-olds, also look for acorns and anything small enough to choke on.
  • Ticks. CDC says ticks live in grassy, brushy and wooded areas, and many people pick them up in their own yard. Build the pile on open lawn, away from wooded edges and brush. Afterward, bath or shower within two hours and do a full-body tick check.
  • Check leaves for poison ivy. CDC says "Leaves of three, let it be" helps spot poison ivy and oak, but not poison sumac (7–13 leaflets per leaf), and that eastern poison ivy leaves may be red in fall. Dad checks every leaf before it comes inside.
  • Rake rules. Rakes stay on the ground, tines down, and nobody rakes near someone's feet.

Steps

  1. Check the yard for poison plants. Before raking, Dad checks for poison ivy and oak (three leaflets) and poison sumac (7–13 leaflets per leaf). Found any? Rake elsewhere.
  2. Rake it together. Pick a clear spot away from the street. Everyone rakes toward the middle.
  3. Check the pile. Dad walks through the pile and pulls out sticks, rocks, acorns and sharp things.
  4. Jump. One jumper at a time, feet first. No jumping with anyone in the pile. Bury Dad: face uncovered, all out before the next jump.
  5. Pick the best leaves. Kids pick ten leaves Dad has already OK'd: reddest, biggest, smallest, weirdest. Dad rechecks each before it comes in.
  6. Wash up and tick check. Tick check: underarms, ears, belly button, behind knees, hair, between legs, waist. Bath or shower within two hours.
  7. Rubbings and a leaf picture. Leaf under paper, rub with the side of a crayon. Glue leaves into a picture.

If it stalls

  • If the leaves are wet, skip the jumping, collect the best ones and do the art. Dry them on a towel first.
  • If they want to stop raking, give them a job with a number: "Ten armloads, then we jump."
Biggest leaf
reddest leaf
Tape your best leaf here
Best part: Signed by Date