If you teach elementary science you will love this collection of leaf science experiments for basic level!
Covering everything from photosynthesis to a leaf’s life cycle, these fall science experiments teach kids everything they need to know about fall leaves and the science behind them!

If you like these leaf science experiments, you’ll also like these pumpkin science experiments, creative STEM activities for kids, and our full list of science experiments for kids.
NGSS alignment

If you follow NGSS or any other government scientific standard, these are some of the categories these experiments will conform to:
- K. Interdependent relationships in ecosystems: animals, plants and their environment
- 2.Earth’s systems: processes that shape the earth
- 3. Inheritance and variation of traits: life cycles and traits
- 3. Weather and climate
- 5. Matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems
- 2. Structure and properties of matter
If you’d like more NGSS-focused experiments, check out our NGSS science series here.
Leaf science experiments for the classroom

While most of the experiments on this list were done at home first, they can be used in the classroom as well.
If you’re doing any of these experiments in the classroom, be sure to have supplies for groups of 4 to 5 students at a time.
Here are some of our favorite science kits!
Learn & Climb Kids Science Kit – Over 60 experiments, fun with science!Scientific Explorer Scientific Explorer Magic Science Assistants only Kids Science Kit
CIRO Solar Robot Kit 12 in 1 Educational STEM Learning Science Building Toys for Children Ages 8-12
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit, Kits for Child Building Projects, Stem Engineering Toys for ages 8+
Soap & Bath Bomb Making Kit For Kids – 3-in-1 Spa Science Kits For Kids: Complete Soap Making Kit & Your Own Bath Bombs, Soap & Bath Scrubs: Kids Science Kit For Kids – Gift For Girls And Boys
Scientific Explorer Disgusting science kit
Learn & Climb Erupting Volcano Science Kit for Children – 15 Experiments!
Klutz Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit, Age 8
4M 4605 Water Rocket Kit – DIY Science Space Stem Toy Gift for Kids & Teens, Boys & Girls
Giggleway Electric Motor Robotic Science Kits, DIY STEM Toys for Kids, Building Science Experiment Kits for Boys and Girls-Doodling, Balance Car, Reptile Robots (3 Kits)
2Pepers Electric Motor Robotic Science Kits for Children (4-in-1), DIY STEM Toys Kids Science Experiment Kits, Building an Educational Robotics Kit for Boys and Girls, Circuit Engineering Science Project Kits
Learn & Climb Science Kit for Children – Set contains over 65 science experiments + scientist name tag!
Dino Soap Making Kit for Kids – Dinosaur Science Kit for Kids: Great gift for girls and boys
Glowing Crystal Science Experiment Kit For Kids – Grow Your Own Crystals And Make Them Shine: Best Gifts For Kids, Boys And Girls – STEM Toys – Crystal Science Kits – (Red, White, Blue)
Thames & Kosmos Simple Machines Scientific Experiment & Modeling Kit, Introduction to Mechanical Physics, Create 26 models to study the 6 classic simple machines
The Mason Jar Scientist: 30 JARing STEAM-based projects
How to set up a leaf science experiment

Most of the experiments on this list last 2-3 sessions.
Every child needs some kind of Science journal or worksheet to record your observations during the experiment.
Make sure you have all the supplies for the experiments on hand and divide everything into groups before distributing it to the students.
If you are doing the experiment at home, you can easily set everything up in advance.
Go through the science security and science behind the experiment before allowing kids to get started. Once the lesson is complete, it’s time to distribute the supplies.
This helps to prevent waste, pollution and misuse of the equipment.
If you don’t want children to use fragile materials, most plastic equipment glass supplies can be swapped out for these experiments as none of them contain material that needs to be in a beaker.

And now on to the leaf science experiments!
Brilliant Leaf Science Experiments for Elementary
These leaf science experiments teach kids everything they need to know about leaves, why leaves change color, the life cycle of a leaf, and more!
Chromatography is a really fascinating part of chemistry. Chromatography sheets are used to determine and detect which materials are in a substance based on how far that substance migrates up the chromatography strip.
In this leaf chromatography experiment, kids can find out which colors are hiding in autumn leaves as the chromatography strips layer the colors in each leaf.
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The worksheet on the life cycle of apple trees shows children the process of leaf transformation and tree formation from seeds to fruits. While this worksheet is aimed at younger elementary school students, older children can use this worksheet to dig deeper into photosynthesis and the life cycle of trees at the cellular level.
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Trees make oxygen through photosynthesis through leaves. As children learn about photosynthesis and the cell structure of leaves, this simple experiment can help them determine how much oxygen trees produce and whether different types of leaves produce different levels of oxygen.
If someone wanted to plant trees to produce more oxygen in an area, what would be the best variety?
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Crystals are fascinating for kids, and salt crystal leaves are simply a fun way to explore crystals in the fall.
Salt crystals always form squares due to their ionic bonds and molecular bond patterns. Children can use this experiment to explore a variety of crystal and leaf sciences at the same time.
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In this simple foliage science experiment, kids can study how water gets from roots to tree leaves. Colored water shows the path the water travels!
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Learn about the types of leaf shapes and their scientific definitions. Both younger and older elementary school students will learn a lot with this activity.
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With alcohol, kids can extract color from leaves and find out what chlorophyll is and why it changes color with the seasons (and why sometimes it doesn’t!).
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Get a detailed photosynthesis lesson plan that you can use to perform all of the other foliage science experiments on this list.
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What are your favorite leaf science experiments? If you try any one from this list, let us know how your experiment went!
Use #teamsational Share photos and videos of your experiments on social media!
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