Ms Armit: That's right. Palisade cells are at the top of the leaves to maximise photosynthesis. This is one of the adaptations of leaves so that they maximise the amount of light they absorb for photosynthesis. Another adaptation of the plant leaves is the waxy cuticle. The roots have a type of cell called a root hair cell. These project out from the root into the soil, and have a big surface area and thin walls. This lets water pass into them easily. Ms Armit: The leaf is a major organ in plants in which photosynthesis occurs. Without photosynthesis, there'd be very little life on Earth, because when plants photosynthesise, they take in carbon dioxide, and release oxygen as a by-product. You can take your class outside into the playground to find some large autumnal leaves to collect for use in this activity, and students can use the leaves they have collected to create their own leaf man.

Upon returning home, have your children spread out all of their leaf project items on a table so that you can see if any might need time to dry first. Ms Armit: I told you. If you had a microscope, you would be able to see this even better. The stomata allows gases to flow in and out of the leaves. The green of the leaf is the chlorophyll, the pigment that absorbs energy from the sun. Some plants have evolved with large leaves to maximise the amount of light they can absorb, often found under forest canopies where they struggle for exposure to light.When the old lady who cares for their garden home becomes ill, lost in the dreams of the past, a group of brave good bugs, advised by a mysterious lost toy, set out on an epic quest to find the fabled Leaf Men, and ask for their aid. Climbing to the very top of the highest tree, a troupe of doodlebugs brave storms and confront a threatening Spider Queen, eventually finding that their perseverance is rewarded, when the elfin Leaf Men do indeed appear, once called. All is set to rights again in the neglected garden, but to aid the old lady, it is found that the lost toy must once again play a part... Cal: OK. Right. My Blue Peter moment. Here's one I made earlier. Um... OK. So some nail varnish here, I'm going to pull it off. I mean, it looks like really... really bumpy. The upper part of the leaf is where the light falls, and it contains a type of cell called a palisade cell . This is adapted to absorb a lot of light. It has lots of chloroplasts and is shaped like a tall box. Carbon dioxide Ms Armit: Yeah. During the day and night, the plants are constantly respiring to release the energy in glucose so they can live - just like you. It's only during the day that plants photosynthesise. Any idea why?

A leaf usually has a large surface area, so that it can absorb a lot of light. Its top surface is protected from water loss, disease and weather damage by a waxy layer.Cal: Right, now, I'm not I'm not saying that I don't trust you, Ms Armit, because I do, but I can't see it. So I can't be certain that those tiny holes are actually there. I recommend having each child find at least 15 leaves of various sizes so that they have plenty of options for creating their own Leaf Men later. You can see here, there's holes in the leaf, and with a lot of air moving from the waterfall, these holes stop the leaf from ripping.

Oh, so it's like staying on top of the leaf there. So that must be because of the waxy layer - the cuticle. Both of these resources are great for use in the autumn, either in the classroom or at home, to give children a fun and engaging arts and crafts task to complete. Why are autumn art activities important for children?Add an extra step and work on counting skills, color identification and more. Have your child count each read leaf, or place each yellow leaf in a pile etc. Ms Armit: Ha-ha. Leave that one to dry. There's one already over there that's done. Going to go and peel off some of the nail polish and tell me what you see. If you want to add a fun creative task to your lesson plan during the autumn, this autumn art activity KS1 resource is the perfect choice for an arts and crafts task that students will find engaging. All you need to prepare for this activity is some glue, a pen, some paper, a pair of scissors, some googly eyes, and some brown autumn leaves.

Cal: If they've got all those chloroplasts, then you'd need them to be near the top of the leaf to get that all-important sunshine.I’ve found that it’s helpful for young children to sketch out the “body” of a person on a sheet of paper. It’s used as a template for them to see how they want to glue their leaves to create the leaf person craft. If your children are older, they probably don’t need this extra step! Ms Armit: Precisely. Another very important part of the leaf are the palisade cells. These are full of chloroplasts to absorb sunlight. Where in the leaf do you think the palisade cells are?