The Science Behind Leaf Jumping

Ironically, on Thursday last week, I was presenting at the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) on using DIR/Floortime in schools. One of our slides showed a child jumping in a leaf pile as opposed to a picture of children doing worksheets in school. The intent of the slide was to acknowledge that we can’t always have children jumping in leaf piles at school and that we have to work within the parameters of the school system.

Unknowingly, at that moment the House Mountain Learning Co students were actually creating a leaf pile to jump in. Sometimes we do get our ideals.

So, you ask, why would jumping in leaf piles possibly be a school activity? What valuable learning opportunities are there? Isn’t that something our kids could do at home?

I’m so glad you asked.

Let’s start with the organic nature of this activity - the facilitators and a small group of students began building the leaf pile. They were able to create this activity in the moment together - and see it through. This takes some perseverance, teamwork, and forethought to gather a pile big enough for everyone.

The group had to work together, talk with each other, plan it out, navigate differences between peers, and stay focused on the task in order to gather a huge pile. These executive functioning skills are what will take these students through the rest of their lives. Reciting facts and answering test questions will not prepare them for the tasks we accomplish as adults - but setting a goal and working together as a team to achieve it will.

I was not there, but I heard reports from the learners about how some children wanted to jump in while others did not. Each learner had to determine for themselves whether they wanted to participate. They assessed their own sensory needs and either took the risk or chose to stay out. Some tried it and then decided it wasn’t for them - too messy. All of this personal choice within a moment allows children to practice their own agency - they can decide for themselves if they want to participate, whether or not they feel safe, and how to participate in a way that feels safe. This again, is an essential part of living a meaningful life. How often do we follow a group without thinking about how the activity will impact our own individual nervous systems? Do we each have a voice to speak out and self-advocate? Do we feel free to try something and then decide it is not for us? This is not a skill we often teach children - and yet it is an essential skill that makes us human beings - an awareness of ourselves within the larger group and being able to hold those two ideas in mind at one time - the group can have fun jumping in leaves and I might not and that is OK - I am still part of the group.

For those who did participate, they were able to practice navigating their bodies in time and space without bumping into others. They engaged in reciprocal communication with each other as they checked in with each other to make sure they felt safe being buried in leaves. They shared joy as they laughed about the messy leaves stuck in their hair.

Sure you say, but that’s not academic. Those are life experiences our children learn every day.

Do they? How often do our children get to experience all of those moments together? How are we preparing our children for the group work, problem-solving, and executive functioning demands of their future?

Next Monday, when we are back in the Roots program (the core academic days) I’ll ask the students about the experience. I’ll find a poem about jumping in leaves, read it, discuss it, and ask students if they’d like to write their own. Someone will volunteer to write about it for the school newspaper and will work on writing the article and gathering opinions from peers on what they liked. Then the writer will need to synthesize the information they gathered from their peers to summarize in the article.

I may read someone’s writing and suggest that they add details similar to how we could describe jumping in the leaves. We’ll be able to stretch out the moment - what it looked like, sounded like, felt like - and look at how to include that in our writing.

Our goal at HMLC is to balance the core academic content and the critical life skills our children need to be successful, happy adults. Leaf piles = nailed it.