This fall leaves word search is a fun fall classroom activity for 3rd–6th grade students, featuring words like Chlorophyll, Carotenoid, Anthocyanin, and Deciduous. Free printable worksheet with answer key included.
| D | C | L | I | T | O | E | X | G | C | I | U | N | F |
| C | O | D | E | C | I | D | U | O | U | S | L | M | D |
| B | E | V | C | B | M | J | K | K | L | P | X | S | U |
| G | V | C | H | L | O | R | O | P | H | Y | L | L | A |
| A | E | C | B | K | R | S | E | R | Q | L | C | N | A |
| L | R | S | M | U | U | J | P | K | M | A | T | B | X |
| P | G | U | R | C | I | C | T | Q | R | H | S | M | T |
| F | R | N | A | W | W | E | D | O | O | C | D | P | C |
| O | E | L | A | T | Z | M | T | C | I | O | W | I | J |
| L | E | I | V | B | X | E | Y | S | R | U | P | G | P |
| I | N | G | R | W | N | A | S | M | Q | F | N | M | W |
| A | J | H | K | O | N | I | A | N | O | Y | D | E | L |
| G | T | T | I | I | O | N | T | J | C | A | G | N | L |
| E | G | D | N | N | T | J | C | Y | Y | N | Q | T | F |
In summer, leaves are green because of chlorophyll, the pigment plants use to make food from sunlight. As fall days grow shorter and cooler, trees stop making chlorophyll and it breaks down. That lets the yellow and orange pigments that were there all along show through, while some trees make new red and purple pigments.
This word search covers the science of fall color: the green pigment CHLOROPHYLL, the yellow and orange CAROTENOID, the red ANTHOCYANIN, and how DECIDUOUS trees go DORMANT and drop their FOLIAGE.
Pair this word search with a leaf chromatography experiment. Crush leaves in rubbing alcohol, dip in a strip of coffee filter, and watch hidden pigments separate over a few hours.
Click the print button to print this why leaves change color word search. The printable version includes the puzzle grid and word list, perfect for classroom handouts or homework.