After declaring themselves as scientists, second graders at Northwest Elementary School went on an autumn walk to make observations about nature.

Students in Kerrin Faulkner and Jenny Smith’s class ventured outside on Oct. 16 to study their surroundings. Attached to each of their clipboards was an observation sheet so children could document the weather, any animals they saw and what they saw, heard, smelled and felt in their nature exploration.

As part of the autumn walk, students were asked to find leaves that had changed color and fallen off the trees. They brought these leaves back to the classroom for a science lesson on chlorophyll and to observe them more closely using magnifying glasses.