Creative Leaves
Here are some great family-time activities using leaves. Try waxing, rubbing, and pressing them.
By: Trish Kuffner, author of The Children's Busy Book
Creative Leaves
Materials
- Leaves
- Wax paper
- Paper towel
- Iron
- Newspaper
- Thin paper
- Cardboard
- Crayons
- Heavy book
- Tree identification book
Directions
- Have your child collect a variety of fresh leaves. Gently dry wet ones with a paper towel. Preserve them by pressing, waxing, or rubbing.
- To press the leaves, place them between two sheets of newspaper. The leaves shouldn't touch each other.
- Place the newspaper between two pieces of cardboard. Set a heavy book on the cardboard and let it sit for three weeks.
- To wax the leaves, place them between two sheets of wax paper with the waxy sides of the sheets touching the leaves.
- Cover the wax paper with a sheet of newspaper and press it with a medium-hot iron for about thirty seconds. Then separate the waxed leaves from the paper.
- To make leaf rubbings, place fresh leaves under a sheet of thin paper and rub the paper with the side of a crayon. Identify your leaves with the help of a book like Jim Arnosky's Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees.