Original URL: http://fun.familyeducation.com/childrens-art-activities/crafts/37148.html

Creative Leaves

Materials

• Leaves
• Wax paper
• Paper towel
• Iron
• Newspaper
• Thin paper
• Cardboard
• Crayons
• Heavy book
• Tree identification book

Directions

1. Have your child collect a variety of fresh leaves. Gently dry wet ones with a paper towel. Preserve them by pressing, waxing, or rubbing.
2. To press the leaves, place them between two sheets of newspaper. The leaves shouldn't touch each other.
3. Place the newspaper between two pieces of cardboard. Set a heavy book on the cardboard and let it sit for three weeks.
4. To wax the leaves, place them between two sheets of wax paper with the waxy sides of the sheets touching the leaves.
5. 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.
6. 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.