Pressed Autumn Leaves

I just found out that Getting Kids Reading is hosting a giveaway of Picture It! picture books. These books have text and a place for children to make their own illustrations- what a clever idea! Be sure to enter if you've got young kids.


Now, onto our activity of the week...


My kids made pressed leaves like these in kindergarten; their clever teacher had them include crayon shavings for added color. This craft looks best in a window, where the light catches the color.

Ages 5 and up; click here for PDF

You will need:

• leaves

• waxed paper

• crayons

• sharp knife

• scissors

Preparation
Use a sharp knife to flake shavings off several different colored crayons. 

Construction
Arrange leaves on a piece of waxed paper so that the waxy side is up. Sprinkle crayon shavings between the leaves. Place another piece of waxed paper on top of the leaves, waxy side down. Iron until the crayon melts and the paper sticks together. Cut to desired shape. 

note:  This works best if you used the shaved crayon sparingly- the crayon really spreads out when it melts, and can obscure the leaves if you use too much. 

Did you know?

In autumn, two processes cause leaves of deciduous plants to change color and fall:

 • A corky plug grows between the stem and leaf.  This plug stops the flow of nutrients, and eventually severs the connection between the leaf and the rest of the plant.

• The leaf stops making green chlorophyll, revealing yellow or orange pigments that were there all along. Red and purple colors are the result of new pigments that are typically produced only in fall.

© 2010, Andrea Hazard