Materials:
A wide assortment of leaves
Paints
Newspaper
Paper
This is great way to get children to observe and talk about the different shapes, sizes, and vein patterns of leaves as they make leaf prints.
In Advance: Take a walk outside with your child to collect leaves that have recently fallen, talk about how they look and feel, comparing size, shape, and colour.
1. Ask your child to find the bumpy side of a leaf – the side with the raised veins.
2. Show how he/she can use their fingers to spread a thin layer of paint on the bumpy side of the leaves. Talk about how this side of the leaf feels.
3. Ask your child to put their leaves, paint-side down, on the paper, place newspaper pages over them, and press to make prints. Your child can then remove the newspaper, peel off the leaves and marvel at their colourful leaf prints.
