Leaf Rubbing
By Nancy Cavanaugh

This is an easy project for the little ones to do and a great lesson plan for early grade schoolers.

What you need:
     White construction paper
     Crayons - orange, yellow and red
     Leaves - various shapes and sizes

1. Go outside and have the child(ren) choose four or five different leaves that have a lot of texture and vary in size.

2. Put a leaf under a piece of construction paper.

3. Rub the side of a crayon on the paper over the leaf.

4. Repeat for all the leaves, using different colors or color combinations for each leaf.

5. Cut out the leaves and hang on the wall or windows, or make a leaf garland out of them to hang around the house or classroom.

Tips:

You can talk about what trees the leaves came from and the process that happens in the fall that causes the leaves to fall. For more information, check out the Science Made Simple website at http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html or EEK! (short for Environmental Education for Kids, which is sponsored by the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources) at www.dnr.state.wi.us

Nancy Cavanaugh, is a stay-at-home mom and avid crafter. You can find lots more fun crafts for kids, ages three to seven, at her site: Kids Holiday Crafts www.kidsholidaycrafts.com