I once heard someone say that we have to be careful not to be in such a rush to give our children all the things we never had, that we forget to give them the things we did have. That saying comes to mind as I think about this old-school leaf rubbing activity. I don’t think I even need to give directions, do I? I hope you all had plenty of opportunities to make leaf rubbings as children! I just wanted to remind you to pass on that opportunity! Even today, in the age of the internet and wii, children light up as the leaf seems to magically appear on the page while they feverishly rub their crayons across the paper! This activity increases fine motor skills while also creating awareness of the texture and other characteristics of leaves (science). Combine this with other leaf activities that can be found at the fall favorites page! Enjoy childhood!
Archives for October 17, 2009
Leaf Pounding
This is one of my favorite activities! Help your child take a leaf and place it between two strips of muslin or other white, cotton fabric. Together, hammer the muslin with a rubber mallet. As the mallet strikes the leaf, the chlorophyll is released from the leaf and absorbed by the fabric. Colored leaves in the fall work also as long as they have not become too dry (though their red and purple colors come from a type of sugar in the tree instead of chlorophyll. Check out this website for more science information about fall leaves.)
