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Home > Printer-friendly > Watch the Leaves Appear!

Watch the Leaves Appear! [1]

What You’ll Need
  • Paper
  • Crayons, with their paper wrappings removed
  • Fallen leaves
What You'll Do
  1. Lay the leaf, vein side up, on a flat surface.
  2. Cover the leaf with a piece of paper.
  3. Rub the long side of the crayon across the leaf, and watch the leaf image appear.
Try These Variations
  • Rub different types of leaves on the same page.
  • Position the same leaf at different angles to make a repeat pattern, as if designing wallpaper or fabric.
  • Overlap rubbings for a layered effect.
  • Use different colored crayons in the same rubbing.
When Finished
  • Make a book of your leaf rubbings, adding a name label to each leaf.
  • Cut out your rubbings and arrange them in a collage.
  • “Frame” your rubbing by gluing it onto a larger piece of colored construction paper.
Other Options
  • Ready to branch out? Anything with a slightly raised surface and an interesting texture can be rubbed: sandpaper, corrugated cardboard, paper doilies, mesh netting, the raised pattern on the edge of a dinner plate, address numbers on your front door, a cookie-cooling rack.
  • For a spiral effect, make a multitude of overlapping circles using different colored crayons. To start, lay paper atop a cup or jar. Rub paper with a crayon so the edge of the cup appears. Reposition the paper on different-sized cups and jars and repeat until your paper is full of circles.
When kids make leaf rubbings, they’re making magic! Even the youngest child can lay paper over a fall leaf, rub the paper with a crayon, and make a delightful image emerge. Wondrous! Repeat!
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Source URL: https://www.highlights.com/parents/crafts/watch-leaves-appear

Links
[1] https://www.highlights.com/parents/crafts/watch-leaves-appear