You can combine some art and science with leaves. Start by collecting a variety of leaves, especially a variety of colors. Here are instructions from Scientific American explaining how to crush the leaves to extract pigment for Paper Chromatography. (Below are several images from Co-op of the kids doing paper chromatography.) Your family may like paper chromatography. Younger kids will like leaf rubbings. Try using chalk, pastels, and crayons. Dick Blick, a popular art company, has a Curtain of Leaves Monoprint to use for inspiration. While you have out the paint your family could experiment with Tempera Paint Pours. Our family uses art for Christmas presents, even making humble notecards. One more art idea: Paper Clay Leaves. Use the lesson for inspiration. You are pressing real leaves into clay and painting the clay. Here are instructions to make paper clay. Good luck. The only time I tried making paper from scratch was a disaster. Instead, make up different homemade clays. Try embossing each clay with leaves. Bonus points for distinctive dyes for the clay leaves. Our family embossed shark teeth in Skulpey clay in the photo below. Your whole family can spend Friday afternoon gathering leaves, making prints, embossing leaves, and creating rubbings. Set aside the best products for presents.
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