Crafts & Fun

Be-Leaf It

These placemats will jazz up Thanksgiving dinner — or any meal. Collect leaves in different shapes, sizes and colours. To flatten leaves, place them in the middle of a thick book. Place a weight (try a few books) on top and leave for at least a day. For each placemat cut two rectangles, each 40 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in.), from clear self-adhesive (shelf) paper from the hardware store. Peel the backing from one sheet and place it on a table, sticky side up. Arrange leaves in a pleasing pattern on the paper and press them down firmly. For more pizzazz, add construction paper shapes, sparkles and stickers. Peel the backing from one edge of the top self-adhesive rectangle and place it over the bottom sheet. Then reach under to peel the rest of the backing off, sliding your hand across the top to stick the two pieces together. Now set the table and celebrate.

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For glorious prints, find leaves with raised veins. Pour liquid tempera paint (try red, yellow, green) in separate tinfoil pie plates or plastic lids. Place a leaf, underside up, on newspaper. Using a paintbrush, apply a thin layer of paint to the leaf. Carefully place the leaf, paint side down, on white or light-coloured paper (plain or a heavier card stock) and press firmly. For delicate designs, print again without reapplying paint. Then, experiment with different leaves and paint colours. Leaf prints make unique homemade note cards too.

Spitter Spatter Silhouettes

This one’s marvellous but messy, so grab a smock. Pour liquid tempera paint into small containers (such as plastic lids). Place a leaf on white paper or cardboard. Dip an old toothbrush or nail brush in the paint. Hold the brush, face down, over the leaf and rub your thumb (or a Popsicle stick) over the bristles. Spatter paint over the entire leaf. After removing the leaf, check out the white silhouette. Keep on spattering with lots of leaves and different colours. You can also try this using a Blo pen to spray the colour.

Square Off

Preschoolers will have as much fun making this leaf game as playing it. First, hunt for pairs of leaves of varying types (such as maple, oak, birch). Cut out squares with 15 cm (6 in.) sides from cereal boxes or Bristol board from the dollar store. With white glue, paste one leaf on each cardboard square. For durability, cover each square with a piece of clear self-adhesive paper. To play, spread out one set of leaf cards, face up on a table. Place the second set of cards in a pile. Then, turn over a card and place it on the matching leaf. What a great way to learn about colours, leaf types, sizes and shapes.

Originally published in Today's Parent, October 2003