Materials
Autumn leaves
contact paper
scissors
pen
hole punch
string
Instructions
1. Collect leaves from trees around your school or in a nearby park. Choose a
variety of bright colors, but remember that leaves with a crisp texture (such as
maple and oak) will retain their color longer than leaves with a soft texture
(such as poplar and sassafras).
2. Cut out two 5" x 7" pieces of contact paper per child.
Peel the paper backing
from one piece and lay
the contact paper on a
flat surface, sticky
side up.
3. Ask the children to
place a leaf or leaves
on their contact paper.
Encourage them to be
creative (for instance, if
you put two maple
leaves bottom to
bottom, you make a
shape like a butterfly).
4. Once the leaves are in place, peel the backing from the second piece of
contact paper and place it, sticky side down, over the leaves. Show the
children how to iron out any air bubbles using their hands, a ruler, or a book.
5. Ask the children to draw a line around the outer shape of the leaves, leaving
about 1/4 " of contact paper all the way around the leaves. Then they can cut
away the excess paper, following the lines they have drawn.
6. Use a hole punch to punch a hole into each child's ornament. Help them
thread a piece of string through the hole. Hang the ornaments in a sunny
spot.
