Chlorophyll Leaf Prints

Skills: Small motor skills. Using a hammer.

Letters/Sounds: L (leaf). F (fern), C (chlorophyll)

Supplies:

• Watercolor paper, a cotton t-shirt or other absorbant material

• Fern frond or tree leaf

• Natural colored sharpies

• Hammer or mallet

Step 1)

Gather fern fronds or leaves from plants that grow near your home. Collect your leaves or ferns early in the morning on a moist day.

Step 2)

If you are using a t-shirt, line it with plastic to keep the pattern from going through to the back of the shirt.

Step 3)

Place your leaf or fern frond onto the material of your choice.

Step 4)

Cover the leaf with a paper towel or parchment paper.

Step 5)

Pound the leaf with a mallet or ball-head hammer until your plant creates a pattern on your material.

TIP - Check your leaf or fern to make sure you are "breaking" the skin of the plant to release the chlorophyll. Moist plants work best.

Step 6)

Gently lift your plant off your material and scrape the plant remnants off. To finish your print, use a natural colored sharpie to add stem & leaf details to your print.