Here's what we made at the preschool this week.

 
It's a project most people are familiar with, but I do want to start documenting our weekly preschool projects here once again.  It's been a little rough getting into our handwork this year...we have sixteen new students and of those only one is four years old...the rest are three.  And many, a young three.  So we've started out slowly...working with beeswax one day a week, drawing another, last week we practiced using scissors.  This week we did leaf printing.  A perfect project for younger children.

I used the lid of my cake pan to hold the paint (acrylics in a variety of colors).  The children were free to add colors as they liked...just a bit, spread around works very well. 

 
Then the children pressed the leaf into the ink...I used a big leafed plant in my garden (I have no idea what it is) but a rhubarb leaf would work very well.

(Edited to add...thank you to Monika for pointing out that rhubarb leaves are toxic and should not be used for this project.)

Then we transfered the leaf to the paper.  The children really need to press down all around the leaf...making sure to press all the way to the corners.  It takes a minute or two for small hands to be able to do this.

Carefully lift the leaf off the paper.

 
The results of the mixed colors are striking.

 
And each one comes out so differently, despite using the same leaf over and over.

Here is a group shot of them drying on the porch.

http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2010/10/leaf-printing.html