Leaf Rubbings and More Outdoor Nature Arts and Crafts Activities
Leaf rubbing and print activities are a fantastic way to engage young learners in a wide array of educational concepts. Early literacy and language skills are nurtured through asking and answering questions about the textures and colors of their nature objects and where they find them. Math skills are developed as they explore patterns, shapes, lengths, and measure lengths and widths to compare sizes of different leaves. Observations, questions and predictions about leaf rubbings, such as what might happen if they use different types of leaves or press harder with their crayons, develop early science skills. Additionally, these activities promote social-emotional learning skills like mindfulness, as children focus on the intricate details of each leaf and take time to appreciate and stay present in the natural world around them. Leaf rubbing and print activities are not only fun but also rich in opportunities for comprehensive learning, development and bonding.
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Want to teach every preschool and kindergarten readiness skills in just minutes a day with more conversation and play-based learning?
Enjoy simple conversation starter questions, read along stories, music and movement (song links, active games, exercise and dance moves) and no prep activities to teach preschool literacy (reading, writing, language, sight words), math, science (STEM), character education and more in just minutes a day throughout your daily routine to teach every early learning skill.
You can connect and learn with your 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 year old child and prepare toddlers and young kids for preschool and kindergarten in just minutes a day. See the week 1 sample below!
Want 36 weeks (180 days) of play-based preschool learning activities for parents or teachers (1440 preschool activities)?
Want easy, fun spring, summer or fall outdoor craft activities for kids? It’s surprisingly quick and effortless to make autumn leaf rubbings and four more educational arts and craft ideas for toddlers, preschoolers and kids of any age - leaf rubbings, painting, DIY salt clay ornaments, ABC nature walk scavenger hunt and more. There are so many learning activities you can easily incorporate with fallen leaves.
10 Nature Learning Activities:
Fine Motor: Trace nature objects, cut out along the lines and paste on paper.
Gross Motor: Jump, leap, climb, run, skip, gallop, hop, etc. like different animals.
Math: Count and sort objects by type, color, size.
Math: Make nature mandalas with repeating circular patterns based on type, color, size and shape.
Science: Predict whether different objects will sink or float and discuss why.
Science: Act as a naturalist by writing the names and attributes of nature objects.
Literacy: Go on an ABC nature scavenger hunt (see below).
Imagination: Design your dream house floor plan with sticks, leaves, stones, etc.
Creativity: Make mud faces on the side of a tree.
Art: Make leaf rubbings and prints with crayon, paint and clay.
Start with an ABC Nature Scavenger Hunt
This entire art activity ideas started with an ABC nature scavenger hunt around our neighborhood, past a local pond and through the woods. Whether you live in a city or suburb, beach town or desert, you can take a walk, look out a window or do an indoor scavenger hunt as you try to find as many collectable and observable things as you can that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
Get creative and even silly (ex: goose poop, yucky worm; jumpy toad; zippy fast fly; Xcited dog) to come up with nouns, verbs and adjectives to find at least one thing for each letter of the alphabet.
As you walk and collect, talk about the difference between nouns (people, animals, plants, places or things), verbs (what they are doing, like running, swimming, flying, etc.) and adjectives (words to describe things, like fuzzy, bumpy, rough, smooth, blue, tiny, scary, etc.).
Yo can also talk about what you have seen in the past or would like to see and add them to your list.
See my ABC Nature Scavenger Hunt List for things we collected and observed from afar:
A: Acorn
B: Birch bark, berries, bug, blue sky, birds
C: Crabapple, crow
D: Duck, dog
E: Egg-shaped rock, edible dandelion greens
F: Falling leaves, fern, fort
G: Goose (poop), grass, green leaves
H: Heron, Hydrangea, Herbs
I: Inch worm
J: Juniper berries
K: Keeling over tree, knocked down tree, kindling, kicking duck legs
L: Lichen, lavendar
M: Moss, muskrat, Maple leaf, mourning dove, mushroom, moth
N: Nest, nut
O: Oak leaf, orange leaves, oregano, onion grass
P: Pinecone, pine needle, pond, pussy willow, purple leaves
Q: Quacking Duck
R: Reed, rosemary
S: Seed, stream, spider, sage
T: Tree, twig
U: Unique moth
V: Vegetavle garden
W: Willow tree leaves, wild flowers
X: Xylotomous (bores or cuts into the wood)
Remember, no word is too big or confusing for even the youngest kids!
Use missing letters as a fun introduction to research and dictionary skills.
Look up “X” adjectives, verbs, animals, plants and nouns together and see what you find.
You and your kids will learn so many new words as you foster curiosity and a life-long love of learning.
Y: Yellow flowers and leaves, yapping dog
Z: Zephyr (see below), Zig zag lines, zany zippy cricket, zonked out dog (zero Z words)
Remember, no word is too big or confusing for your young kid!
Not convinced?
When my oldest son was 2.5 years old he corrected me, saying, “That’s not a Triceratops! It’s a Monoclonius!”
He also taught me the difference between a skid steer and a bull dozer, Charmander and Charizard.
Their minds can grasp anything and everything.
If young children can tell the difference between an Allosaurus and a Trex , a front loader and an excavator, Picachu and Pichu, they can understand and remember the difference between cobalt blue and turquoise, a robin and a chickadee, a duck and a goose, a hydrangea and a daffodil...There is no reason to dumb down our language.
Here are some fun words to teach and add to your scavenger hunt list for those tricky to find letters.
Xanthic: Yellowish.
Xavier: New house; bright.
Xylotomous: An insect capable of boring or cutting wood
Zephyr: A gentle breeze; the west wind
Zenith: The "highest" point on the celestial sphere. Ex: The sun reached its zenith in the sky at noon.
Be specific and use the correct words and your kids will likely learn and remember the exciting new vocabulary you use. Even if they don’t, you’ll have fun discovering the infinite possibilities of learning new things on the internet, and the beauty and diversity of language.
Leaf Rubbings
Go on a nature walk and collect autumn leaves, pine needles, Maple “helicopter” seeds, grass, bark and more
You can also do this with coins, Legos and other textured indoor objects.
Place leaves flat under paper.
You can arrange many at a time or do one at a time (suggested).
Peel paper off crayon.
Hold paper very firmly and steady down over leaves so paper and leaves do NOT move.
Rub flat slide of crayon gently over paper until lines and edges of leaves and needles appear.
Repeat until complete!
Focus on Fun
Remember that this is about process, not product!
You will most likely become frustrated if you expect your child to make a frame-able work of art.
Focus on having fun, not creating perfection. This is a valuable skill in-and-of-itself.
The goal is for kids to engage with different tools and textures, build creativity, foster sensory observation skills of textures and colors, discuss the science, math and ELA early learn skill of cause and effect of different techniques, and, most importantly, to have fun while bonding, connecting and spending quality time with you - even if you just have 5 extra minutes a day!
Extend this activity for more autumn art projects by painting leaves and making leaf prints. Painted leaf prints make beautiful paintings, fall-themed home or classroom decor, greeting cards, thank you cards or educational learning activities to teach color, size, pattern, counting and more!
Leaf Print Painting
Dip a paintbrush in washable acrylic paint.
Paint the textured underside of a leaf, Maple “helicopter” seed, pine needle, dandelion, etc.
Press the painted side of leaf flat on the paper and then lift straight up to avoid smudging.
Children may wiggle and smear the leaf imporession. Don’t worry!
Remember that process matters over product: Joy is more important than perfection.
Make a painting, greeting card or learning activity:
Home or Classroom Decor: Paint different leaves different colors to make a leaf pile or falling leaves work of art.
Greeting Cards: Fold a piece of cardstock in half and press one or more painted leaves onto the front half.
Educational Craft Ideas: Name, sort and/or write the colors; Measure and discuss length and width; Make a pattern based on color, size or type; Count by ones and twos; etc.
Want to create more nature crafts with your outdoor objects?
Pressed Leaf and Flower Collage
Make a a pressed leaf (and/or pressed flower) collage by arranging and gluing leaves to paper, cardstock, wood or cardboard.
You can also make a bookmark by cutting cardstock into a slim strip and adding pine needles or small leaves or seeds.
Make autumn leaf or spring flower stationery or a set of thank you cards by folding a piece of cardstock in half and pressing one or more leaves to it.
Once the glue dries, place the page inside a large, heavy book to flatten and dry the leaves to save a permanent pressed autumn leaves work of art. You can also make pressed flowers in spring, summer and fall.
Still want more spring, summer, fall and even winter craft activity ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah or Christmas?
Make leaf or pine needle salt clay impression ornament gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Birthdays, or any holiday craft gifts for friends, teachers and family members.
Want to teach early childhood learning skills in just minutes a day?
Enjoy simple questions, conversation starters and no prep activities to teach preschool math, STEM, sight words, literacy, character education and more in just minutes a day throughout your daily routine.
You can connect and learn with your 2, 3, 4 or 5 year old child and prepare toddlers and young kids for preschool and kindergarten in just minutes a day.
Want 1,000+ early Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies and Social Emotional Learning (SEL, character education and social skills) printable activities to teach all 25 math, 25 ELA, 15 SEL, 6 science and 6 social studies skills that children need to master for preschool and kindergarten readiness?
Enjoy printable worksheets, no prep play-based activities and instructional videos for educational alternatives to screen time.
This product is designed for parents or educators leading a homeschool curriculum or who simply want fun educational activities, but can also be used for educators in a classroom setting. This product is perfect for full and part-time homeschool, distance learning or for use in a traditional classroom setting. Effortlessly teach EVERY preschool skill with this no prep curriculum. You can put the handouts in dry erase pockets or sheet protectors and use washable dry erase markers to use the same handout again and again.
Since this curriculum covers every preschool and kindergarten readiness math, science, social studies, reading, writing, language and literacy standard, and since every child will begin this curriculum with different skill levels and prior knowledge, you may wish to skip certain activities while repeating other activities again and again. Pick and choose activities based on your child’s skill level and consider checking off the ones you complete.
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Enjoy 6 children's book read aloud and 6 fingeryplay nursery rhymes in each of my 20-minute learning videos for babies, toddlers or preschoolers to learn letter sounds, rhyming, numbers, counting, colors, shapes, social emotional learning, character education and more! Enjoy videos for free learning activities for early learning activities for parents or homeschool preschool curriculum. Like, share and subscribe to my YouTube Channel @LaurenMartinBooks.
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Thank you for learning with me!
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