Fall Science: Study a Leaf Skeleton

Five-year-olds: they're fascinated by nature, science, and especially enjoy investigative experiments! Try feeding your child's hunger for learning by combining all three activities into one fun and educational project. Making a leaf skeleton helps the curious kid investigate and study the structure of a leaf.

What You Need:

• 8” x 10” piece of wood
• Carpet scrap
• Tacks or nails
• Leaf
• Shoe brush or hairbrush with animal bristles
• Plastic wrap
• Newspaper
• Iron (adult use only)

What to Do:

1. To prepare the experiment, tack a scrap of carpet to the flat piece of wood.
2. Next, have your child place a leaf on the carpet, top side up.
3. Holding the leaf in one hand, have her gently tap the leaf with the bristle end of the brush held with the other hand. She should continue doing this until the fleshy parts of the leaf are worn away.
4. Instruct her to turn the leaf over, and tap the other side of the leaf. A lacy skeleton of the leaf will be all that remains.
5. To save the leaf skeleton for study, investigation, or nature-inspired art project, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Cover with a sheet of newspaper and iron over the leaf quickly with a warm iron. The plastic will melt slightly and stick to the leaf, forming a clear holder—great for viewing and display.