Apr 15, 2012

Leaf rubbing is a great Autumn activity. The leaf rubbing itself is lots of fun, but gathering the leaves adds a whole other level of fun for the entire family. You can collect leaves from your back yard or garden or you can go for a walk at a nearby park or around your neighbor hood. The leaf rubbings can be used for a number of things such as cards and wrapping paper.

What you need:

- Crayons or coloring in pencils
- Thin paper
- Leaves (not too small)
- Tape

What to do:

1. Collect a variety of leaves to make leaf rubbings out of. The ones that have thick veins work best, but experiment with different types to find an effect you like.

2. Place leaves on table. Place paper on top of the leaves. Tape the paper to the table to stop it moving.

3. If you are using crayons remove any paper label from the crayon. Start your toddler off by showing them what to do by placing the crayon length-ways on the paper and rubbing it back and forth. If using coloring in pencils show them how to color over the leaf. Tracery of the veins and ridges on the leaves will appear on the paper! Your toddler will think it’s magic!

Note: Coins and other textures can also be rubbed in this way!

Hi I’m Lou from Sydney

____________________________________ I'm a young mum with a passion for coming up with creative ideas to keep my toddler entertained that don’t cost a lot. Other mums and dads seemed to like sharing my ideas and have encouraged me to develop “Toddler Tricks” an online box of great ideas to keep toddlers entertained. If you read my blog you will see that I also have a passion for food and with a partner who is a personal trainer we are big on getting out and about as a family. I look forward to meeting other parents through this blog and sharing ideas, stories and some funny moments.