Autumn is in full swing here in Minnesota. And, I wanted to take full advantage. While walking home from church, Henry and I took the opportunity to collect as many different colored leaves as we could. When we got home, we took them and sorted them into a rainbow.
As Henry ran off to play in the unseasonably warm weather (it was 80 in October!) I gathered the best of the leaves for this project. I picked smaller, flat, colorful leaves since I knew I wanted to laminate them.
I had done a similar project last fall with laminated leaves. The ones that were sealed as tight as possible (and were therefore flat, held their color the longest). Once the leaves were selected, I cut off the stem and laminated! I cut around them leaving a bunch of room so the seal would remain tight.
I love this project because it is so versatile. For young toddlers like Nora, these can be used simply for exploration! She loved the way they felt! For older toddlers, they could be used for color sorting!
For preschoolers, like Henry, you can use for rainbow order -- which is what we did! If you had enough, you could sort by type of leaf, by size, by color or any combination. Or, just let them come up with their own use! Study them, draw them, make leaf rubbings! The possibilities are endless!
If you liked this post, check out: Laminated Flower Exploration for Babies; Favorite Rainbow Inspired Toys
