The leaf rubbing planet Earth activity below develops children’s awareness of Earth Day. Plant rubbings are a fun activity for a kindergarten Earth Day as new leaves and weeds are sprouting, the days are warmer and the kids are itching to get outside. Combine Earth Day teaching with the leaf rubbings to remind children to care for the planet.
Go on a nature walk and have each child collect a few leaves of various shapes. Choose leaves that have fallen on the ground and only pick one or two from a living plant.
Materials:
- three or four different leaves
- 11 x 17″ cartridge paper
- black jumbo crayons with the paper taken off
- tape or sticky tak™
- watery green and blue paint
- scissors
- plate
- black construction paper
Procedure:
The children:
- place the backs of the plants, leaf vein side up, on the table
- place a piece of paper over the leaves and secure the corners with sticky tak or tape to prevent the paper from moving around
- rub the paper with the side of a thick black crayon (paper taken off).
- have students rub over and over the paper until the leaf shapes show
- paint over the crayon with blue and green watery paint
- use a plate to trace a large circle when the paintings are dry
- cut the “planet Earth” out
- Mount on black construction paper to look like a planet.
- Print a sentence about kindergarten Earth Day if you wish and tape it on.
Providing Children with Opportunities to Observe & Investigate
Using short periods of time examining and investigating objects, such as collections of feathers, shells, rocks, and other groups of objects, captures children’s attention and challenges them to inquire, to develop mind sets of being problem solvers and to think independently. If you’re looking for ways to provide your students with a new science and math investigation every week of the year, you’ll find the work done for you in my ebook here…