Do you live in an area with deciduous trees? Crenwinkle wants you to know that d-e-c-i-d-u-o-u-s means trees that drop their leaves for part of each year, usually in the fall. The branches of deciduous trees remain bare until they grow new leaves, usually in the spring. If you look out of your window and see leaves starting to change color or even falling to the ground, those come from deciduous trees.

Take a fall walk and see how many deciduous trees you can find in your neighborhood. Pick up different types of leaves. When you get home, look at a book or website that shows the shape and colors of leaves and the trees they come from. One book that Crenwinkle keeps in his library is Trees, Leaves & Bark by Diane Burns. 

After you’ve collected leaves, you might want to save them for craft projects. Did you know books can help with this, but not in the way you might imagine?

HOW TO PRESS LEAVES 

Before you start, find a dry space with a flat surface where you can leave a stack of leaves and books for several days.

  1. Collect leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
  2. Lay the leaves on a paper towel. Make sure the leaves are in a single layer and don’t overlap.
  3. Place another paper towel on top of your leaves.
  4. You can make several layers of leaves between paper towels.
  5. When you have all your leaves sandwiched between dry paper towels, lay a cookie sheet on top of the stack.
  6. Pile several heavy books* on the cookie sheet to press down on the leaves.
  7. Leave your leaves for five to seven days until they are completely dry.
  8. Store your dried leaves in an airtight container until you want to examine them or use them for craft projects.

Want to see the process in action and get an idea for a cool leaf craft project? Check out this video from Sustain My Craft Habit.

*Crenwinkle remembers that when he was a young alligator, he used to press leaves right between the pages of books. Sometimes, this left stains o  on the pages, so now he uses this method.

Enjoy the fall colors and share pictures of your dry leaves on our Facebook page. 

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PS: Crenwinkle wants you to know that trees that stay green all year are called coniferous trees. They tend to have leaves that are shaped like needles or scales.