Recently, we spent a sunny afternoon outside equipped with a variety of art supplies.  One of the challenges I gave the girls was to go on a leaf hunt and to choose one special leaf to draw.  When they both returned with leaves in hand, I asked them come in close so that they could observe that leaves have veins. I explained that you can learn a lot about a leaf by noticing what kind of pattern it has.  I also mentioned that leaf venation is one thing that scientists look for when they are identifying trees.

They both got busy with their observational drawings and really took the time to record the colors, shapes and veins of their leaf.  After they were finished I showed them a chart, which displays different types of leaf venation patterns, so that they could identify their own leaves.

At the end of the day we had some beautiful drawings and the girls gained a  deeper understanding of leaves.

Resources

• Leaf Venation Chart
• Leaf Margins
• Leaf Apices & Bases
• Art Lesson: Observational Drawing