This is a great fun activity that
you can try at home or at school. You can use it to reinforce the
concept of camouflage, so it can tie in with a habitats theme. You
could use keys to identify the leaves. By writing down the method
used, it can tie in with a literacy theme, which can be extended by
using the type of weather and time of year and the things you find
on your walk as starting points for creative writing at any level.
You will need:
Plain white cotton T-shirt,
washed and ironed, masking tape, leaves, scrap paper, fabric paints,
old sponges or paintbrushes, water for cleaning the brushes and
paper towels or kitchen roll to blot the brushes on, apron, or
overalls, damp cloth, something to protect your work area-such as
newspaper or a plastic sheet.
Optional extras:
Large piece of board
What to do
Go for a walk to collect a variety of different leaves, from your garden or in the school grounds. There should be plenty around on the floor. Look for interesting shapes and freshly fallen leaves. Select the leaves that you are going to print with. Prepare your working area. Place scrap paper between the front and back layers of the shirt. Stretch out your T-shirt, over a piece of board, if you have one, or just on the table, if not. Make sure it is as smooth and taut as possible and tape it into position on the board or table.
Using a brush or sponge, paint
onto the veined side, of the leaf. The leaf should be covered, but
not dripping. Place the leaf, paint side down onto your T-shirt.
Press down, but don’t rub, then gently and carefully peel the leaf
back. Repeat the process until you have an interesting pattern. You
could use a fine paintbrush to outline or add detail to your shirt.
Always clean brushes/sponges thoroughly between colours and blot
them dry. Use the damp cloth to keep your fingers clean. If you want
to print both sides of the T-shirt, you should let one side dry
completely, before turning it over. Following the manufacturer’s
instructions, allow the fabric paint to dry flat and iron if
necessary to set the design.
Potential hazards
