Leaf Friend                                   
Instructors Notes
Time length:  30 minutes
Materials; The Arboretum's leaf collection, clipboards, paper and crayons.

1. Lead the group on a walk through the Arboretum.  Along the way, point out some interesting leaves on trees. 
   ~ How many colors of leaves do they see? 
   ~ Are there different shades of green, brown, and yellow? 
   ~ Watch the different ways leaves blow in the wind. 
2. Stop to sit at a comfortable, flat area. Everyone gets to choose a leaf from the collection provided.  The leaf should be whole, although it is all right if it has a few holes in it.  It should be a leaf they like.  Allow the students a few minutes to find their “leaf friend”.
3. Gather the students in a circle.  As a group, lead the students through some careful observations.  The following are some suggested observation exercises:

• Shake hands with their leaf friend – say hello.
• Look carefully at the shape of the leaf – is it triangular, rounded, or oddly-shaped?
• Look at the leaf’s color(s) – how many colors are there?
• Look around the entire outside margin of the leaf – is it smooth, bumpy, pointed?
• Hold the leaf up and look at it backlit by the sun – can you see lines (veins)?  Do the lines have a pattern?
• Hold the leaf stem (petiole) between thumb and forefinger, and twirl the leaf – is the stem flat or rounded?
• Rub the leaf on your cheek – is it rough, hairy, or smooth?
• Smell the leaf – does it have an odor?

4. Find their friends: Tell the students it is time for their leaves to go away for a while.  Allow them to give their friends one last, good look-over and say good-bye.  Tell the students to place their leaves in the center of the circle. Lay a blanket or cloth over the pile of leaves.  While the students’ backs are turned, rearrange the leaves under the blanket.  Explain to the students that their leaves are now mixed up with lots of friends.  Uncover the pile of leaves.  Allow the students to come up, one at a time, and take their leaf back to where they were sitting in the circle.

5. Once all the students are sitting in the circle again, ask them if they all found their friends.  Go around the circle, and allow each student to tell why he or she thinks (or does not think) the leaf they now have is truly the same as the one they had before.  What special thing(s) do they remember about their leaf friend that distinguishes it from other leaves?
   
   
6. Pass out clipboards and crayons.  Have the students make leaf rubbings of their leaf friends.  (They can add arms, legs, and a face to their drawings if they like and even name their leaf friends!)  Invite each child to show his or her drawing to the group.