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LITTLE LESSON 09 · PRESCHOOL · TK · EARLY K
Can a Leaf Become Something Else?
Allow extra drying time for paint or glue. Children can pause and return.
Elements of Art focus: Shape & texture. Notice a leaf’s outline and its printed surface marks. Meet the seven art ideas →
Let’s wonder!
“A leaf leaves a mark. What else could that mark become?”
Our little purpose: Make a leaf print and reinterpret it by turning the paper.
Gather a little magic
A clean fallen leaf from a known safe plant, washable paint, a brush, and paper.
For your grown-up: A grown-up selects and cleans leaves from known non-irritating plants. Avoid unknown plants and wash hands afterward.
Make it yours
Wonder together · 2–3 min Try & make · 12–20 min Share & tidy · 3–6 min
- Look at the leaf’s lines and edges. Predict which details might print.
- Brush on a thin layer of paint and press the leaf onto paper.
- Lift it and look. Turn the paper in different directions.
- Transform your print into an animal, creature, vehicle, or imagined object with a few added marks.
“I’ll show you how I did mine. Yours doesn’t have to look like mine.”
Look what you discovered
Ask: “What did you choose? What changed? What would you try next?”
Notice: The child notices a leaf detail or adds a mark to transform the print.
Listen, watch, or accept pointing and home-language responses. Notice the process, not resemblance to an example.
Every idea belongs
A little support: Help stabilize the paper and offer a large sturdy leaf.
A little more: Compare two orientations and explain a different imagined possibility.
No supplies today? The child can make choices, predict, and direct a grown-up.
The learning underneath
California Preschool/TK Learning Foundations · Visual Arts: 1.5, 1.9. Kindergarten bridge · California Arts Standards: K.VA:Cr2.1.
These are planning connections selected for this activity, not a claim of mastery or state endorsement. The kindergarten code is an extension, not a preschool requirement. Read the code key and official California sources →
PLAY THIS ART ADVENTURE · 09
Print, Turn, Imagine
Notice a leaf’s outline and its printed surface marks.
Art ideas: Shape & texture. One playful connection to this project.
Find this resource again: mrrichiecreates.com/lessons/leaf-print-transformation