We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can complete the activity on their own.

Have Students Gather Leaves

We find that fresh, flat leaves work best. After a few days, the leaves dry out and become brittle and difficult to use for leaf rubbings. If students collect their own leaves and bring them into class, we recommend choosing leaves that are smaller than the size of their hand. If you have trouble finding leaves in your area, you can always use lettuce or other leafy greens from the local supermarket.

Prepare Your Community Tree Trunk

• Cut out the pieces of the tree by cutting along the dashed lines of the Community Tree Trunk printout.
• Arrange the pieces on your wall using tape or sticky dots to hold the paper in place. Watch this video to see how we did it.
• Each student will need a piece of tape or sticker to attach their Tree Branch to the Tree Trunk.

A Note on the "Leaves In My Town Guide"

In Grades 2-5, students will try to identify their leaf using the "Leaves In My Town Guide." The guide can help to identify leaves that are collected from trees. The guide focuses on the leaves of deciduous trees so it does not include any evergreen conifers.