How to Press Flowers and Leaves.
Learning to press leaves or flowers makes
a good science project for young children.
Here are some tips to make these materials
last longer than they do in nature.
You will need Flowers or leaves Newspaper
sheets Heavy weights Wax paper Large book
and labels or cards (optional).
Step 1.
Collect some interesting flowers or leaves.
Step 2.
Place the flowers or leaves between two sheets
of newspaper, and let them flatten and dry
under some heavy weights for at least one
day.
Step 3.
Remove the partially dried flowers or leaves
when they are free of any surface moisture.
Step 4.
Insert each flower or leaf, separately sandwiched
between two sheets of wax paper, in the pages
of a large book.
Leave about 100 pages, or 0.125 inches, between
pressings.
Choose a book that you no longer use or need.
This will prevent any damage to books you
want to keep.
Step 5.
Place heavy weights on the book.
Step 6.
Leave the flowers or leaves in the book for
a couple of weeks before removing them.
Insert labels of where you found the leaves
or flowers, or if you were given the flowers,
include the card in the pressing.
Step 7.
Store the pressed leaves or flowers in an
album.
Enjoy looking at them and capturing the memories
of nature.
Did you know The color change of leaves in
the fall is due to chemical transformations
in the leaf pigments.