 This week's challenge is to start using the leaf part names as we go about our nature study. I went out in my yard and picked a few leaves for us to look at and learn how to draw. I'll give you some tips. This first leaf is from a violet plant. And when I'm helping my kids draw a leaf, I always want to make sure that they look at it carefully to look at the shape. The violet leaf is a heart shape which makes it easier when kids are drawing. So always when you start your leaf, I like to start with what I used to call the stem but now I know it's called the petiole. Draw your petiole and then look at your shape. This case it might be easier to draw it this way so that you can get that little heart shape going on. Then draw your midrib which you can notice here on the leaf. But look at how great of a pattern the veins make with this leaf. It's really pretty. So when you're drawing them, I say I need to turn it this way. You just want to get the general idea and general shape because when you go back with your colored pencils, you're going to get a better idea. I'm going to use the Prismacolor Watercolor Pencil and you can shade it in. And if you notice the edge isn't a smooth edge so you can come back with your pencil and make sure to give it that scalloped edge using your green colored pencil as you go along. So just shade it in. Once you get it shaded in, then we can use the paintbrush and some water to blend it a little. You might want to come back and darken up some of the veins and also the petiole. Just take your broader color brush and you get that wonderful watercolor effect. So of course you're going to take more time, get more details, you can even put some more pattern in with the veins. Here's just a quick idea to get you started. Just look at the shape and look at the vein patterns. I have another leaf. This is a sweet gum leaf. This has got a wonderful pattern on it. You can see the midrib and the veins. And they call each of these a blade so you can count the blades before you draw it. If you're having trouble seeing the veins, sometimes it helps to turn the leaf over and look at the veins. This one would be a great candidate for a rubbing. So I'm going to place it under my paper and just use a large crayon, the side of it. Take the paper off and just hold the leaf in place as you rub. Over. You get that great vein pattern and it's quick and easy and especially easy for younger hands that aren't so great at sketching yet. You can do this on a separate sheet of paper. If you don't want to watercolor directly into your nature journal, you can just cut this out and tape it in there and use your labels. The last suggestion I have is to use your flower press that we made a few challenges ago to press some leaves. Bring your nature journal. Take the copy of your paper. Stick each leaf in. Try to get it to lay flat. I have another piece of cardboard over here already cut and I'm layering it. I did want to show you my flowers from last week. I wasn't sure how they were going to press because they were really thick. They turned out really nicely. Look at the back of this one. It's got a great pattern where the sepals are on the back of the flower. There's the front. You can see with just my cardboard and rubber bands what great success I'm having getting these to be pretty flat. Go ahead and try the composite flowers in here even though they're a little thicker. If you get them in your press and you can use several rubber bands and then make sure to put the whole package under a heavy piece of paper. We use our dictionary. So that's it for this challenge. Have fun!