This leaf has a secret!
Need a simple no mess craft? No glue, no paint? Young kids? Big kids? Mixed age? Something more interesting than a basic coloring page? These fold out coloring pages are the perfect thing! A few easy folds makes this coloring page super special. (But it still fits on a standard size piece of copy paper!) This is a great way to reinforce all of the important information students have learned about leaving the leaves. It’s also a fun way for them to share their learning with others.
This simple craft would be be equally at home in science, art or ela classroom. It’s also a fun one for families and nature centers. There are two version to choose from, on the first the critters are there for you to color in. The second version is blank in the center so kids can draw their own favorite critters who depend on leaves!
Differentiation & Notes
You can level this craft up by making the leaf out of cardboard. (Just glue it on top of the paper) You can then use paint or whatever media you want to decorate the leaf. You can also change the type of leaf featured if you make it out of cardboard.
This has been to designed to fit on standard copy paper and be low mess, so stick to dry media like colored pencils, crayons and markers. If you want to use paint or wet media try the cardboard variation above.
For younger friends you may want to precut the pages. I would let them fold it themselves, but you know your group best and if that feels like too much for them then there is no reason you can’t give them pre-folded papers that they just color.
Never underestimate the power of coloring– my college students loved it.
Leave the Leaf Fold-out Coloring Page
materials:
- leaf template (download below)
- coloring supplies (dry media: colored pencils, crayons, markers etc.)
- scissors
method:
Color the animal drawings inside the leaf. (Either color in the drawings or draw your own.) You can also color the leaf now, but I find it easier to color once it’s folded and both pieces are connected. Next, cut along the red dotted lines around the image.
Turn your paper over so the back faces you. Fold the two leaf sections down and crease well.
Turn the paper over so that the printed side is up. Fold it in half along the solid grey line.
You now have 3 ‘mountain folds.’ That means they stick up like a mountain.
Now with the printed side of the paper facing up, fold diagonally along the grey dotted lines. First fold towards the left side and crease well.
Then unfold and do the same thing on the right side. Crease well and unfold. (These are ‘valley folds’ because they point down.)
Now take the two sides and guide them together.
This lets you bring the two sides of the leaf together.
You now have a whole leaf! You can wiggle and adjust a little if the sides don’t line up perfectly.
This is what the back should look like. It doesn’t matter if the triangle points up or down. It’s hidden behind the leaf either way. Crease the folds really well so it lays flat.
Now that the halves of the leaf are connected, color them in!
Template:
