Leafy T-shirts

PROJECT: Making leaf-print T-shirts
GOAL: To recognize various leaves and enjoy using them in a craft project
AGES: 5 and up

MATERIALS
Newspaper
Pressed leaves
Fabric paints (three or four colors will do: greens/browns for camouflage; reds/golds/oranges for autumn; lavenders/pinks/blues for fantasy)
Paper plate or piece of cardboard for a "palette"
Paintbrushes
Container of water
Prewashed white or light-colored T-shirt
Small craft sponges (not kitchen sponges)
Damp washcloths or rags (one per child)

Marie Killian, curator of education at the North Museum of Natural History and Science in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, devised this T-shirt project for her Tremendous Trees program. A blissful follow-up activity for a day in the woods, it grabs kids' imaginations and comes out looking great. I tried this with a group of girls and boys, and loved listening to their conversations as they worked. They went from dreaming up a game of hide-and-seek to strategizing a girls-against-boys game of war to imagining themselves disguised as chameleons and stick insects.

COLLECTING LEAVES
On your forest foray, collect an assortment of leaves of different sizes and shapes. Fresh green leaves work best for this project, but for the sake of the forest, be sure not to pick too many from any one tree. You also might supplement a few forest finds with leaves from your own backyard. At home, lay the leaves out, flat and not overlapping, between layers of newspaper. Set the stack where it won't be disturbed and place a pile of books on top of it. Let it sit for about a week, until the leaves are pressed flat.

SETTING UP
Cover your work area with newspaper, and set out the leaves, paints, palette, brushes, water, sponges and T-shirt. Fold newspaper inside the body and sleeves of the shirt to keep paint from seeping through to the back. Lay the shirt down on the table and smooth out any wrinkles.

MAKING TEST PRINTS
Before printing onto the T-shirt, try some test prints on a piece of newspaper. Choose a leaf and find its veined side. Wet a paintbrush and squeeze most of the water out of it. Pick a color and paint the sponge with it. The sponge should be coated with paint but should not be gloppy. Put the brush back in the container of water.

Dab the painted sponge on the veined side of the leaf, including the stem. Do not rub back and forth with the sponge, but press down repeatedly on the leaf until it is fully painted. Turn the leaf over, painted side down, onto the newspaper and gently press down with your fingers, taking care to get as clear a print of the stem as possible. Advise the kids to try to keep their fingers paint-free, and, when printing the stem, to keep fingers on the stem only. Pick the leaf up by the stem and check your print. For the next print, add more paint if needed, or go lighter. If the print isn't clear, press down more firmly or take care not to move the leaf while printing.

PRINTING YOUR T-SHIRT
Once you like the way the practice prints are coming out, go ahead with your T-shirt. Arrange your prints in a pattern or cover the shirt, overlapping prints in contrasting colors if you like. As you work, be careful to keep your hands wiped clean to avoid fingerprints. You can use the same leaf several times, so long as you keep printing with the same color. To keep colors from getting muddy, use only one color per sponge and rinse brushes before using them to apply a new color.

If you want to print both the back and front of your shirt, wait to let the painted side dry completely before flipping it over. When you are done, leave the newspaper inside the shirt until the paint is dry. Clean brushes and sponges in warm, soapy water. These T-shirts can be machine washed, but only after the paint has been heat set according to the manufacturer's directions.