Teacher instructions

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Tune in: Leaves

20 minutes

Find out: The role of leaves

20 minutes

Take action: Creating a clay leaf bowl

Tune in: Leaves

Step 1.

If you aren't already outside, take the class to your outdoor learning space. Review outdoor learning rules and the benefits of outdoor learning with students, including potential hazards and actions to take in the event of hazards.

Step 2.

Invite students to take a walk through the school yard, looking for natural objects that have interesting patterns. These could be:

Leaves
Bark
Flowers
Stones
Clouds
Seeds
Shadows
Insects

Invite students to photograph these objects, and where appropriate to collect some of these objects (remind students to be careful when picking up bark or rocks as these may be hiding insects).

Step 3. Discuss:

How would you describe the pattern on this object?
Why do you think this object has a pattern like this?
Does this pattern remind you of anything?

Step 4.

Ask students to select one green leaf that appeals to them in some way. Encourage students to select larger leaves. These leaves will be used later in the lesson in the clay bowl activity.

Find out: The role of leaves

Step 1.

Explain to students that primarily, leaves absorb energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the air. Trees use their leaves to create food that helps the plant grow, and oxygen is released back into the air. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.

Step 2. Discuss:

If leaves all have the same job of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, then why do they all come in different shapes and sizes?

Suggested answers could include:

Plants also release excess moisture through their leaves. This is called ‘transpiration’. This helps stop the plant becoming water logged, and can help keep it cool. Different shaped leaves will help plants release moisture more quickly or more slowly (e.g. some plants grow in places where there is less water so they need leaves that can retain water, like a succulent, cactus or pine).
Leaves also help to direct water to the base of the plant where it will be absorbed by the roots.
Leaves help shade the roots so they don’t dry out. In addition, fallen leaves help to mulch the soil around the roots, preventing them from drying out.
Animals (including us!) use different shaped leaves to help identify the plant.
Some leaves have a scent to help attract or repel certain animals.
Animals eat leaves and need to know which ones they like or are safe to eat (some leaves are toxic).
Venus fly traps have leaves that have evolved to catch small insects.

Take action: Creating a clay leaf bowl

Step 1.

Demonstrate how to make a leaf bowl. This activity is based on the Clay Leaf Bowl Project found here. You can refer to this website for guidance.

Start by rolling or pressing your clay until it is a flat slab about ½ cm thick.
Place the leaf on top of the clay, with the spine of the leaf facing down.
Gently press the leaf into the clay so the veins on the underside of the leaf mark the clay.
Use the bamboo skewer to carefully trace around the edge of the leaf.
Gently pull the clay away from around the outside of the leaf.
Take the leaf off the clay and place the clay evenly in the bottom of the bowl, ensuring the vein-marked side is facing up.

Step 2.

Ask your class to select one of the leaves they collected on your walk. Point out to your students that the size of the leaf will determine the size of their bowl. In addition, ask students to collect the items they need from the 'collection station' you have already set up.

Step 3.

Invite students to sit somewhere in the outdoor learning space with all the things they need.

Step 4.

You may wish to complete each step of the art making process with your class, as a more directed lesson. However, you could also allow students to complete the artwork in their own time. You will need to walk around the outdoor learning space, monitoring students’ progress and offering assistance as needed.

Extend: Students who finish their artworks early could choose a heavy book from a nearby classroom and place their leaf between two pieces of scrap paper before placing it in the middle of the book. This will ‘press’ the leaf, which could then be used to create a second artwork, such as:

A hanging leaf display using fishing line and Blu Tack
A display of handwritten inspirational quotes about trees and nature written onto each leaf
A ‘poet-tree’ display created by writing short poems about trees and nature directly onto the leaves, and making a tree shape with the leaves by sticking them onto a wall using thumb tacks or Blu Tack.

Reflection

Invite students to create a short artist's statement to describe how they made their leaf bowl and why leaves are important. This statement can be presented alongside students' bowls.

Outdoor Learning - Leaf Pattern Clay Bowl

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