Forest Activity: Leaf Collection and Creating an Herbarium

Objective : Students will be able to identify and categorize leaves they collect from trees outdoors after

by consulting the Forest Module's tree lists, field guides, and the links from this site to tree identifica-

tion sites; (middle/junior) and be able to discuss how the form of a leaf reflects its adaptation to its

environment.

Time Required : field trip to collect leaves (playground, home, or field trip); pressing in a press or large

book with tissue paper for a week; one class period for reading, sorting examples, online sources; turns

on the computer making labels; one class period to organize

and mount samples after pressing.

Museumlink Web site:

Forest, Present Day , click on each type, then tree list https://

www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/pr.html

Behind the Scenes, Botany, Collections (https://

www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/behind/htmls/

cr_bot_col.html#)

Other Web sites :

Missouri Botanical Garden site's section on Deciduous forests, Leaf identification by characteristics.

https://www.mobot.org/pfg/diverse/temp/leafid.htm

Hillview School, Vernon, British Columbia's web site with tree identification section https://

www.sd22.bc.ca/hillview/treeid.htm

Virginia Tech's outreach web site on forestry; tree identification sectionhttps://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/

Forsite/Idtree.htm

Familyeducation.com page on Flower and leaf press made form an old phone book.https://

www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,1-9891,00.html

Disney on line's Familyplay.com activity on making a leaf and flower press of wood and cardboardhttp:/

/www.familyplay.com/activities/flowerpress.html