Green!

Leaf Pounding
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Materials Needed: 

• fresh leaves and flowers
• white paper
• paper towels
• children's size wooden mallet or small hammer
• rolling pin

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Directions: 

• Take children outside to gather leaves and flowers and other fresh natural materials. This may include stems, blades of grass, flower buds and more. It is preferred to choose items that have already fallen and do not have to be plucked from live plants.
• Children should arrange their leaves and flowers on a white sheet of paper and cover it with a paper towel.
• Next, they will take the mallet and gently pound the leaves causing their colors to bleed onto the white paper. The colors will also bleed onto the paper towel, which is to be expected.
• Encourage children to pound the leaves gently and then harder to see the difference in results. Eventually they will find that some plants take more pounding than others. Assist the children in varying their small muscles to get the desired effect.
• Next, children can use the rolling pin to press the leaves into the paper. The results may be fainter than the pounding, but it will be similar. Encourage children to use big long motions, short small motions, more pressure, and less pressure when using the rolling pin. 

The Green Song

G-r-e-e-n,
G-r-e-e-n.
I know how to spell green,
G-r-e-e-n.
Caterpillars are green.
And crickets, too.
I know how to spell green,
G-r-e-e-n.

Jell-O Frog Eyes

Materials Needed: 

• lime Jell-O
• raisins
• plastic Easter eggs
• egg carton
• cooking spray
• boiling water
• sugar

​Directions: 

• Prepare for lesson by creating Jell-O eggs. Follow instructions on Jell-O package.
• While that is cooking, place the bottoms of the plastic Easter eggs in the open egg carton.
• Spray with cooking spray. When Jell-O is ready, pour into eggs.
• Add a raisin to each egg and chill them overnight.
• The next day, pop the eyes out, and let the children use their senses to explore them.