Collecting and Pressing Fall Leaves    [15-11-2008] Fall is the most beautiful season of the year. This is because the leaves start to change color in many parts of the world! Sadly, fall doesn’t last very long. Soon it will be winter. But don’t worry. There is a way you can enjoy the beautiful fall leaves even during the winter. How? You can capture the beauty of nature easily by collecting and preserving the colorful leaves! This week, let’s learn how to press fall leaves and enjoy them for a long time! Step #1 - Walk around your neighborhood or nearby parks and collect colorful leaves. I’m sure you will be able to collect many beautiful leaves easily. -Try to get different types of leaves from a variety of trees. But avoid leaves that are moldy. Step #2 -Make sure your leaves are dry and flat before you press them. -Place the leaves you wish to press between two sheets of newspaper. - Place heavy books on top of your leaves. - Allow the leaves to flatten and dry for at least 24 hours. - Why don’t you surf the Internet and learn about the leaves while you are waiting for the leaves to dry? Step #3 - You will need dried and flat leaves, waxed paper, hot iron, and ironing surface. -Ask your parents to help you when using a hot iron. - Place selected leaves between sheets of waxed papers. -Gently press waxed paper with a medium hot iron, moving slowly over entire surface for about 10 seconds. -Repeat with remaining leaves you wish to press. - Keep hands away from hot surface of iron. - Waxed paper will be hot after pressing. - Allow pressed leaves to cool before using. Step #4 Once your pressed leaves are cool, it’s time to show them off! You can trim around the edges of the waxed paper and place your pressed leaves on cards and send to your friends. You can also place your leaves in a photo album. You can even place them in scrapbook with tags identifying your leaves. It can be a wonderful home-made science textbook!     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)