Pounding Flowers

We modified this idea from Kohl’s ‘Science Arts’. Take two pieces of paper, and in between them stick colorful flowers and leaves.

Tape them down to the kitchen floor, and rub with the side of a crayon. This is both fun, and it lets you know where to bang in the next step. (Now when we do rubbings Rebecca talks about ‘finding’ things hidden under the paper.

Bang bang bang with a rubber mallet.

Peel the papers apart and see how the plant pigments have transfered to the paper.

We used our geranium (Pelargonium) hedge (yes we live in California where geraniums grow and flower in the dirt year round) and the colors were really lovely. The rose petals we tried weren’t so colorful, but they were from a lightly pigmented flower. (Yes, we also have roses flowering in front of our house in December. It gets a little boring frankly. I miss snow.)

The girls loved whacking the heck out of the plants with the rubber mallet, that’s why I suggest you use the kitchen floor and not a table you don’t want dented.

Also, have you seen Filth Wizardry’s Lego and hole punching card post? Combine paper crafts with LEGO blocks. Brilliant brilliant brilliant!