Looking for a fun summer craft activity? Consider doing some plant rubbings!

Plant rubbings are a great way to capture a quick image of a plant if your kids don’t like drawing. The rubbings can be added to their nature or herb journal along with notes about the plant.

They also make a great way to decorate blank cards which can be used to write notes to friends and family or given as gifts.

The best thing is they can be made with things you probably already have on hand – crayons!

Set up your table with supplies before you gather the kids. You’ll need:

-blank paper such as computer paper
-crayons
-blank note cards or card stock paper
-envelopes
-scissors
-glue stick
-pen

Once you have the basic supplies gathered, take your kids outside to gather leaves. Look for leaves that have good veins. Some of my favorite leaves for rubbing are strawberries, grapes, clover, and plantain.

Place a few leaves on a sheet of paper, with the veins facing up.

Place a second sheet of paper over the first sheet to cover the leaves.

Unpeel the paper on the crayons and gently rub them over the surface area of the leaf. You can feel the leaf with your fingers and rub around the edges to find the outlines.

Don’t forget the stems!

Once you have several rubbings, you can use a pen to write the name of the plant next to each rubbing.

Cut the leaves out then add them to the blank note cards. If you are using card stock, cut it in half and fold before adding the leaves.

You can also add some to your nature/herb journal and write information about the plant next to it.

Have you and your kids ever made plant rubbings? What was your favorite thing to do with them? Share your stories and experiences in the comments!