Complete botany leaf cabinet

Benefits for the child: • Sparks curiosity and interest in the natural world • Sharpens observation and classification skills • Encourages sensory and concrete learning • Supports the development of botanical vocabulary • Prepares for future studies in the natural sciences

MATERIAL OVERVIEW:

3 drawers containing fourteen leaf shapes:

• the reniform (kidney-shaped) leaf
• the circular leaf
• the acicular (needle-shaped) leaf
• the spatulate leaf
• the triangular leaf
• the linear leaf
• the circular leaf
• the lanceolate leaf
• the hastate leaf
• the sagittate leaf
• the oval leaf
• the obovate leaf
• the cordate (heart-shaped) leaf
• the elliptical leaf

Example of a practical exercise:

1. Invite the child to observe some plants
2. Fetch three potted plants
3. Place them on the table and sit around it with the child
4. Choose a plant, place it in front of you and touch the leaves
5. Invite the child to touch them too, saying: “Have you seen the leaves? And their colour?” Bring another pot closer and have the child touch the leaves again, comparing them with the previous ones; ask which ones they find thicker, and whether they have noticed the edge of the leaves – is it toothed? Is it smooth? Also point out the veins on the leaves to the child
6. Once the leaves of all three plants have been observed, ask the child which leaf they would like to draw
7. Give them a sheet of paper and a pencil
8. Once they have finished, take out the first drawer of the botany cabinet with the three leaf models we think match the various leaves in front of us
9. Place it on the table and ask the child whether, among the leaves shown, they recognise the one they drew
10. Do this same searching activity with the leaves of the other plants.
11. Another time, sit down with the child at a table and fetch the first drawer of the botany cabinet.