When focusing on the subject of learning at home there are certain design themes that repeatedly crop up. Letters of the alphabet are obviously at the top of the list and it has been interesting to see how people can incorporate them into their kids' rooms (two good examples being Ross's Nursery and Jumbo Letter Pillows). So while trolling for ideas to feature this month I was pleased to find a fresh take on alphabet artwork that would look great either at home or in school. It also has the added bonus of being a project adults and kids can do together.

Leave it to the folks at Martha Stewart to come up with this creative idea. The premise is simple: collect as many different types of leaves as possible, press them, and then use their natural shapes to create either letters directly or objects to represent them. Add some careful penmanship and you have a truly one-of-a-kind piece of educational artwork.
I found this idea so intriguing that I ran outside, grabbed some leaves and gave it a shot:

Not bad for fresh, unpressed leaves and an artistically challenged artist. I didn't set out to make a unicorn, but that is the fun part of this project--you don't know what the outcome will be until the leaves are spread out before you.

See the complete tutorial here.

(Image 1: Martha Stewart Image 2: Richard Popovic)