Flower Press

Easy Peasy Press

O's collection of foliage is growing and we usually have to weed out brittle leaves and dandelion seeds by week's end. This led to the making of the Flower Press, which was a simple and ridiculously cheap project.

We purchased two, small bamboo cutting boards for $2.00 a piece. Four of each screws (long enough to accommodate a few layers of cardboard and press paper), large washers and wing nuts came to under $5.00. Dabby drilled holes into all four corners of both cutting boards and the press was complete. A detailed tutorial can be found at Gardenista's link http://www.gardenista.com/posts/diy-flower-press

 Garden Variety

Before choosing and pressing, we cut two sheets of cardboard to fit inside the press and a sheet of folded paper to hold the samples. We combined some of O's windowsill foliage with some fresher bits from the backyard. I love the leaf veins we found last month. I remember my aunt having a golden necklace like this.

Fine Motor

O is able to put the press together without assistance; placing the top piece over the screws, adding the washers and winding the wing nuts. This definitely adds some fine motor development to the Do-It-Herself nature of our three-year old!

EXPAND ON PRESSES

Book Press. The same press can serve as a book binding press as well! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTeg8MH0PtI&feature=share