Mulch for indoor plants is both useful and beautiful. Do-it-yourself herbarium from leaves: ideas for creativity Do-it-yourself herbarium for school

It is recommended to carry out the training and development of younger schoolchildren in a playful way; as a result of such activities, the child gets to know the world better. A herbarium for elementary school, collected together with parents, is one of the ways to study the environment. A walk with mom and dad in the park, active recreation in the fresh air, an exciting activity - all this is beneficial for the child.

Preschoolers will be interested in collecting beautiful leaves of trees, and older children can be asked to find interesting plants by identifying their names. The main helpers of the child are the parents, who would do well to find out about going to school. The success of this activity, which is simple at first glance, depends on how correctly the plants are collected and dried.

To make a herbarium for an elementary school, you need to arm yourself with scissors, a spatula or scoop, a bucket and gloves. A dry, windy day is the ideal time to collect and dig up plants that do not need to be wet to dry properly. Flowers and petals must be fresh and dried immediately after collection.

The classic way to prepare plants to be placed in a primary school herbarium is to use a large amount of old newspapers, which require frequent replacement, and a press. An alternative option is to place a flower or twig between the pages of a thick book, which will not make the process less labor-intensive, since the pages will have to be changed as they become saturated with moisture.

Plants dry quickly if placed in special herbarium frames consisting of wire mesh and a wooden base. The twigs or leaves are wrapped in newspaper sheets and inserted into frames that are tightly tied together.

Using an iron will speed up the process of preparing material for the herbarium. It is important not to overdry the plants so as not to make them too fragile.

A simplified but effective way to prepare leaves and flowers is to use PVA glue, which is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3. You need to dip a leaf or branch into the solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then air dry. The plants will dry out and still retain their elasticity.

If the color of the herbarium blanks is not of fundamental importance, use a glycerin solution, for the preparation of which water is added in a 3:1 ratio. The plants will acquire a brown tint and special strength.

The final result of the work will depend on how to design the herbarium. It is more convenient to use a ready-made album, or you can glue it from sheets of whatman paper. Dried plants are glued with a drop of transparent glue or a thin strip of tape. When compiling a herbarium for an elementary school, be guided by only one main rule - be careful. Sign each copy using a label. You can determine the name, type and family of unfamiliar objects using an encyclopedia.

Compositions and paintings made from dried leaves and flowers look interesting, for the creation of which any plot provided by your imagination is suitable. This exciting activity will give you and your child a lot of positive emotions.

October is perhaps the most beautiful autumn month, because the trees are covered with bright foliage, which, when falling, forms a gorgeous colorful carpet. You can simply enjoy it while walking through the park, breathing in the fresh, albeit cool air, or you can use your imagination and make an excellent herbarium. This is especially true for mothers and grandmothers who spend a lot of time with their children outside. In this article we will tell you all the secrets that relate to collecting a herbarium, its design and preparation.

First, let's figure out what a herbarium is. A herbarium is a collection of different plants in dried form. People began drying leaves and herbs as early as the 16th century. They did this mostly for medicinal purposes. With the development of science, especially in such fields as botany and natural science, researchers began to engage in herbarium for scientific purposes. For the same purposes, in kindergartens and schools, children are asked to collect and dry various plants.

You can make one of these types of herbariums with your child:

1. Special - collect exactly those plants that are studied at school or in kindergarten.
2. Systematic - collect different plants and arrange them in alphabetical order.
3. Thematic herbarium - collect plants of only a certain type (flowers, trees, shrubs, grass).
4. Floristic herbarium - collect different types of plants that grow only in a certain area.
5. A periodical is a herbarium that is collected according to botanical families.

To collect a herbarium, you need to strictly follow certain rules:

• Collect plants only in dry weather, not after rain. Be sure to take fallen leaves, but without rot or damage that could be caused by fungi or insects.
• If you want to dry a small plant, you can dig it up with its root system. Only in this case, stock up on a bag in which you will carefully pack the rhizome.
• If you are making a collection of shrubs, then in addition to the leaf, you also need to pick a flower and a fruit.
• Collect several of each plant so you have a supply. The leaves are quite fragile and may be damaged during transportation.
• All plants that have a fairly thick stem should be cut in half so that they do not become deformed when drying.
• Do not place plants of different types on the same sheet.
• Do not break off branches - be sure to use a knife for this purpose.
• You should not pick individual leaves - cut the whole branch so that the child can see how the leaves are located on it.

When you go to a forest or park to collect plants or foliage, take with you an old magazine or a special album in which you will put all natural material. This is the only way you can keep them in their original form and not damage them.

If collecting a herbarium for you and your child is not just entertainment, but a whole educational event, then we recommend taking into account the following recommendations:

• Write down the name of the area in which you collected the herbarium, indicate on what soil the plant grows.
• Take a photo of the area where you found the plant.

By collecting a herbarium, you can instill in your child a love of science, nature, and knowledge of the world around him. Therefore, be sure to find time in your busy schedule to collect and dry plants in the fall with your child.

What kind of album is needed for a herbarium

In any arts and crafts store you will find a special album in which you can collect a herbarium. It is made of special paper, which is used for drying plants so that they simply give up all their moisture, but do not wither or rot. This album usually looks like this:

But you don’t have to spend money to make storage for your plant collection. You can make an album for the herbarium yourself. We offer several options on how to do this:

1. Take any paper (printed, newspaper, packaging, stationery, or even porous cardboard). Sew them together or staple them together. You will end up with an album no worse than a special one. In the end, you can buy a regular sketchbook. A child attending kindergarten will like this option the most because it is understandable.
2. You can sew several pieces of fabric together if you have special skills. With a cotton base, the leaves store very well.
3. Purchase office file binders. Of course, you will also have to spend a little money here, but such a purchase will be less expensive than a specialized herbarium album.

Previously, we used thick art books, which had already become unusable, to store the herbarium. You can follow the same example, but such a collection does not look very aesthetically pleasing, and there is no need to spoil the literature.

Herbarium sample, photo

1. You can make a paper album with parchment paper envelopes. As you can see, the author glued the collected plants onto thick paper and made different signatures from other pieces of paper. I made a special envelope from parchment paper that covers the plant so that it does not wrinkle or come into contact with other species.

1. This is an option that we have already mentioned. There is nothing complicated here - just carefully put dried plants into the files. You can also put a sheet of paper under them for strength, on which you can write inscriptions if desired.

1. Here is an ordinary album or notebook in which the author carefully glued a sample of a plant and next to it signed in calligraphic handwriting where he found this plant and what it is called. Brief botanical descriptions may also be provided.

How to dry leaves for a herbarium

There are several ways to dry (or press) plants for herbarium:

1. You can build a special press from 2 thick boards:

• find 2 boards of the same size and thickness;
• on one place place a sheet of paper on which carefully lay out the herbarium;
• cover the herbarium with another sheet of paper, and cover it with a second board on top;
• screw the boards together with screws on 4 sides.

Important! If you dry the plants in this way, then you need to change the paper every 3 days, otherwise the leaves will rot, since the paper will absorb all the moisture from them. With this method, the plants will dry completely within a month.

1. You can use an iron to dry the herbarium. The drying process occurs as follows:

• place the leaves on paper and cover them with the same paper on top, then place such a blank under a press (under a thick book, for example) and leave for several hours so that the plant is leveled;
• turn off all functions on the iron that are responsible for releasing steam, let the device heat up to the minimum temperature for ironing (must be in a gentle mode);
• Place the smooth herbarium in paper on the ironing iron, press it with an iron for 15 seconds (do not iron it under any circumstances - just press it down);
• After 20 seconds, repeat the above step as many times as you need to until the plant is completely dry.

Important! Keep in mind that when drying a plant in this way, it may change its color due to exposure to temperature.

1. You can dry plants between thick books:

• put this blank in the middle of a thick book, and then put several more of the same publications on top of this book;
• change the paper every 3-4 days so that the plant does not begin the process of rotting, and the book in which it is dried does not become damp.

Important! Due to this drying method, the plant may dry unevenly.

1. You can dry the herbarium in the microwave:

• place the leaves on the paper and cover them with the same paper on top;
• put this blank in the middle of a thick book, and then put another book on top of this book (tie them with an elastic band or rope);
• place the books in the microwave for 60 seconds (after 1 minute, repeat the entire procedure);
• place the prepared blank under the press for 3 days, and the herbarium will be ready.

How to design a herbarium sheet

After the plant is dried, it must be properly decorated. Remember that after drying, the leaves become very fragile and can crumble right in your hands. If a child works with such material, it will be difficult for him to do anything. Therefore, we recommend dipping the dried herbarium into a solution of PVA glue. It is prepared like this: 5 tbsp. glue mixed with 1 tbsp. water. Within 24 hours after soaking the herbarium in glue, it will dry out. By the way, instead of PVA, you can use decoupage glue.

• If you use this method of strengthening plants, then you will need to glue them into the album using dry glue.
• If you use the herbarium unchanged, then it is quite acceptable to sew each species with small stitches to thick paper or fabric.

Important! Whatever design method you choose, remember that your collection should be durable, so follow a few important rules:

• Place the plant on a sheet of paper so that its massive part is on the side that you will grab to, for example, turn the sheet over.
• If you are making a decorative composition, then carefully consider where and how each leaf should be located. You must show all its winning sides.
• Make your signatures after you have already attached the herbarium. They cannot occupy the main part of the sheet. Leave a space on the side for signatures.

How to sign a herbarium

As we already mentioned, inscriptions can be made directly on paper. This option is more suitable for a child who already knows how to write well - for a schoolchild. It will be more interesting for a preschooler to write on special bright-colored labels. He can write down on them everything he knows about the plant he found and dried.

If your child does not know how to write, then help him write an inscription or print out the necessary information so that everything looks aesthetically pleasing.

What information should be indicated on the herbarium label:

• Name of the plant.
• The botanical family to which the plant belongs.
• Place and time of collection of this plant.
• What medicinal properties does this plant have?
• What interesting facts do you know about him (it could be a legend, a parable).

It is better to place signatures in the lower corners, but here it is more based on your child’s preferences. He himself must determine on which side, according to his creative idea, the inscription should be located.

Herbarium title page design

The cover of the album in which the herbarium will be stored must be made bright and eye-catching. To do this, you can decorate it with colored paper, dried leaves, or simply decorate it beautifully with felt-tip pens or paints. But, besides this, you need to indicate some information on the title page:

• The name of the album or herbarium collection. For example, if a child made a herbarium for the first time in his life, you can call it “My first herbarium.”
• Next is the name and surname of the performer.
• The exact date when the album was released.

You can make a beautiful title page on your computer using a text program Microsoft Word.

Examples of title pages that can be obtained are attached below for you:

Templates for herbarium

If you have never encountered creating a herbarium before, but want to do something truly useful and beautiful with your child, then use the templates below as an example of how everything can be beautifully and competently designed:

Herbarium of leaves for the garden, detailed description and photo

While a child is in kindergarten, it is unlikely that he will be able to make an entire album on his own. Your task is to help him collect, dry the leaves and plants he likes, and then arrange them. The easiest way is to use a folder and files:

1. To begin, collect natural material, dry it using any of the methods suggested in this article, and then place it in files for temporary storage until you create a herbarium album:

1. For one piece of paper, set aside an entire album spread. On one side, glue it to a sheet of white paper, and on the other side, insert a printout with a detailed description of the plant. Here you can also insert tales about the plant, riddles and poems:

Leaves that will not be included in the herbarium can be put into a file and used in fine arts lessons - gluing leaves to drawings on the theme “Autumn”, or creating appliqués:

Herbarium of leaves for school, detailed description and photo

Here we also suggest that you arrange your herbarium in a folder with files, only the technique for making such an album will be more complex:

1. Prepare the necessary material for work:

• white A4 sheets according to the number of plants that you will arrange in the herbarium album;
• white cardboard (according to the number of plants);
• strips of corrugated cardboard (length 12 cm, width 4 cm) - according to the number of sheets that will be used;
• office files by number of sheets;
• PVA glue and dry glue;
• needle and thread;
• scissors with hole punch;
• thick thread and a bright felt-tip pen (you can use a marker).

1. Take a sheet of plain paper, spread one plant on it and make a few stitches to secure it to the sheet (color the threads in the color of the sheet with a felt-tip pen). Glue the leaves to the paper with dry glue:

1. Glue a sheet of paper with a plant onto the cardboard. To do this, the cardboard must be coated with PVA:

1. Cut the file into 2 parts - you should get 2 identical halves:

1. Attach one part to the sheet with the herbarium, on the right side vertically attach a piece of corrugated cardboard:
2. We create a title page. In this case, we also did it on a computer in a graphics editor. First, we found several photos of plants, then made a collage out of them, into which we harmoniously inserted an inscription with information about the herbarium topic and the name of the artist:

You can make any other title page you want.

Herbarium in frame, photo

A herbarium framed under glass looks very nice. You will get an exquisite painting made from natural materials that will perfectly complement any home interior.

A herbarium is a fun activity that helps develop creativity and imagination not only in children. In adults, too, in the process of creating a herbarium, creativity is activated, inspiration and even relaxation come! So don’t miss the moment - go to the forest for natural materials!

Video: “How to collect a herbarium”

Literally, “herbarium” is translated from Latin as “grass.” Dried plants are used as visual aids in botany lessons and for making crafts and panels. There are also scientific herbarium collections. They are kept in museums and botanical gardens. In dry rooms, the contents of albums retain their color and shape for centuries without loss.

Rules for collecting plants for herbarium

Before going for herbs, decide what kind of herbarium you will make: for school, thematic, decorative. This will determine what herbs, flowers and leaves will be needed.

To collect plants you will need a spatula, a knife, a herbarium folder, paper sheets for laying out and recording data, and a pen.

How to choose suitable specimens

Collect herbs on warm, dry days. You should not do this in the morning and evening - dew will interfere with quality drying. They cut or dig up two or three specimens of the same species, so that later they can choose the best option. Healthy specimens not damaged by insects are suitable. It’s good if they have both flowers and fruits. You cannot collect plants from the Red Book.

For decorative purposes, young plants should be taken; they will not lose color during processing. But sometimes faded flowers are also used to make the composition picturesque.

It is easier to create a herbarium from leaves than from flowers. It is enough to clean them with a damp flannel rag from dirt and straighten them. The leaves of plants with a silvery underside look great: coltsfoot, elecampane, poplar, as well as branches of ferns. Before drying, autumn leaves for herbarium are soaked in denatured alcohol or silicate gel to preserve brightness. Ideal flowers include violets, lavender, pansies, calendula, cornflowers, delphinium and yarrow.

Plants are either dug up by the roots or cut at an angle. The voluminous inflorescences are separated, and the thick rhizomes are cut lengthwise. When placed between paper sheets, the petals are straightened and the long stems are bent. Some of the leaves are turned inside out. Each specimen is marked, noting where and when it was picked. This rough label is used for the final description of the herbarium.

If you do not have time to process the raw materials, place the plants in water until the next day or wrap them in plastic and place them in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator.

Preparing flowers for drying

It is more difficult to make a herbarium from flowers than from herbs and leaves. But if you know the nuances, the flower album will remind you of the sweet days of summer for a long time:

• To preserve the shade, blue flowers are placed in denatured alcohol for 30 seconds before drying.
• For luxurious dahlias, roses, asters, peonies and chrysanthemums, some of the petals are dried separately, otherwise they will fall off. They are placed under a load weighing 7 kg. And the rest are laid with cotton pads so as not to stick together.
• Tulips are dried either individual petals or whole. But they need to be laid under pressure slightly wilted. The same goes for rose buds.
• The juicy stems of crocuses, daffodils and tulips are cut lengthwise and the core is removed.
• The inflorescences of chamomile, marigolds, and gerberas are covered with cotton wool on all sides and placed in a “shirt” made of several layers of soft paper, and then under a 15 kg press.
• Small flowers (jasmine, marigolds, forget-me-nots, yarrow) are dried together with a twig, first lined with paper, then with cardboard. The required load is at least 15 kg.

Enthusiasts manage to dry the heads of ripe dandelions and other fluffy flowers for decorative purposes. To do this, thread a wire through the stems and lower the flower head into boiling water for ten seconds.

Methods of pressing raw materials

Drying technology has been supplemented with modern methods, but classic ones are still used. How to make a herbarium is chosen by the future owner of the collection:

You can only dry leaves and herbs with an iron, and even then they may slightly change color. This method is not used for flowers other than cornflowers.

How to install a herbarium?

Dried flowers are mounted on separate paper sheets or in an album for a herbarium. In the latter case, a careful approach is required: when turned over, the fragile petals may fall off. Between the pages of the album there should be inserts made of tracing paper to prevent abrasion on a hard surface.

How you can attach dried flowers to paper:

1. With threads. The method is labor-intensive, but worth the time. The threads of the desired shade are almost invisible and provide slight movement to the plant, helping to avoid deformation.
2. Transparent tape or adhesive tape. Low-cost and fast method, but short-lived. The tape dries out quickly and the plant moves away from the paper sheet. Regular strips of paper coated with glue will last longer.
3. Glue. Plant parts are glued to cardboard using PVA, paste, or decoupage glue. The disadvantage of the technique is that the adhesives make the sample hard, brittle and brittle. This method is suitable for creating decorative panels for varnishing. Only fish glue provides elastic adhesion, but it is expensive.

In a proper herbarium, specimens are placed with the rhizomes down, thin branches and leaf tips are not fixed. Protective envelopes made of tracing paper are sometimes put on the inflorescences. And the fruits are glued nearby in a transparent bag.

Creation of a herbarium album and decorative items

The design of the herbarium requires the presence of a label in the lower right corner of the sheet. Its size is usually 10 by 8 cm. It indicates the type and type of sample, time and place of collection. Similar labels are even made on decorative panels.

Using dried flowers for decoration

A do-it-yourself herbarium does not have to be done in the classical style. Dried leaves and flowers give room for imagination. From them you can make panels, elements of decoupage, scrapbooking, and applique.

Features of a herbarium for school

A collection of dried flowers for school activities requires a special approach. Botany teachers often give students similar tasks. How to design a schoolchild's herbarium? Attach plants to sheets using any of the above methods. Don't forget about the label.

In a school herbarium, a title page is required. It should indicate the name of the meeting and information about the student who compiled it.

Sheets with samples are placed in transparent files and combined into a folder. Experience in collecting and drying plants is useful for a child: clarity allows you to better remember information.

Children's crafts from dry leaves

Dried flowers are often used for children's creativity. For example, bright autumn leaves become a three-dimensional part of the picture, and the stems are used to create an image on a postcard or bookmark. You can decorate a box, pencil case, or notebook cover with flat petals. The plants are glued onto PVA and the surface is covered with acrylic varnish or decoupage glue.

Herbarium in the interior

A beautiful herbarium will be a good gift for a loved one who is passionate about botany or simply appreciates an elegant retro style in interior design.

A child’s collection of plants for a herbarium and subsequent drying and systematization operations is an excellent opportunity for productive communication between children and parents, when a walk in the park or forest turns into an exciting journey of knowledge. Older children and adults who dry the herbarium themselves also receive many positive emotions, and the knowledge gained in this way remains in their memory for a long time.

What is a herbarium?

In simple terms, a herbarium is a collection of dried plants. The first mention of herbarium collection dates back to the 16th century, when paper began to be used for collecting and drying plants as a material that absorbs moisture from plants well. And today in stores you can find suitable tools for collecting herbarium: paper for gluing samples, labels, newsprint or napkins for drying plants, folders, many types of glue, presses, etc.

The collection of herbariums is carried out by employees of various institutions: botanical gardens, institutes of botany and natural history. The largest collections of plants, numbering thousands of specimens, are located in different parts of the world: in the National Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Garden, the Botanical Institute. V.L. Komarova RAS, the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew have more than 7 million herbarium sheets. For scientific purposes, the collection, design and systematization of the herbarium is approached professionally: there are many rules that cannot be deviated from.

To collect a herbarium for yourself or for educational purposes at school, it is not necessary to follow all these scientific canons, but some rules will greatly simplify this work.

How to collect a herbarium?

Herbarium collection is divided into three stages:

• searching and collecting plants;
• drying of plants;
• systematization of plants, search for information and design of the herbarium.

Of course, you can collect plants spontaneously: for example, after seeing a beautiful specimen, or you can stick to a certain theme. For example, in botany or the natural world lessons, teachers can assign a summer assignment to collect herbariums on the following topics:

• weeds;
• healing herbs;
• poisonous plants;
• flowers/flowering plants (field, garden);
• houseplants;
• various forms of inflorescences;
• Asteraceae;
• and any other classifications.

Much attention should be paid to collecting plants for the herbarium: this largely determines whether it will be possible to make it and whether the herbarium will be of interest.

Rules for collecting plants for herbarium

• Plants are collected in dry weather; specimens that are not wetted by rain and dew are selected, otherwise it will be very difficult to dry them.
• The plant is collected as a whole, with all roots, rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, fruits and flowers, incl. aquatic plants.
• If the plant is large and it is not possible to collect it entirely, then those parts of the plant are taken by which it can be identified, identified, and get an idea of ​​the whole plant.
• The branches of trees and bushes are not broken off, but cut off with a knife.
• The leaves of trees and shrubs are cut off along with the branches so that the arrangement of the leaves can be seen.
• Only developed plants with flowers (even immature) and fruits are selected for the herbarium.
• Plants are collected without damage or signs of disease and have not dried out from the heat.
• For dioecious plants, both male and female specimens are collected, and for monoecious plants, both specimens with pistillate and staminate flowers are collected.
• For each plant, several copies are taken in reserve.

Diseased plants should not be collected for herbarium

The dug up plant is immediately thoroughly cleaned of soil, adhering dirt and other plants and placed in a pocket between two sheets of paper. Immediately the plant straightens out in the same way as it grew:

• if the leaves lie one on top of the other, then a layer of paper is placed between them;
• one or two sheets are placed wrong side up to have an idea of ​​both sides of the sheet;
• if the plant has large fruits or flowers, then you need to put cotton wool under them so that there is no breakage or damage when carried;
• if the plant is too long and does not fit on the sheet, then it needs to be folded in a zigzag, but at the same time there should be roots of the plant at the bottom, and the top should be facing up.

According to the rules, you need to include a label indicating the date the plant was collected, who collected it, as well as a description of the area:

• name of the locality or coordinates (can be viewed on mobile devices),
• relief,
• growing conditions: degree of illumination, humidity, side of the world to which the flower or leaves are facing, the density with which this plant occurs in the area, etc.

You can take photographs of the plant and its location.

To collect plants, it is best to make a special portable press, which consists of two chipboard plywood with holes drilled for ventilation, which can be tied together with twine or special laces. Sheets of paper that absorbs moisture well, for example, newspaper or writing paper, blotter paper, cosmetic wipes, etc., are placed inside this press. The dug up plant is placed between two such sheets, and additional sheets are placed between each plant so that the plants do not break each other.

After collecting samples at home, you need to start drying the herbarium. Drying is no less important than harvesting plants, because if they are not dried properly, the plants may not dry out, turn black, break off, rot, etc.

How to dry a herbarium?

Nowadays, parents even use microwave ovens to dry the herbarium, but it is better to dry the herbarium in its natural environment: in a press outdoors in the wind, in the sun, putting it indoors at night, or ironing through gauze or paper.

To dry the plants, you can use already prepared press: sheets of paper in which the plant lies, the so-called. The pockets, without turning them over, are stacked one on top of the other, having previously placed additional sheets between them - in fact, everything is like when collecting plants. But when drying, you need to change sheets of paper daily for new ones, because... the old ones become damp.

Large and voluminous plants, incl. flowers, please dry in sand. To do this, river or sea sand must be freed from all impurities: it is washed until the water is perfectly clear, and then hardened in an oven on metal baking sheets.

Of course, you can approach drying plants even more simply by placing them between the pages of a book, but then, firstly, the book may deteriorate, and secondly, the dried plant may not retain its shape.

To find out whether the plant has dried, it is carefully lifted by the stem and, if it does not bend, it can already be drawn up on a herbarium sheet.

Herbarium design

Plants are attached to the so-called. herbarium sheet, on which, in addition to the plant itself, a label containing the name in Russian and Latin, as well as information about the plant, is required.

The plants themselves are not glued to the paper, but only thin 3-4 mm strips of paper are placed on top. To prevent leaves and branches from breaking off, they need to be fastened in the center of the leaf, and not along the edge. Thick stems can be attached to the leaf with thread or fishing line.

Herbarium folder

The sheets themselves must be dense - you can use cardboard or designer paper, or you can buy special ready-made herbarium sheets. The sheets are not fastened together, but for a do-it-yourself herbarium you can use a binder folder, which will allow you to detach any sheet if necessary.

The word "herbarium" is translated as "herbalist". This is a collection of dried flora samples, arranged in a separate album with a mention of the plant genus. The type, Latin name and description of the exhibit are indicated on the reverse side of the sheet, preferably in printed form. However, if you just want to keep beautiful leaves as a keepsake, you don't have to follow the rules. And in order for your herbarium to delight you for many years, you should learn how to collect and dry samples of the plant world. This is what we will do. Today we will learn how to make a herbarium with our own hands. By the way, our master class is suitable for elementary school students and their parents.

Which leaves are best to make a herbarium from?

The choice of plants depends on your goals, climatic conditions, latitude and the type of herbalist you are using.

There are herbariums:

1. special, for educational purposes;
2. systematic, when samples are arranged in alphabetical order;
3. thematic, for example, a herbarium of weeds or medicinal herbs;
4. floristic: with plants collected in a certain area;
5. periodic, when samples are classified by genus and botanical families, etc.

If you are simply interested in creating a collection of herbs, trust your intuition and choose those plants that will most attract your eye with the shape of their leaves.

This master class presents the leaves:

• poplar, maple, linden, chestnut;
• roses, lilacs, jasmine, acacia;
• apricot, cherry, cherry plum, red currant, cherry plum, barberry, grapes, walnut, mulberry and hazel.

How to make a herbarium with your own hands - step-by-step instructions

Features of collecting plants for the herbarium:

1. The leaves must be dry, so it is better to collect them in appropriate weather.
2. Clear samples without visible deviations, not damaged by insects and fungi, are suitable.
3. If plants from the same population have noticeable differences, then samples with different shapes can be presented.
4. A small plant can be presented in a herbarium along with its root system.
5. When collecting leaves from trees and shrubs, it is advisable to also pick flowers or fruits.
6. In order for the herbarium to be perfect, it is advisable to collect plants in reserve. This will be useful if the sample is damaged during transportation or its color becomes distorted after drying.
7. If the plant has a thick stem or root, it is better to cut it in half lengthwise.
8. It is advisable to place plants of the same type in one file. If the sheet is large, you can take from 1 to 3 samples; if it is small, enough to fill a sheet of paper in the album.

To collect samples you will need a herbarium folder, a ballpoint pen, a lot of unnecessary newspapers and a scoop in case you need to dig up the plant by the roots.

Collected samples should be carefully wrapped in a sheet of newspaper, placed in a file and placed in a folder so that they do not become wrinkled.

You can buy a herbarium folder at a stationery store or make it yourself from two sheets of A4 or A3 cardboard, depending on the size of the leaves you plan to collect. For this you will need a hole punch. You need to insert sheets of whatman paper between the sheets of cardboard and punch holes in the center of the folder. You can hold it all together using thin tape or wire. On the side of the file you can write the name of the picked plant, the place and time of collection of the sample.

How to dry a herbarium

For drying at home, herbal samples can be placed between the pages of thick books, after placing sheets of newspaper or unnecessary thick paper between them.

In order for the leaves to dry faster, it is necessary to change the paper to dry paper twice a day, since it absorbs moisture very quickly.

In botanical laboratories, a special press with metal meshes is used to level samples. And at home, thick books are suitable, between which you need to squeeze the plants.

In the cold season, it is better to dry samples for the herbarium near a radiator or heater.

1. In order for a blue flower, such as chicory, to retain its original color, it must be dipped in denatured alcohol for 30 seconds.
2. To make the leaves denser, they must be placed in a solution of water and PVA glue in a ratio of 1:4.
3. If the plant holds its shape after drying and is directed strictly vertically, then you did everything right.
4. The best place to store an album with a herbarium is a closet in a dry, bright room.

Alternative methods for drying samples:

1. Iron the sheet wrapped in thick paper with an iron on a gentle setting. Repeat the procedure after a few hours. The main thing is to do everything very carefully, otherwise the specimen will lose its natural color.
2. If the shape, rather than the color, of the leaves is more important to you, then pour glycerin in a ratio of 1:3 into water heated to 60 degrees. Dip the leaves into a container with the resulting solution and leave for 2 days. When the samples darken, you can take them out, dry them and put them under a press.

How to make an album for a herbarium

There are various options for designing an herbal album. You can make it yourself from start to finish, you can design the inside in an original way, or you can just buy a ready-made album and stick samples there.

Option 1: DIY album

Design tools:

• old sketchbook;
• hole puncher;
• PVA glue;
• household gloves;
• scissors;
• sheets of thick Whatman paper, preferably A3 format;
• sheets of tracing paper or stationery paper;
• 25 cm ribbon or braid;
• colored marker;
• ball pen.

Step-by-step instruction

In order to decorate the herbarium with your own hands, cut the cover from a used sketchbook, or purchase 2 sheets of thick A3 cardboard.

Place sheets of Whatman paper between the cardboard. Alternating between whatman paper and tracing paper inside the album, make holes using a hole punch.

Design the album cover as your imagination dictates. For example, you can write “My Herbarium” and draw a couple of maple leaves. You can secure the album with tape.

You can sew the samples with green thread, or you can glue them with fish glue, narrow strips of paper, PVA glue and others.

Option 2: creative design

You can buy a ready-made album and creatively design it. For example, experiment with leaves, arranging them in different orders, and add a flask or vase to them. To avoid mistakes, make a sketch with a simple pencil.

Then trace the design with a marker and add seeds or leaves to complete the composition.

In this form, you can decorate the entire herbarium, and you will get unusual paintings from leaves.

Option 3: design in a folder

Organizing a herbarium in a file folder is more economical than purchasing an album. In addition, you can always swap files and add variety to viewing the herbarium each time.

Collecting leaves brings peace. By collecting “herbal”, you will not only spend time in the fresh air, but also learn a lot of new and interesting things about the plants of your region. Choose the method you like and have fun creating a herbarium for a primary school or home collection.