Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials.
Step 2
Pour 2 tbsp of clear glue into a cupcake liner.
Step 3
Add ½ tsp of liquid dish soap.
Step 4
Add a drop of red food coloring.
Step 5
Stir until combined.
Step 6
Make yellow and orange versions.
Step 7
Place leaf coloring page inside a plastic bag.
Step 8
Paint glue over the leaf shapes.
Step 9
Allow painted leaves to dry fully over a few hours.
Step 10
Carefully peel dried leaves off plastic.
Step 11
Stick leaves on a window or any smooth surface.
Step 12
Admire your Jelly Leaves.
Learn more
We’ve recreated the colors of fall with food coloring, but what do actual leaves use? During the spring and summer, leaves are full of a bright green pigment called chlorophyll, which acts like a tiny solar panel to turn sunlight into food for the tree. But as days grow shorter and nights get chilly in the fall, the tree starts getting ready to sleep for the winter and stops making chlorophyll. As the green chlorophyll breaks down and fades away, hidden pigments called carotenoids—which were inside the leaf all summer long—finally get their chance to shine, revealing brilliant shades of yellow and orange! Some trees even trap extra sugars in their leaves to produce brand-new pigments called anthocyanins, painting the autumn trees in vivid reds and purples.
