Horse Chestnut Leaf With Five Leaflets

One large compound leaf fills the page, made up of five pointed leaflets that spread out from a single center point like fingers on a hand. A thin, straight stem runs down from the middle to the bottom edge. The top leaflet stands upright and is the widest, while two leaflets angle out to the sides and two smaller ones sweep down toward the lower corners. Each leaflet has a bold center vein with fine side veins branching off in neat, slanted lines, and the tips end in sharp, slightly curled points. The edges are smooth with no teeth. Try coloring each leaflet in a different shade of green, then use a lighter color along the veins to show how they carry water. It also works well for a nature walk, where kids can compare the drawing to a real leaf and count the five leaflets.