This past weekend marked the
official beginning of fall! The air is crisper, pumpkin spice everything is
out, and the leaves are falling! The last week of September is designated as Keep
Kids Creative Week, so what are some family activities that can be done with
leaves?
First, take the family out for a walk in the park or neighborhood or
even the backyard. Collect some leaves and then read on for some fun projects
that can result in beautiful art for your home. With any of the crafts, you’ll
need to press and dry the leaves. Or you can learn how to preserve them here.
While out for your walk, talk to
your kids. Find out how they like the new school year. Talk about the different
animals you see. When you bring your leaves home, work with your kids to solve
the mystery of what kind of leaves they are.
Some of the most popular leaf crafts
are leaf tracings, leaf printing, and leaf shading. Since the kids will most
likely be doing that in school, let’s move on to something a little more
involved. Try doing the leaf alphabet! You’ll need lots of leaves, 26 pieces of
construction paper, and some sort of glue, glue stick or rubber cement. After waiting for the leaves to flatten and
dry (about a week), you can then use the leaves to make something for each
letter of the alphabet! Alligators, butterflies, and carrots – oh my! Have fun
with the craft. Look up something harder in the dictionary to really challenge
your family.
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Picture
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For the next craft, you’ll need a
shadow box picture frame, some frame matting, and a piece of paper to put the
leaf on. The result is a lovely single
leaf or a “bouquet” of leaves that is simple and can be made to fit any décor
depending on the frame and matting you choose. You can even make it a collage
with other things, like jewels, tiles, or mementos from a summer vacation!
Kids love making masks, so why not try
one with leaves? A blank paper mask can be bought in a multipack at a craft
store for a relatively cheap amount. Have kids decorate the masks any way they
want. Alternatively, this can also be used in the shadow box above.
There are plenty of craft ideas out
there, so don’t hesitate to look around the internet and find some or invent
your own! Send us pictures of your leaf craft and we’ll post them!
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