Materials

• Leaves
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Paint
• Sponge or brush
• Masking tape
• Shallow tray
• Pencil/ Eraser
• “Wood” contact paper
• Smock

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and find fall leaves.

• Trace one of your leaves on a piece of cardstock or use them as inspiration for drawing your own.

• Carefully cut your leaves out, leaving the outside “wall” in tact.  We gently folded the cardstock in half and made a snip so it was easier to cut out the centre, when unfolded.  Another tip is to make a small snip near the stem from the outside to cut out the middle. (You could apply a piece of clear tape to it after to put it back together.)  This forms your stencil for later.

• Cut out strips of your “wood” contact paper to make a branch.  Peel off the backs and apply them to a piece of cardstock, layering them to make a branch.  You may need a bit of adult help with the sticky nature of contact paper.

• If there are pieces that extend past the edge, flip your work over and then trim the excess with your scissors.

• Don your smock.

•  Put a few tape donuts (a little roll with the sticky side facing out) on the back of your stencil and secure it to a spot where you would like your painted leaf.  You could also have an adult hold it in place (as was requested by the “director” in our shots!)

• Put a little bit of paint onto your tray.  Using a dry brush, get a little bit of paint and coat your brush evenly by dabbing it up and down on a clean spot on the tray.  We used a paint sponge.

• Dab your paint on the stencil, being careful to go directly up and down to avoid it seeping under the stencil.  Try not to go over the outside edges of your stencil as well.

• Allow it to dry completely and remove the stencil carefully.

• Repeat, using different colours and leaf stencils.

Purpose

• To learn how to make a basic stencil to replicate an image.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care and supervision.

Materials

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Felt (we chose a more stiff, wool-based type for this project)
• Fabric scissors
• Glue gun (to be used by an adult) or fabric glue
• Feathers
• Ribbon
• Artificial leaves (optional, we used millinery leaves which are used for making hats.)

Directions

• Cut out a rectangle from cardstock.  Roll it, making one end slightly tighter/smaller (a slight funnel-like shape).  Glue it together and trip off any excess paper.

• We then took a scale (where the seed is contained) out of a real pinecone to see how it looked.  We cut out something similar from the felt many times!

• After we had a pile of these we used a glue glue to attach them to the cardstock. We started at the top, layering them a bit over each other, creating a circular row.

• We then created another row underneath that overlapped the first about half way.  The kids passed me the felt pieces and I glued them on as they are younger in age.  However, you could use fabric glue instead.

• When our pinecone was complete, we then tied it to the top of our present with a few feathers, some millinery leaves and a bit of ribbon.

• This would be quite fun for Christmas too!

Purpose

• Hand/eye coordination (cutting different materials).
• Making a likeness of something.

Safety Notes

• An adult should use a glue gun.
• Be sure to wear a smock to protect your clothes.
• Exercise care when using fabric scissors as they can be quite sharp!

Materials

• Dish towel (tight weave, non textured, cotton–as seen in the photo)
• Fabric paint
• Paint brush
• Craft tray
• Leaves
• Rolling pin
• Iron (to be used by an adult)
• Embroidery thread or sewing machine/thread (optional)

Directions

• Have an adult iron your tea towel.

• Go out on a nature walk, collecting fall leaves (the “before the crunchy phase” kind!) or use craft leaves should you prefer.

• Paint the underside of your leaf (where the ribs/veining is more prominent) with a thin layer of fabric paint.  Do this in a craft tray or on a piece of paper to protect your work surface.

• Push your leaf carefully paint down onto your tea towel.  Roll over it with a rolling pin to assure contact in all spots.

• Carefully peel the leaf up by the stem.

• Repeat with various colours should you like. Depending on your child’s age and abilities, you may want to do one type of leaf or colour at a time.

• Allow to dry overnight. (Follow the product directions as to setting the paint.)

• Embellish with embroidery thread or a touch of sewing along the edges or along the ribs of the leaves.

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as an inspiration for creation.

Safety Notes

• Be sure to cover your clothes with a smock when using fabric paint.
• An iron should be used by an adult.

Materials

• Felt (orange, brown & green)
• Fabric glue
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing marker (or a white pencil crayon)
• Sewing materials (optional)
• Mason jar
• Ribbon, Twine etc.
• Single hole punch
• Scissors
• Watercolour paint
• Swallow tray
• Watercolour paper or cardstock
• Craft tray
• Drying rack
• Playdough recipe materials (see below)

Directions

JAR

• Take the lid off the jar, turn it upside down and trace a circle on the orange felt to make your pumpkin.  Cut it out with fabric scissors.  We sewed on a bit of detail to make the ribs of the pumpkin. Cut out a stem and a leaf. Glue them onto the pumpkin and glue the pumpkin onto the jar lid.  Later when you screw the top on, lift the stem and leaf over (so they don’t get smushed!)

TAG

• Cut a rectangular piece of watercolour or cardstock paper.

• Put a bit of diluted watercolour into a small container.

• Dip the paper into the paint and allow it to dry overnight on your drying rack over your craft tray.

• Punch a hole in one end.

• Write a little message on your tag and attach it to your jar with your ribbon or cord.

• Have an adult make the playdough, using our favourite recipe below:

PUMPKIN PIE PLAYDOUGH

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 tbsp cream of tarter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Orange food colouring (or mainly yellow with a bit of red)
• Pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:

• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium pan.
• Add water and oil.
• Cook on medium heat, adding the food colouring and spice.
• Stir continuously.
• When the dough mix pulls away from the sides and forms into a large ball, the dough is ready to be placed in a small bowl to cool.
• Store in a plastic container or re-sealable bag.

* Because of the large salt content this play dough is not recommended for children 0-3 or those that tend to put things into their mouth.*

Source: Japer Place Child and Family Resource Centre

• Place (really it is more like squish!) your playdough into your jar and give it to a friend!

• Alter your jar lid to suit any theme that you might like- for example you could make a black cat for Halloween and fill it with something like cookies or candies!

Purpose

• Playdough is great for developing one’s hand muscles which lends to future use in writing, cutting etc.
• Thinking of others

Safety Notes

• An adult should make the playdough as it requires the use of a stove.
• Be sure to wear a smock to protect your clothing form paint and fabric glue.
• Use fabric scissors and sewing materials with care.
• Because of the large salt content this play dough is not recommended for children 0-3 or those that tend to put things into their mouth.

Materials

* If you don’t want to use real leaves for the projects draw some from your imagination or use craft leaves as tracers.*

• Leaves
• Sewing marker (or use a white/ light pencil crayon & a dark pencil crayon or fabric markers)
• Felt
• Fabric scissors
• Barrette clip (Buy these at a craft or dollar store)
• Fabric glue or sewing machine/thread
• Embellishments (seed beads, sequins)
• Smock
• Craft tray
• Headband (we made our clip so we could wear it as a barrette or attach it to a headband)

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and collect several different types of leaves.

• Place the leaves on your various colours of felt and trace them. If you are working on a dark colour such as red, use a light sewing marker or pencil crayon such as white.  For light felt colours, use a darker shade of sewing marker or pencil crayon.

• Cut out your leaves with fabric scissors.

• Flip them over so you can’t see your tracing lines.

• We decided to sew around the edges and create sewn midribs and veins.  You could do this optional step by hand or with a machine.  We added a few sequins and seed beads for a bit of sparkle.

• We then made a simple base for our leaves using a rectangle of felt. We sewed two of the edges of another small rectangle on the centre on the back so the clip could slide into it. (As seen in the photograph.)  You could glue this instead to avoid sewing.

• Glue your leaves onto your base, using fabric glue.

• Clip it into your hair or attach it to a headband.

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as inspiration for creating

Safety Notes

• Fabric scissors can be quite sharp, use with caution and direct supervision.
• Wear a smock and use a craft tray to prevent damaging clothes and/or surfaces.
• Store beads away from small children to avoid consumption.

This post was featured on The Crafty Crow’s round-up of ideas with pumpkins!  Check them out for more ideas for Fall!

 http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2014/10/7-great-pumpkin-crafts-for-kids.html

Materials

• Felt
• Sewing materials (you can sew these by hand or by machine)
• Fabric scissors
• Plastic pebbles (Polyfil type material.  You can by these at craft and dollar stores.)
• Funnel
• Plastic zip bag

Directions

• Cut out two copies of each of your pumpkin shapes. (Depending on your child’s age and abilities you may need to use a fabric marker or sewing marker to draw this out beforehand or have them draw a template out on paper, cut it out and pin it to the felt, cutting the pumpkins for them.  He or she may need to cut out the fabric pieces one at a time as well, rather than layering them as we have done.)

• Sew around the edges, leaving a gap that would be big enough to fit your funnel.  We suggest a thicker stitch to withstand all the tossing!

• Slip your funnel into the gap in the bean bag sewing and fill your bean bags with plastic pebbles inside a clear plastic bag so you can see what you are doing and so that the pebbles stay contained.  You may want to use a scoop or spoon or some children will enjoy the sensory experience of using their hands to fill the funnel.  (You may also want to have a vacuum on hand!)

• Carefully sew up the gap.  (Move the beads to the other side of the bean bag to avoid breaking your sewing machine needle.)

• Cut out a stem and leaf for each of your pumpkins.  Sew or glue them on the top of your pumpkin.

• Have fun tossing your beanbags to each other or to a target.

Purpose

• Make props to promote activity.

Safety Notes

• Be sure to keep plastic pellets away from small children (0-3 years) to prevent consumption.
• A sewing machine is recommended for adult use or based on your child’s age and abilities, with direct supervision.

This post was featured on The Crafty Crow!  Check it out for more seasonal, thematic, play-based and process oriented ideas.

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2014/09/autumn-felt-boutonniere.html

Materials

* If you don’t want to use real leaves for the projects draw some from your imagination or use craft leaves as tracers.*

• Leaves
• Sewing markers  (or alternatively use fabric pens or a white/light pencil crayon & a dark pencil crayon)
• Felt
• Fabric scissors
• Pin base (Buy these at a craft or dollar store)
• Floral tape
• Floral wire
• Cord
• Fabric glue
• Strong hold glue or glue gun (to be used by an adult)
• Artificial stamen
• Smock

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and collect several different types of leaves.

• Don a smock to protect your clothing.

• Place the leaves on your various colours of felt and trace them using a sewing marker.  Alternatively if you are working on a dark colour such as red, use a light pencil crayon such as white.  For light felt colours, use a darker shade of pencil crayon.

• Cut out your leaves with fabric scissors.

• Flip them over so you can’t see your tracing lines.

• We decided to sew around the edges and create sewn midribs and veins.  You could do this optional step by hand or with a machine.

• To make your flowers, we suggest watching our video for crepe paper flowers below and to follow the same method using felt and fabric glue instead of crepe and tacky glue. Below are some photos of some of the elements and details we added.

• Once you have made the components of your pin (the flowers and the leaves), we then twisted the two floral wires together, wrapping them in floral tape.  Glue on and wrap the base of the stems of your leaves into the small bundle with floral tape as well.   We had an adult glue this on to the base of the pin (with strong hold glue or a glue gun) and then wrapped it in cord to not only secure it, but to give it a more polished feel.  Be sure to open the pin while you do the wrapping.

• Pin onto a shirt, jacket or dress.  Be careful not to poke yourself!

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as inspiration for creating

Safety Notes

• Fabric scissors can be quite sharp, use with caution and direct supervision.
• Wear a smock and use a craft tray to prevent damaging clothes and/or surfaces from the glue.
• An adult should use a glue gun/strong hold glue.
• An adult should use the sewing machine or one should do so (based on his or her age and abilities) with direct adult supervision and guidance.

This activity was featured on The Crafty Crow!  Check them out for more Fall inspired activities:

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2014/09/leaf-tracing-bookmarks.html

Materials

* If you don’t want to use real leaves for the projects draw some from your imagination or use craft leaves as tracers.*

• Leaves
• Pencil & Eraser
• Metallic permanent markers (or you could use metallic crayons or pastels)
• Watercolours (we used diluted liquid watercolours)
• Paintbrushes
• Cardstock or watercolour paper
• Scissors/ Ruler or paper cutter
• Laminating supplies or contact paper (optional)
• Single hole punch
• Ribbon, cord or twine
• Coordinating paper
• Glue stick

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and collect several different types of leaves.

• Trace your leaves lightly onto watercolour paper or cardstock with a pencil.

• Go over your lines with metallic permanent markers.  (We found the Sharpie brand worked best, as they don’t bleed.)

• Allow to dry and lightly erase the pencil marks.

• Paint your leaves with watercolour paints.

• Allow to dry overnight.

• Cut out your bookmark (approximately 2-3 inches/ 5-7.5 centimetres in width and 10-15 centimetres/4-6 inches in length).  We used a paper cutter.  We then glued our bookmark onto a coordinating colour of paper to back it and cut it out again, creating a border.

• Punch a hole in one end.

• Laminate or sandwich in between two layers of contact paper (with the sticky sides facing each other).

• Re-punch your hole.

• Cut a length of ribbon, cord or twine and make a loop as shown in the photograph.  Put the ends up through the hole you punched in your bookmark and go through the loop you made on the top.  Pull tight.

•  Enjoy cuddling up with a book, a cup of hot chocolate and your leaf inspired bookmark!

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as inspiration for creating

Safety Notes

• Wear a smock and use a craft tray to prevent damaging clothes and/or surfaces.
• Laminators are for adult use.
• Review safe use of paper cutters with children and provide direct supervision/guidance.  You may decide this step is for an adult only or based on your child’s age and abilities, teach them how to use it safely.

This project was featured on The Crafty Crow!  Check them out for all sorts of seasonal fun: http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2014/11/diy-fall-napkin-rings.html

Materials

* If you don’t want to use real leaves for the projects draw some from your imagination or use craft leaves as tracers.*

• Leaves
• Felt
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing markers (or alternatively use fabric markers or a light coloured pencil crayons for dark felt and dark pencil crayons for light felt)
• Yarn
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Cord or twine
• Beads
• Tape (This is optional, but quite helpful!)
• Napkins

Directions

• Go on a nature walk and collect several different types of leaves.

• Place the leaves on your various colours of felt and trace them with a sewing marker.

• Cut out your leaves with fabric scissors.

• Flip them over so you can’t see your tracing lines.

• We decided to sew around the edges and create sewn midribs and veins.  You could do this optional step by hand or with a machine.

• Fold your leaves on the stem gently and cut a small snip to make a slit for later threading.

• There are many innovative ways to make pom-poms.  This one is easy for young children.  Have an adult cut out a rectangle of cardboard.  (Your child might be able to do this, however, cutting cardboard tends to be a bit tricky and may require large scissors.) Cut a smaller rectangle out of one of the sides (as seen in the photograph).

• Tape one end of your yarn to the cardboard as shown.  Wrap your yarn around the cardboard.  The more you wrap, the fuller your pom-pom will be.

• Cut a small piece of yarn (we used another colour just so you could see it more clearly).  Put it under your wrapped yarn through the small rectangular window (as seen in the photograph) and knot it securely.

• Gently slide your wrapped yarn off your cardboard.  Trim the ends of the loops with your fabric scissors, making them uniform.  Leave the middle tie long (as shown) so you can knot your pom-pom to your cord later.

• Make a knot in your cord a little to one side of the middle.

• Lace your leaves and make another knot.

• Tie your pom-poms to the cord, knotting them.

•  Make a knot and put on a bead.  Make another knot and then add another bead etc.(“That was fun, was it knot!?!” – We couldn’t resist with all the knotting!)

• Wrap the cord around your napkins, tie a bow and trim the excess.  Knot the ends to prevent fraying.

• Give as a hostess gift– wouldn’t these be fun for Thanksgiving?!

Purpose

• Getting out into nature
• Using nature as inspiration for creating

Safety Notes

• Fabric scissors can be quite sharp, use with caution and direct supervision.
• Yarn can be a strangulation hazard and should be used with supervision.
• Be sure to keep beads away from children 0-3 years of age or those who tend to put things in their mouths to prevent choking.

Materials

• Watercolour paints
• Watercolour paper or cardstock
• Permanent markers
• Paintbrushes
• Scissors
• Blank card set (or fold cardstock pieces in half)
• Felt, crepe or any type of paper to back your apples
• Glue

Directions

• Draw out circles on your watercolour paper using permanent markers to create your apples.

• Paint your apples with watercolour, allowing them to dry overnight.

• Cut out your apples, leaving a bit of a border.

• Glue your apples onto some paper to back them (you could use felt, crepe paper etc.).  Cut them out again with your backing creating a border.

• Glue your apples onto the front of your card.  Add a stem, should you like.

• As our daughter mentioned– flip your apples upside down and make them into trees!

• Send a fall greeting to a friend.

Purpose

• Creating engaging opportunities for writing.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with adult supervision.