Our son’s favourite activity last fall was this Halloween Centrepiece (see below) and he wanted to make a similar one for Fall/Thanksgiving! (Along with a few gift toppers too..) http://make-it-your-own.com/halloween-centrepiece/ We also loved the clay leaves we saw on hello, Wonderful’s site here: http://www.hellowonderful.co/post/WATERCOLOR-RAINBOW-SALT-DOUGH-LEAVES thus… Materials Branches Vase or similar receptacle Beads Twine or cord Air dry clay (sorry the elastic bands obscure the package- we used the DAS brand) Clay board Old butter knife or similar clay tool BBQ (with the tip cut off by an adult) or thin dowel Rolling pin Craft tray Watercolour paints Acrylic gloss Paintbrushes Beads (*optional) We always find a smock helpful too: Directions Go on a nature walk with an adult, collecting small fallen branches. Observe, collect and/or document fall leaves for inspiration, looking at their various shapes and colours. Don your smock. Knead and then roll out your clay. We went with a thickness of about 1/4 an inch or a little less than a centimetre. We then used our pencil to draw out a leaf shape. Using your knife, go around the edges of your leaf, making clean cuts. Create a hole with your BBQ skewer. (You can do this after you cut out the leaf too- just as long as you remember to do it!) Cut off your excess clay, revealing your leaves! (Unfortunately this particular one accidentally got kneeled onto and smooshed, so we had to make another!) Create as many leaves as you would like for your tree. As we went along we rolled out the clay into thin “snakes” between our hands and added details to some of the leaves such as creating mid-ribs and veins. Allow your leaves to dry according to the product directions and remember to flip them over so that the underside can dry as well! We then mixed our liquid watercolour to our gloss acrylic and painted the one side of the leaves. Once they have dried overnight, flip them over and paint the other side. Lace ribbon, cord etc. through the holes and add them to your tree. During the process we of lacing them we added a few beads too. If you like, write with a permanent marker what you are thankful for or perhaps if this is a class project, then add each child’s name and the year. Insert your branches into your vase. Carefully hang your leaves on your branches and add your centrepiece to your Fall table! (Another use for your leaves following!) Or use your leaves to wrap a gift with a keepsake: As Thanksgiving approaches, we sincerely express our appreciation to you for taking the time to time to share in the fun! Sincerely, The Scorer Family- Purpose Getting out into nature. Developing one’s fine motor skills (kneading, rolling, cutting, threading) which are all helpful in the development of writing etc.. Learning to create a likeness of object. Safety Notes We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces. Use scissors with care and adult supervision. Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose. Beads can be a choking hazard therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths. Please like & share: Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
