Giant, Recycled Leaves

Fall is definitely my favourite season- the Farmer’s markets, pumpkin treats and snuggling up to enjoy books with a hot drink.  These giant leaves are an economical way to add a seasonal touch to your fall festival, your classroom or a Thanksgiving celebration!

Materials

• Cardboard
• Coffee cup sleeves
• Paint
• Items to create texture (Sponges, scrap fabric, paper towel etc.)
• Glue gun/ glue sticks
• Containers for your paint
• Good scissors

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Go out into your neighbourhood and look at the various shapes of leaves.  Nature is always a beautiful inspiration point, isn’t it!?  Using these ideas, draw out your leaves.

• Have an adult assist your to cut out your leaves.  I learned from Handy with Scissors (http://www.handywithscissors.com/) that IKEA cardboard is often thinner and more manageable to cut.  A most fabulous tip!

• Don your smock.  Paint your leaves using brushes, scrap fabric or crunched up paper towel.  We started by dipping some burlap scraps into our paint and then a “happy accident” occurred with one of the paint containers tipping over and my daughter wiping it up with paper towel, creating a look that she rather liked so she used the paper towel to smear/ wipe the paint over the cardboard with her younger brother.  We then took a bit of gold paint to create some highlights on the leaves, allowing that to dry overnight.

• Now it is time to create your veins for your leaves.  The interior of coffee sleeves are corrugated and add further interest to your leaves.  We cut them up and glued them on the leaves to create veins.  (And who doesn’t like a good re-imagine/ re-use!?)

• As always, this is just a starting point- how could you “make this your own”, adding a unique-to-you twist!?

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Purpose

• Using nature as inspiration.
• Creating the appearance of texture with different tools.
• Re-using materials.
• Recognizing the changing of the seasons and what is associated with each one. (E.g. falling leaves.)

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct adult supervision.