As we have been getting some hotter days this year, we have made a few trips to the park recently. Whilst there, we played ball, look at the stream and collected some leaves. Now, I know autumn is the absolute best time for collecting leaves, but as Red Ted was keen, I thought, why not!? I did horrify me to realise that when it comes to leaves, I am clueless. I will have to brush up!
So once we came home, I found a book on leaves. It is about Autumn really, but it is the nicest one I could find on relatively short notice:
Leaf craft
Leaf Trouble, Jonathan Emmett. This book tells the story of a little squirrel called Pip (perfect for our Pip Squeak!). Pip wakes one day to find that things are different: the leaves are changing colour and falling off the tree. Surely this isn’t right?! What is happening. His mum comes and explains why it is happening and that the leaves will come back again – a little like how the sun sets and comes back again the next day. I love the ending, where Pip compares the beautiful autumn colours to the setting sun. Very pretty.
So. What to make?
We have the leaves. But leaves can become brittle with time. I decided we should try leave rubbing – to discover that Red Ted is still too small. So I changed it to leaf printing and painting!
He loved it! And had great joy doing it all by himself. Choosing colours. Painting and printing. I also found that your preserve the leaf a little if you paint it with acryclic paints. But in a way that seems a shame – you want to look at the lovely colours, no?
Whilst at it, he painted some loo rolls too.
And I decided t make some autumnal birds. One out of Red Ted’s craft and one out of mine. I selected Red Ted’s prints that worked together well (greens, blacks and greys) and picked an orange set of mine to represent autumn. I used all pieces of string from gift bags & pepples/ forked sticks for feet and marionette handles. (I think the pictures speak for themselves):
Previous Craft Porjects:
Craft: Cork Boats
stART:Piep Piep Piep, Loo Roll Watches
stART: Bear Cards & Strawberry Growing Video
stART: Touchy Feely Book – That is not my Puppy
stART: Jolly Postman & Greeting cards from Toddler Art
Book & Cook – Duckies Rainbow & Rainbow Cookies
stART – Story Telling, Bunnies & Stars
stART: Giraffe’s can’t dance – a Giraffe Loo Roll Marionette
stART: Chick – a Pop Up Card
Book & Cook: Alphabet Cookies – Learning through play
stART: Busy Airport – Cotton Wool Clouds and, erm, PIGS!
stART: Hit &Myth – a mix & match book for older children (>5yrs)
stART: Story & Thank you time – inspirational thank you cards
stART: Hurray for Fish – one for babies or messy toddlers!
stART: Bedtime Star – Red Ted, makes a starry night for Pip Squeak’s nursery
stART: The Way Back Home, Oliver Jeffers – Red Ted makes a plane and a UFO
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