“Family Tree” Leaf
Rubbing
Ages 2 to 5
Skill Level: Easy
Materials needed: One large
piece of light- to medium-weight white paper (not construction
paper); newspaper; a selection of crayons with labels
removed; leaves.
Take a nature walk with your child and pick out one
leaf for each member of your family. The biggest leaf
can be your “daddy leaf,” the smallest leaf
can be the “baby leaf,” and so on. Line
up the leaves on a sheet of newspaper on top of a flat,
hard surface; then carefully place the sheet of lightweight
paper on top of the leaves. While you hold the sheet
of paper in place for your child, have your child rub
the side of the crayon over the shape of the leaf. Repeat
with different colors for each member of the family.
To make your “family tree” extra-special
(and to give some practice with letters), have your
child write each person’s name under his or her
leaf.
Fall Seed Shakers
Ages 3 to 6
Skill Level: Easy to Medium
Materials needed: Round cardboard
breadcrumb containers, construction paper, scissors,
glue, markers or crayons, and a mixture of acorns, pebbles,
seeds, small pinecones, or other small hard items you
can find on a nature walk.
Divide your nature items into small piles by category
and then put each pile into a breadcrumb container (so
one container has the acorns, one container has the
pinecones, etc.). Glue the top onto the container. Trim
the construction paper to match the height of the breadcrumb
container, apply glue to one side of the paper, and
carefully roll the paper around the container, glue
side down, so the paper is completely covering the container.
When the glue dries, decorate the outside of each shaker
with markers or crayons. Compare the sounds of each
shaker and have your friends try to guess which item
is in each shaker.
No-Cut Crazy Pumpkin Faces
Ages 4 to 10
Skill Level: Medium
Materials needed: An assortment
of small, round pumpkins and gourds; pebbles, pine needles,
seeds and seed pods, branches, and dried leaves; glue.
You won’t need a knife to make these funny pumpkin
faces. Decide which side of your pumpkin or gourd looks
most like a face, and then decorate away! Here are some
ideas to get you started:
Scaredy Cat: Glue to the pumpkin two small pebbles
for eyes, two pointed leaves for ears, a small twig
for a mouth, and two sprays of pine needles for whiskers.
Batty Bat: Glue two large, pointy leaves to the side
of the pumpkin for wings and two small pointed leaves
to the top for ears. Glue small pebbles for eyes, and
small pointy seeds, point side down, for the fangs.
Silly Clown: Glue two pumpkin seeds for eyes, one large
sycamore seed ball for a nose, and a long, flat seed
pod for the lips. Use an assortment of dried fuzzy branches
for hair.
Smiley Scarecrow: Glue two round pebbles for
eyes, a flat triangular pebble for a nose, and a curved
twig for a mouth. Glue handfuls of straw for hair to
the top of the pumpkin; top with a floppy hat.
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