Autumn Tree Keepsake By Michelle Kopkash
November is a beautiful time of year to make memories. Crisp, clear days offer an opportunity to head outside with your child, whilst colder, rainy days provide a chance to stay indoors having fun with crafts. The beauty of this month’s craft is that it encourages spending quality time with your child outdoors as you gather colorful fall leaves, and time together indoors as you create your own versions of autumn trees with a few simple supplies. In addition to creating a memorable keepsake, this sensory-rich activity works on a number of motor skills – ripping and crumpling leaves, painting with a brush and squeezing a glue bottle. Enjoy the process of spending time together as much as the end result. These little moments in life together are a true blessing. Materials Needed: • White canvas or cardstock, whichever you prefer • Brown paint • Paintbrush • Colorful leaves • Glue • Basket or bag for leaf collection The Process: 1. Head outside with a basket or bag to gather the most colorful fall leaves you can find with your child. Enrich the experience for your youngster by talking about the colors, textures and smells of the leaves. 2. Head back inside for the next steps. 3. Using the canvas or cardstock, the brown paint and a paint brush, paint a tree trunk with a lot of branches. Set it aside for 10 minutes so that the paint can dry. 4. Meanwhile, crumple the leaves you’ve collected in a bowl or Ziploc bag. Have your child practice tearing them into small pieces or crumbling them in the palms of his/her hands. The smaller the pieces the better. 5. Once the paint is dry, line the branches with glue in random spots throughout the tree.
6. Generously sprinkle the crumpled leaves onto the glue. Continue to glue and sprinkle leaves until it satisfies your artistic taste. Michelle Kopkash is publisher of Macaroni Kid Roseville-Rocklin-Lincoln, a local site dedicated to helping parents find family-friendly events to entertain & educate their kids each week: www.rosevilleca.macaronikid.com.
12 NOVEMBER 2015 sacramentoparent.com