Art Activities for Fall

     I love the changing seasons, as it brings much to talk about, touch, smell, and discover with little ones. Fall is a beautiful time of year with the leaves changing color, mums popping up with bright color all over, pumpkins, gords and scarecrows. We have been keeping ourselves busy with fall art projects.

     My daughter and I collected acorns one day in our backyard and along a trail that runs behind our neighborhood. We brought the acorns back and glued them on a large cut-out acorn that we had made previously together (which she had painted brown). It gave the paper acorn a whole "3D" kind of look and it was a great way for her to experience texture.

     We also painted her hand and part of her arm brown one day and she placed it down on a vertical piece of paper (hand at the top of the page with the arm coming down). This served as a "fall tree," and then she finger-painted with colors of orange, yellow and red to make the leaves on the tree. She also wanted to add some grass at the bottom of the page, so she used her finger as well with green paint. This has been a favorite art project by my daughter (what kids DON'T like to get messy??).

     Walking on the same trail behind our house, we gathered twigs one day in our wagon and brought them home for yet another art project. We broke the sticks and glued them down (with hot glue, done by me), and we made a tree out of sticks. Then she glued down different scraps of tissue paper that she tore up with her fingers to serve as the leaves for her tree.

     Fall is a wonderful time of year with so many great opportunities to discover nature! What are some things you are doing with your kids to enjoy this beautiful season?