Kids Crafts: Li'l Leaf

This charming little leaf is made using your child's hand and foot prints. I remember this from grade school. In one of our classes, we had these hanging from the ceiling, one for each child. He can be hung from the ceiling or on a wall. Here's how we made him, along with a few variations.

1. First I went out and found a leaf in the yard. I copied it, larger, onto a piece of construction paper. I chose orange, yellow, red, and brown for this project since it is fall. I did not like the whole leaf, so I chose the best half and folded the page and cut along the line I liked the most. The side of the construction paper that I'd drawn on became my back side. I then drew a face for the leaf.
2. Next, I got my 4 year old daughter to let me trace her hands and feet. Then I cut these out for her. I let my 6 year old cut his own.
3. Using strips of yellow construction paper, folded like an fan, I made legs and arms. The legs, arms, hands and feet are affixed to the leaf using tape. However, you can also glue them, or staple them.
4. The finished product can be hung from the ceiling or on a wall.

Additional options to mix it up:

• You can use ribbon to make the arms and legs, instead of construction paper.
• You can use the cardboard that comes off the back of a used note pad for your leaf to make it more sturdy.
• Our leaf, pictured above, is slightly wilted. My son spilled a drink. Since part of the leaf was wet, I took a paper towel and wet it with more of the same drink. I then dabbed this over the leaf to cover our accident. You can do this with tea or coffee to stain you leaf and add texture.
• You can allow your children to draw on the leaf, hands, and feet. Even if they just draw stripes, patterns, or shapes. This would add visual interest and personalize your leaf more.
• Little girls can add jewelry or other accessories to their leaves. These can be draw, real, or created with craft items.
• Boys can add caps, collars, jackets, balls in the hands, shoes on the feet, etc.
• You can embellish your leaf with things around the house, paint it, etc.
• The list could go on, and on.

As always, the goal is to spend time with your kids, have fun, and be creative. There are no rules to creativity, and the only limit is your imagination. :)

Kids Crafts: Drawing Autumn Leaves

Do your children like to draw? I do, and so do my kids. Let's celebrate the season by drawing the world as we see it, not as we percieve it. (Don't write off this article if you think you "can't draw", read on, and try to challenge your thinking.)

During the autumn, we watch the leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Then they drift gracefully to the ground. I challenge you to go out into your yards with your children and let them pick a leaf, or two or three, which has fallen from the trees. Give them a paper and a pencil. Ask them to look at their leaf. Look at it and really see it. Ask them to take note of the outer shape of the leaf. Observe the stem and how the leaf grows out of it and is supported by it. Look at the transition from leaf to stem. Help them notice the veins within the leaf. Notice the beautiful patterns to be found there.

If you have very thin, soft drawing paper, like news print, have your child lay the paper over the leaf and, with chalk pastels or a crayon, lightly rub over the leaf and watch the leaf come to live on the page.

On another page, have your child look at the leaf and draw it. Instruct your child not to look at the paper, and not to lift the pencil. Try this a few different times, putting as much detail into the picture as possible. Then look at the result. You will be surprised. If you practice, these can become quite good. But either way, they are a great excersise in eye-hand coordination.

Then, if you child is still interested, ask them to draw the leaf by looking at it, and the paper. Remind him (or her) not to draw their idea of a leaf, but instead what they are seeing in front of them. Look at the lines on the leaf and draw them. Look at the way the light hits the leaf and draw that.

If they wish to add color, encourage them. But again, discourage the addition of simple green, or yellow, or orange, or red. Ask your child to look at the leaf. What colors do they see on the leaf? Where are those colors and how do they blend together? You and your child will learn a lot about the way you see the world, and about the things you miss on a normal basis. You will also learn a lot about the leaf.

Of course, limit the excersise to your child's age and attention span. You can break this up into several sessions if you like. I'll have my kids do this excersise tomorrow and will post some of the results for you. Hope you all enjoy the drawing!