What do you do in the fall when the wind starts to blow? Go outside and collect some free art supplies!
60 minutes
It's been a bit windy at our house, so the other night, I decided to go collect a few leaves from our deck in the morning. There is nothing more beautiful than the variety of sizes, shapes and colors of fall leaves. When my kids were little, we’d take the wagon with us and collect as many different leaves as we could. We all loved going on a Leaf Walk, as we called it.
There are so many different art projects in which to use beautiful leaves, but my favorite projects begin with pressing the leaves.
After several days, the leaves are ready to use in projects. Do not store in a plastic bag or airtight container. Any moisture left in the leaf will cause mold growth.
A nature notebook can be made out of paper, cardstock, craft paper or even recycled boxes.
My favorite way to make a notebook is with large blank cards. I purchase blank 5x7 cards to keep on hand for projects. Natural colors are great for making notebooks.
Pressed leaves will be simple to add to the nature notebook. White glue or glue sticks work well to hold leaves in place. Add a variety of leaves to the nature notebook. Older children will be able look up the names of different leaf types, while younger children will simply enjoy collecting their leaves. If you’re feeling more artistic, use the leaves to create artwork! Leaves of different sizes, shapes, and colors can be used to create pictures. Animals are especially fun to create with small leaves.