This fun fall art activity involves many opportunities for science learning. A few days before the project, children will need to collect colorful leaves. Press the collected leaves between newspaper and cover with heavy books. The leaves need to be dry and flat for the wreath. Cut the middle section out of one paper plate for each child. Have the children spread glue around the rim of the plate and cover it with leaves. No white paper should be showing once the project is complete. Leaves can overlap. Once the project is dry, an adult can use hot glue to attach acorns and other small items related to fall on top of the leaves. A bow can be glued or stapled to the top or bottom of the leaf wreath by and adult.
Use washable, water-based brown paint to cover one of the child's arms from the finger tips to the elbow. Press the child's arm down on a large piece of white paper so that the print of the arm is made. The child's fingers should be spread wide. This will create the tree trunk and branches. Once the brown paint has dried, allow the children to use yellow, orange and red paint to add finger print leaves onto the branches of the tree (the branches are the area of the fingers). This project can also be fun to do at fall apple harvest time when discussing Johnny Appleseed. Instead of fall leaves, the child can use their fingerprints to make red, green or yellow apples on the tree.
For this project, an adult will need to cut out two corn shaped figures from cardstock or poster board. The child will use orange, purple, brown, and yellow paint to create finger print kernels on the corn cob. The entire piece of paper will be covered. Continue with the second piece. Make certain that the children press and raise their fingers. Rubbing the paint on the "cob" will lose the kernel effect. When dry, attach the two pieces of cob together at the top (the widest portion) with a bow made from raffia. This is a great Thanksgiving art project.