Leaf Art

Here’s what you need:

glue, leaves (go on a nature walk), cardboard, poster paint, paint roller, thin white paper, something to put the paint in, and newspaper

Here is what you do:

1. Gather the leaves and line the table with newspaper, for easy clean up.  Pour a small amount of paint in your trays.
2. Glue the leaves to the cardboard, and allow that to dry.  Once dry roll the roller in paint and roll on the leaves.
3.  Put the paper over the leaves and rub back and forth over the paper with your hand. 
4. Lift the paper and see what you made!

Fun Hats

Here’s what you need:

glue, paper (construction or white), markers, crayons or colored pencils, stapler, child safety scissors, feather (go for a nature walk if you don’t have any or make your own), ribbon

Here is what you do:

1. Have the kids cut a large circle out of the paper, then color on it.
2. Make a single cut from the edge of the circle to the center and then over lab the edges to make a peak on top and staple.
3.   Cut ribbon to desired length and staple on the hat to tie under the chin.
4. Glue the feather on top of the hat.  (If you have extra ribbon makes it curly and use that for the hat top)

Spooky Spiders!

Here’s what you need:

glue, white paper plate, black markers, black construction paper, long piece to string, and child safety scissors Hint: If you don’t have black paper color a piece of white paper or use your computers art program and color a piece all black and print it)

Here is what you do:

1. Cut the paper into 8 long strips of paper. Then accordion-fold the paper back and forth onto themselves for spider legs.
2. Color the paper plate, and add pop out eyes if you want.
3. Glue or staple the legs on the edge of the paper
4. Once dry string the rope through the top of the plate and hang.  

Turtle Power!

small white paper bowl, card stock or shirt cardboard (something stiffer then paper), glue, child safety scissors, and markers, crayons or color pencils

Here is what you do:

1. Cut the turtle’s legs, head, and tail out of the card stock.  Turn the bowl upside down and glue them to the rim of the bowl.
2. Color the turtle

Something fun:  Find a slow running creek and see how many different animals you can find.

Traffic lights

Here’s what you need:

1 cardboard paper towel tub (you can make your own using card stock), paper, paint, markers, or crayons (RED, GREEN, and YELLOW), glue, child safety scissors and newspaper

Here is what you do:

1. Cover the table with newspaper, if you use paint.  Then cut out 3 circles and color them, one of each color.
2. Glue the paper on the tub.

Something fun:  Play Red Light, Green Light, use 3 tubs put the red light on one tub, and green and yellow on there own tub.  Have one person hold all three tubs and have the other kids about 10-20 feet away.  Hold up one tub red means stop, yellow go slow and green fast. 

Spring Garden

Here’s what you need:

watercolor paint with paint brush, crayons, markers, or color pencils, paper, Popsicle sticks (any type of wooden stick would work), child safety scissors, glue, egg carton, newspaper, dirt and seeds

Here is what you do:

1. Cover the table with newspaper
2. With the scissors cut out heads of flowers from white paper.  Color the flower heads.  
3. Glue the flower heads to the sticks and write the name of the plant on the flower head.
4. Fill the egg carton with dirt, plant the seed, and lightly water. Place the name of the plant in the correct container set in a sunny location.
5. Watch them grow!

Paper Bag Pumpkin

Here’s what you need:

orange poster paint and brush, brown paper lunch bag, black construction paper or color a piece of paper black for the eyes, nose, and mouth, white craft glue, rubber band, newspaper (some for the table some to fill the bag)

Here is what you do:

1. Cover the table with newspaper and fill the bag with the remaining paper.
2. Tightly wrap the rubber band around the neck of the bag for the pumpkin’s stem.
3. Paint the bag and let dry.
4. Cut out eyes, nose, and mouth using the black construction paper then glue them on the bag. Hint: Use a white crayon to draw out the face on the paper then have the children cut on the lines.

Dancing Fingers

Here’s what you need:

Pudding (Chocolate, Vanilla, and or Pistachio), milk, bowls, paper, newspaper, clean hand and music!

Here is what you do:

1. Turn on the music and lay the paper on the table.
2. Mix the pudding
3. Add the pudding to the paper and add your finger 
4. You can dance to the music, draw with your fingers or eat it- Bo apatite!

Handprint Paperweight

Here’s what you need:

salt clay (see “art recipes”), rolling pin, and plastic knife, poster paint with paint brush, markers, or crayons

Here is what you do:

1. Roll the clay into a ball and then flatten with the rolling pin.
2. Press your hand firmly into the clay for a handprint, you may add your name and date, if you wish, using a toothpick or an art tool.
3. Use the plastic knife to trim the edges.  Let dry.
4. Color

Clay Cookies
Makes great Christmas ornaments

Here’s what you need:

salt clay (see art recipes), rolling pin paper plates, poster paint, markers or crayons, and cookie cutter- Hint: You can bake the clay at 300 F or 150 C for 30- 40 min until hard. 

Here is what you do:

1. Use the rolling pin to flatten the clay.
2. Use the cookie cutters to shape the dough.
3. Place the clay cookies on the paper plate and allow them to dry. Hint- If you are going to use them as ornaments place a hole in the top of them before they dry so you can string them.  A straw works well our take a pen apart and use the tube
4. Color  

King and Queens

Here’s what you need:

markers, or crayons, aluminum foil, construction paper or (colored paper), child safety scissors, glue and tape

Here is what you do:

1. Cut a band of construction paper 18 inches wide (46 cm).  Fit around child’s head: then cut a zigzag on the top.
2. Color the crown and the foil.  Cut the foil in gems and glue them onto the crown.
3. Taped closed and wear.

Crayon Fabric

Here’s what you need:

crayons, cotton or muslin fabric, iron and newspaper

Here is what you do:

1. Have a grown up set the iron on medium hot.  Cover the table with newspaper.
2. Color on your material.  (old sheets or tee shirts work well)  Press hard for a heavier application.
3. Place the material colored side down on a layer of newspaper then cover it with a damp cloth. Place another layer of newspaper on top of the damp cloth. 
4. Ask a grown up to slide the iron back and forth over the newspaper for a few seconds.  Remove the material when the crayons are melted and then let cool.  The colors are then set to the material.

Paper Trees

Here’s what you need:

3 sheets of paper, tape, child safety scissors, markers, paint or crayons

Here is what you do:

1. Roll the 3 pieces of paper into a tube and tape closed. (not to tight)
2. Use the scissors to cut slits one inch (2.5 cm) apart and four inches deep, around the whole tube.
3. Gently pull up on an inside fringe, until the branches of the tree appear.
4. Color the tree. 
5. You may cut out color and add flower heads, apples to the tree’s branches by gluing them on.