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Fun & Games

Crunching Leaves Craft for a Festive Fall

Crunching Leaves Craft for a Festive Fall image

Here's a fun fall craft from my new kids craft book, "Make and Takes for Kids." This crunched-leaf decoration is perfect for kids to create, as they’ll love to crumple up the dried leaves. It’s also fun to sprinkle the leaves onto the glue like glitter, making a colorful new decoration to display.

Materials:

  • 10–15 dried leaves
  • large bowl
  • 8 × 8" piece of craft wood, 1⁄8" width
  • craft paint, any color
  • paintbrush
  • pencil
  • white craft glue
  • newspaper

Instructions

    Crunched leaves craft

  1. Paint your piece of wood with craft paint. Let this dry.
  2. Use your pencil to draw a leaf shape or any holiday shape on your painted board.
  3. Trace the pencil drawing with your white craft glue. Make sure each
    part of the image is covered in a line of glue.
  4. In a large bowl, crumble up your dried leaves. Try to get the pieces as
    small as possible.
  5. Crunched leaves craft

  6. Sprinkle your crushed leaves onto your glue, shaking the pieces around slightly to get each part of the glue covered in leaves. Shake off any excess back into the bowl. Let your board dry overnight.

Now it’s ready to display. You could make the shape of a pumpkin or turkey and display all three boards together on the wall or on top of a mantle.

Crafter Marie LeBaron just released her first book, Make and Takes for Kids! If you’d like a chance to win a copy, leave a comment below telling us about your favorite fall craft. One entry per person. US mailing addresses only. Entries must be submitted by Monday, November 21, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. PST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced here on Tuesday, 11/22. Good luck!

Congratulations to Lisa Marie! The contest is now closed. Thanks to all who participated!

  • Cecilia31

    My favorite fall craft was sewing stuffed animals for gifts.

  • Bhgal_06250

    I enjoy doing Thanksgiving crafts with my daycare children.

  • khosking

    My daughter and I had fun making a construction paper turkey after tracing her hand for the turkey. We even made one into a hat.

  • guest

    We mixed shaving cream and glue recently for a “blobby” paint that dried “spongie.”  She went back to it to touch for days afterwards.

  • Lacy

    My favorite fall craft is decorating oranges with cloves!

  • http://www.planethausfrau.com Audrey

    I like taking my son out and gathering colorful leaves before they get all dry and crunchy, then making faces and creatures out of them with paper plates, glue and markers.

  • Christi

    We like collecting leaves and pressing them into contact paper.

  • Cherylrischer

    We have so many favorites but my boys really enjoy using leaves to stamp paint!

  • Kim

    My kids and I enjoy making animal shapes out of leaves.  

  • Lisa Marie

    We love making apple turkeys!

  • trish_white

    We love to stamp leaves in salt down and then paint them for fall ornaments!  Love, love, love make and takes!


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