DIY Fall Decorations You Can Make With The Kids
Fall is filled with delights — not just the colorful foliage, but also the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature with your family. As you explore with your kids, make sure to collect plenty of leaves, sticks, nuts, seedpods and other natural treasures. With a few natural crafting supplies gathered from the great outdoors, your family can spend this fall making the following autumn-inspired crafts:
1. Make a Nature-Themed Photo Frame
This nature frame from Life as Mom is a simple and easily customizable craft project that your children can use to frame photos or autumn-themed artwork. To do this project, you’ll need a few supplies:
• Paper
• Pen or pencil
• 8 sticks
• Raffia
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Artwork or photos
• Optional decorative items like glitter or acorns
On your sheet of paper, draw a quick template that is the same size as the picture that you’re framing. Then cut four 6-inch pieces of raffia (or yarn) and place them diagonally in the corners of the template. Place a stick on the top and bottom lines of your template, and then place another stick on both the left and right sides of the template. Use the raffia to tie the sticks in place. Complete the nature frame by stacking the last four sticks on each side of the frame, tying them with the raffia as you go.
Once the frame is finished, clip the excess raffia away from the corners of the frame and then use a new length of raffia to wrap each corner tightly. Decorate the frame in any way that you’d like, and make sure to make a hanger by tying a length of raffia to the top of the frame. Use the hot glue gun to mount a photo, drawing or piece of artwork made from fall leaves and other found items.
2. Create Adorable Leaf Animals
It’s hard to believe how simple this adorable craft project from Handmade Charlotte is! Gather the following supplies:
• Leaves
• Markers
• A heavy book
• Optional embroidery thread and a needle
There are two ways to make leaf animals: The first is to use markers to draw animal faces onto the leaves. Use colorful fall leaves that have been pressed in a book for a few days so they’re nice and flat. The second method calls for fresh leaves. Use the embroidery thread to stitch faces on the leaves and then press the leaves in a book until they’re dry. No matter which method you choose, make sure to collect leaves in assorted shapes and sizes so that you can make different kinds of cute animals.
3. Try Acorn Toadstools
Leaves and twigs aren’t the only things you’ll find on your autumn nature walks. If you’re looking for a quick and easy autumn craft project, follow the directions for acorn toadstools on Twig & Toadstool. For this craft, you’ll need a handful of acorns (with caps), hot glue, a small paintbrush and some red and white paint. Pop the caps off the acorns, coat them in red paint, and then dab small white spots on the red to make the acorn caps look like mushrooms. Once the paint is dry, re-attach the caps with the hot glue gun.
4. Make Pumpkin Seed Mosaics
Are you carving pumpkins for Halloween? Although there are many ways to craft with pumpkin seeds, our favorite pumpkin seed craft comes from Reading Confetti. Here’s what you’ll need:
• Pumpkin seeds
• Wax paper
• Colorful paint (acrylic, tempura or any water-based craft paint)
• Construction paper
• White glue
• Plastic zipper bags or a small dish
Put some paint in the plastic bag or dish, and then mix in pumpkin seeds to dye them the colors of your choice. Spread the seeds on the wax paper and let them dry. When they’re dry, arrange the seeds on a sheet of construction paper and glue them to finish the mosaic.
5. Put Together an Autumn-Inspired Shadowbox
This beautiful art project from The Magnifying Glass gives you and the kids a great excuse to explore the autumn landscape. On your nature walks, hunt for interesting things like sticks, nuts, seedpods, pretty stones, shells, colorful leaves and other natural items. You’ll also need a picture frame or shadow box, a piece of black felt, and a hot glue gun. To finish this project, glue the things that you’ve found onto the felt and then mount the felt inside the shadow box or picture frame.
There are many more fall-themed crafts that you can make — these are just a few of our favorites. As your family enjoys the colorful leaves and cool, fresh air, be on the lookout for leaves, sticks, stones and other items that you and your children can turn into something special.
