Autumn is many people’s favourite season owing to the colours and climate, despite the fact that it's the precursor to winter. In addition to a decisive change in terms of eating habits, it also provides us with a number of materials that we can use to play with our children and engage in countless creative crafts alongside them: dry leaves, chestnuts and pumpkins, in fact, provide endless inspiration to play and have fun with the kids.
Lion with dry leaves and chestnuts: materials and instructions
The lion is often seen by young children as the strongest animal in the whole of the animal kingdom. With the dry leaves that you find in the parks and street in the autumn, we can make a fantastic and colourful one.
What you need:
- yellow plastic plate;
- yellow cardboard;
- 2 plastic spoons;
- glue;
- black felt-tip pen;
- dry leaves (enough to cover the circumference of the plate);
- a chestnut;
- scissors.
Instructions:
- cut out two pieces from the cardboard to make the ears;
- cut the stems off the leaves to make the lion’s whiskers, you’ll need the rest of the leaf for the mane;
- cut the handle off the spoon, you’ll need the concave part to make the lion’s eyes;
- colour the chestnut black to make the nose;
- glue the ears, nose and eyes onto the plate;
- below the nose, draw in the lion’s mouth and glue on the whiskers;
- flip the plate over and glue all the leaves around the circumference to make the mane.
Autumnal tree with pumpkin seeds
In autumn, the leaves on the trees are transformed; they change colour becoming yellow, red and all shades in between. Let’s discover how to make a mini autumnal tree using cardboard and pumpkin seeds.
What you need:
- brown cardboard;
- scissors;
- vinyl glue;
- pumpkin seeds;
- felt-tip pen;
- poster paint in different colours.
Instructions:
- draw your preferred shape of tree (trunk and branches) on the brown cardboard and cut it out;
- colour the pumpkin seeds in shades ranging from yellow to red; you can mix colours to create intermediary nuances;
- glue the outline of the tree onto the cardboard and glue on all the previously painted seeds, one at a time.
Doll with chestnut face
The chestnut is a typical autumnal, seasonal fruit. Let’s find out how we can make a cute doll using a chestnut.
What you need:
- a chestnut;
- 3 toothpicks;
- white and coloured cardboard;
- scissors;
- glue;
- felt-tip pens.
Instructions:
- take two of the toothpicks, fold them to make the doll's legs and stick them into the lower part of the chestnut;
- draw a t-shirt that is a little larger than the chestnut on the cardboard, cut out the outline and glue it above the toothpicks, leaving some of the chestnut exposed for the head;
- take the remaining toothpick, cut two pieces to make the arms and glue them under the t-shirt sleeves;
- draw the eyes and mouth on the cardboard and colour them in, then cut them out and glue them onto the chestnut to complete the face.
With these simple and easy creative activities that make use of typical autumnal materials and themes, you’ll be able to spend time with your children, playing with uncomplicated and natural materials.
