Autumn Tree Craft

Autumn Tree Craft Instructions

Materials:

paint (red, orange, yellow, green)

sponges

paper or plastic plate

large white paper

construction paper - brown and green

scissors

glue stick

Method:

1.  Pour moderate amounts of each paint color onto one paper (or plastic) plate

2.  Dip the sponge into each color.  Try not to mix the colors on the plate.  To help keep colors separate, dip just part of the sponge in each color.

3.  Sponge the paint onto the paper.

4.  Continue to fill the paper, if desired.  One of my children liked the look of sparse colors and chose to not cover the entire paper but left lots of white showing.  It created a different, but pleasing look in the finished project.



covering entire paper



completely covered paper



choosing to cover sparingly

5.  When the child is finished painting, allow the paint to dry completely.
6.  Using scissors cut a large 'cloud-like' shape from the sponge painted paper.
7.  Glue to top portion of a large sheet of paper.  This becomes the main foliage for the tree.

8.  Cut out a tree shape including base, trunk, and several branches from the brown paper.

9.  Glue tree on top of the large foliage.

10.  Cut out smaller pieces of the sponge painted paper.  (My preschooler found it easier to draw and cut the smaller pieces from the back side of the painted paper.)

11.  Affix these pieces on top of the branches of the tree.

12.  Using green paper create ground for your tree.



Completed tree with dense foliage
(child chose to fill entire paper with paint in step no. 4)



Completed tree with sparse foliage
(child chose to not cover the entire paper in step no. 4)