While Little Pumpkin, Peanut and I were creating the Autumn Leaf Display Board, I remembered an Autumn Leaf Print I did with my children when they were younger.
I love that I get to live the little years again as an Ouma. It’s a blessing!
The Autumn Leaf Print activity has been around for years and years, but it’s a pleasure to create another piece of Autumn art which is unique.
Autumn Leaf Print Art
Materials:
- A4 Craft paper or a nature notebook.
- Autumn colour paints and paint brushes.
- Various Autumn leaves.
Method:
- Prepare the paints by dropping a blob of the Autumn colours, red, yellow, orange and green onto a pallette or plate.
- If you don’t have orange, mix yellow and red together. If you need green, mix blue and yellow together.
- Either paint the leaves with a paint brush or dip the leaf into the paint and then place the leaf on to the paper to create a leaf print. Tip: Better prints were made with less paint.
- Mix the colours on the leaf to give them an Autumn feel.
- Continue to print leaves until the page is an autumn mix of various types of leaf shapes, sizes and colours.
Discussion Points:
- Discuss Autumn colours.
- Explore mixing primary colours of paint to make secondary colours.
This was Little Pumpkin’s favourite part of the whole activity. I couldn’t remember which colours created green, but my daughter did and Little P thought she was so clever and while the colours were changing she was totally excited. What a joy to witness!
And Peanut (18mths) had to have a go too! She loved mixing and playing in the paints with her hands. She was enraptured with the colours and gazed at them intently before smearing them over her hands, clothes and dining table.
I showed Little Pumpkin how to make the print and she took over to do a few herself. She was quite pleased with the effect the prints achieved.
We have a beautiful piece of Autumn art by Little P (3yrs). And that’s not all!
This picture is from behind the scenes and it’s a testament to the fun that was had during the Autumn Leaf Print project.
Have you done this project with your children? Did they enjoy it? Show me some pictures at Nature Science for Aussie Families HERE.
Become apart of our email community and join us as we celebrate the seasons HERE.
If you’d like to explore the Autumn season with a friend, then consider the Autumn/Winter Nature Study Guides and invite me along to walk with you through the season.
Engage your senses on a nature watch walk and become enraptured by the amazing world surrounding you. Forage for mushrooms (or don’t!) and admire their uniqueness.
Watch as the leaves turn golden as the season turns chilly and explore ponds for turtles.
Learn about Giant Earthworms while digging up your own to investigate. Laugh at the Lyrebird’s version of remixing songs and you’ll be amazed with ancient moss facts.
Venture out in the dark to observe possums and enjoy wattles as they begin to blossom.
The Australian Nature Study Guide is a Charlotte Mason based program designed to encourage nature exploration through the seasons. The themes we’ll explore in the Autumn/Winter Guide are:
- Nature Watch
- Field Mushrooms
- Autumn Tree Study
- Long-necked Turtles and Autumn Pond Study
- Giant Earthworms
- Superb Lyrebird
- Moss
- Winter Solstice
- Possums
- Wattles
Investigate the secret habitat of leaf litter. Discover backyard visitors like the praying-mantis and echidna. Explore rocks, soil ecosystems and the weather while observing migration and torpidity as the season changes. Prepare for a flush of spring flowers by planting autumn bulbs and enjoy autumns fruits by baking apple pies.
Come along! Walk with me.
