Skip to main content

Autumn Leaf Paper Lantern Craft

I love fall time. There's so many pretty colors and the weather is perfect for nature hikes. Last week my girls collected a bunch of gorgeous fall leaves while exploring in the park. We took some home to sketch in our nature journals and to use for a fall themed descriptive writing activity. Afterwards we stuck them in books to press and dry. Today we pulled them out a used them for making autumn themed paper lanterns.
#thebarefootmom

How To Make Autumn Leaf Paper Lanterns:

 For this craft you will need:
-A variety of autumn leaves (real or artificial)
-Contact paper
-Construction paper
-School glue
-Flameless tea light candles

 First you'll need to take a nature walk in your neighborhood, the park, or even your backyard, and collect some pretty autumn leaves. Bring them inside and stick them inside a couple heavy books and set them aside for a few days to dry flat.

To get started on your lantern, cut two identical rectangles of contact paper 12 inches by 9 inches. Peel the backing off of one of the rectangles of contact paper and lay it down, sticky side up. 

 Arrange your leaves on the sticky contact paper. 

Then peel the second piece of contact paper and carefully place it over the first, sticky side down (both pieces should have only their non sticky side exposed now).

 Glue the two short ends of the contact paper together, making a cylinder.

 Cut strips of construction paper 1 inch thick and 12 inches long. Glue these strips along the top and bottom edge of the cylinder.

 Now just place your lantern over a flameless tea light candle and turn it on. 

They look really neat in the dark!




If you enjoyed this post, check out:

 -Simple Autumn Leaf Craft

 -Corn Plant Watercolor Resist Craft
Follow me on:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Water Relay Races For Kids

I don't know about your kids, but mine absolutely love games involving water and getting wet in the summer time. In  this post I share 5 of our favorite water relay races to play with friends. These are perfect for birthday parties, homeschool get togethers, and other group events. Sponge Relay: For this relay you will need: - 2 teams of several kids each -2 large sponges -4 small buckets or containers of some sort Divide your participants into 2 teams and have each team line up single file at a predetermined starting place.  Hand out a sponge to the first participant in each line. Set a bucket of water by each team. Set an empty bucket about 20 ft away from each team.  The two empty buckets should be the same size and should have a "fill line" marked half way up. On a count of 3 (or ready set go) the first participant in each line should dip their sponge in the bucket of water, run to the empty bucket, squeeze the water from their spo...
2 comments
Read more

STEM Art: 21 STEAM Project Ideas

My kids love STEM projects and we're always looking for ways to add more art to our homeschool days, so I decided I am going to try to dedicate one morning a week this year to STEM art activities. In this post I share some of the ideas we're planning to try, plus a few favorites we've done in the past. What is STEM Education? STEM education is a blended and often hands on approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which are some of today's fastest growing industries. STEM education offers students the opportunity to problem solve and work on real world problems and questions. Sometimes the acronym STEAM is used, to include the arts. Adding art to STEM education encourages creative thinking and problem solving skills. It can also help make the other included subjects more appealing to some students. STEM Art Projects  Penny Spinners-   Learn about centrifugal force and make your own spinning tops with this fun post from Teach Beside Me. Explo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ultimate List of YouTube Learning Channels for Kids

As a homeschooling mom whose family lives on a fairly tight budget, I am always looking for more free or low cost educational resources. YouTube is one of my favorites. There are videos on just about every topic under the sun, and there are tons of educational channels specifically made for kids. Here are all the educational channels I could find, organized by subject. And please let me know if I'm missing any great channels, I would love to keep adding to this list! *Disclaimer: I cannot personally vouch for all the content on all these channels (especially considering that values and needs vary from family to family). As a parent, it's important to preview videos before showing them to your kids. General Education - Free School - Homeschool Pop - Khan Academy - Khan Academy Kids - Smithsonian - The Brain Scoop - NPR's Skunk Bear - Varitasium - Crash Course - Crash Course Kids Science  - SciShow - SciShow Kids - Nat Geo WILD - National Geographic Kids ...
6 comments
Read more

Turmeric Anthotype Prints

In this post I share instructions for a really cool science based art project- turmeric anthotype prints. If you've ever used Sunprint paper, this is the same concept, except you are making the photosensitive paper yourself. For this activity you will need: white paper, turmeric, alcohol (rubbing alcohol or vodka), a paint brush, something to print (leaves, sticks, rocks), baking soda, water, a spray bottle, a tray, and sunshine. *Turmeric stains, so be sure to work in old clothes or use a smock. Start by making a turmeric based ink/paint by mixing about a teaspoon of turmeric powder into 1/4 cup of alcohol. If you end up having a lot of chunks of turmeric after stirring well, you can strain it through a coffee filter, but we have found that this step usually isn't necessary. In an inside space, away from direct sunlight, paint your entire sheet of white paper with the turmeric ink. Then set it aside to dry in a dark space. While it dries, collect items to print. Leaves, fern f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Make Your Own Mineral Identification Kit

One of my family's favorite hobbies is rock hounding. We love collecting and trying to identify neat rock and mineral specimens that we come across. You can put together your own simple kit for identifying rocks and minerals with materials you likely already have around your home. In this post I will explain how to put together your own mineral identification kit and how to use it to identify rocks and minerals you find on your adventures. Making a Rock and Mineral ID Kit Grab yourself a printable Rock and Mineral Journal for recording your observations here:  Printable Rock and Mineral Journal ,  and then gather the following supplies: -A pencil -A coin -An iron nail -A piece of glass (an old pocket mirror works well) -A ceramic tile -A small watertight bottle or container -Some vinegar -A magnet  -A magnifying glass -A dropper (optional)  -Rock and mineral guide (optional)  -A small container or bag to keep it all in Fill ...
1 comment
Read more