Autumn Leaves Suncatcher
Decorate your windows with translucent leaves that let the sun shine through!
You’ll Need:
- sheet protectors
- tissue paper in fall colors
- leaves from outside
- pencil or pen
- scissors
- glue
- tape
Let’s Get Started:
- Take one sheet protector and tear it apart so it lies open like a book. Apply a small amount of glue to one side.
- Tear the tissue paper into multiple pieces and arrange them to your liking on the glue side of the sheet protector. You may need to apply more glue where the tissue overlaps.
- Apply glue to the other side of the sheet protector, then fold it over and press down firmly to sandwich the tissue paper. Set it aside to dry.
- While the protector dries, go outside and collect leaves of different shapes and sizes.
- Use the leaves you gathered and trace them onto the dried sheet protector. Carefully cut the leaf shapes out.
- Tape the completed suncatchers to your window, or use a hole puncher and string to make a mobile or bunting!
Tip! After tracing and cutting your suncatchers, you can make smaller ones with the leftover pieces.
Leaf Rubbings
Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and textures. Let’s gather a pile of different leaves and use them to make something beautiful! (Text and illustrations adapted from Kids’ Garden [Barefoot Books], written by Whitney Cohen, Life Lab and illustrated by Roberta Arenson)
You’ll Need:
- leaves
- clipboard (optional)
- white paper
- string
- selection of wide crayons, with the paper peeled off
Let’s Get Started!
- Look around your garden or near where you live for a wide variety of leaves. Autumn is a great time for this, but you can do this activity at any time of year. The best leaves for this activity will have veins that stick out on the bottom, so make sure you turn them over to check for those. Collect around 5 leaves as different from one another as possible.
- Place all of your leaves on a clipboard if you have one or any hard surface, such as a table. Arrange the leaves in a way that you like, then place your paper on top of the leaves.
- With one hand, hold down your paper on top of your leaves, so it can’t move. With the other hand, pick up a peeled crayon. Turn it on its side, then put the flat edge down on your paper. Rub the crayon on the paper, over the leaves. You should start to see the shape of the leaves coming through!
- Use as many different crayons as you like to make each leaf look different, or for different parts of the paper. Keep going until you love how your Leaf Rubbings look!
Tip! You can take a Leaf Rubbing, cut around the shape of the leaf, then glue it onto a piece of card to make a birthday card, bookmark, scrapbook decoration, or anything else you’d like!
Pressed-Leaf Candles
Use fallen leaves to make beautiful candles, which can be wonderful decorations or gifts. Adult helper needed! (Text and illustrations adapted from Kids’ Garden [Barefoot Books], written by Whitney Cohen, Life Lab and illustrated by Roberta Arenson)
You’ll Need:
- basket
- leaves
- 2 pieces of plain paper
- 4 big, heavy books
- paintbrush
- glue
- plain candles
- large cooking pot
- hot plate or stove (for an adult helper)
- knife (for an adult helper)
- 0.5 lb paraffin wax (available in craft stores)
- tin can larger than the candle
- pliers
- wax paper
Let’s Get Started!
- Go into the garden and collect a basketful of fallen leaves of different shades. Look for leaves that have fallen but still look whole and healthy.
- Place the leaves between your 2 pieces of paper. Then place your 2 pieces of paper inside the pages of one of the heavy books. Place the remaining books on top.
- In about 2 days, your leaves should be dry and flat. Take them out of the book, paint glue onto the backs of your leaves, and stick them to your candle.
- Ask an adult to fill the large cooking pot about two-thirds full with water, warming it over a low heat.
- While the water is heating up, ask the adult to use the knife to chop up the paraffin wax.
- Place the chopped wax into the tin can and rest it in the pot. Allow the wax to melt.
- Once the wax has melted, ask an adult to use the pliers to hold the candle by the wick, dip it into the paraffin wax, and pull it out.
- Place the candle on the wax paper to allow it to dry. As it dries, press in any leaf parts that are sticking out. Be very careful; the candle might still be hot.
- Once the wax is dry, ask an adult to dip the candle one more time. You’ve now made a Pressed-Leaf Candle!
Barefoot Books is an award-winning, 30-year-old independent children’s book publisher based in Concord, MA. Learn more by visiting www.barefootbooks.com.