I live in Kentucky, where we’re lucky some years to get a decent 2 weeks of fall weather between hot sun and frost. Being a girl that loves a good warm drink, sweater, and a cool breeze, I try to maximize my fall enjoyment as much as possible. Of course that includes weekend trips to orchards and pumpkin patches, but I also like to find ways to enjoy the weather and entertain my kiddo without having to spend money. We like to do a lot of neighborhood walks to view the fall and Halloween decor and nature walks to hunt for treasure.
Recently, we expanded on that fun by planning an easy and quick DIY at home with the treasures my son found on our walk around our neighborhood. My son is a collector, has been since he could grasp anything in his chubby little hands, so he was super excited when I told him that today, unlike our usual treasure hunts, there was no limit of 1 per each item found. (I do this for my own benefit. Packing 75 identical rocks in my pocket is not that comfortable on a 45 minute walk!)
Supplies Used:
2 sheets of Construction paper / craft paper / cardstock in differing colors
Scissors
Mod Podge/Glue
Treasure!
Something heavy with a flat side
Step 1: Collect your treasures
Step 2: Trace and cut out "hand trees"
Step 3: Mod Podge / Glue hand trees to your second piece of chosen paper
Step 4: Choose, place, and Mod Podge / glue your treasure to your hand tree paper
Step 5: Place on a flat surface under a flat side of something heavy to flatten while drying
Step 6: Once dry, appreciate your work and hang somewhere visible for the season
I used supplies I already had around the house - brown construction paper, Mod Podge, and a large piece of cardstock. It was a bit messy, but a very easy guided activity for my 3 year old. While we collected our treasure we chatted about the change of seasons and what that means, the colors of the leaves, and the different kinds of nuts and shells he found. We practiced tracing and using scissors to create our hand trees, and using a small paint brush to apply the Mod Podge. While I placed the leaves on the hand tree, I did so at my son's direction for placement.
Benefits:
Education - opportunities to learn about where you live, seasons, colors, counting
Outdoor Time - fresh air, sunshine, exercise
Motor Skills - walking, climbing (large motor), pen control, scissors control (fine motor)
Creativity - problem solving, spatial awareness
And best of all - bonding time ♥
Enjoy this quick video including some clips from our nature treasure hunt and my son seeing his finished and dried artwork for the first time before hanging it on our fridge. Then check out these other fun activity suggestions:
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