Fall Leaf Finger Paint Art

The autumn leaves are falling from the trees, and I’ve been busy thinking of things to do with them! My first thought was – have my 13-year-old rake them up so the very noisy municipal leaf machine could come by and whisk them away. But, he had homework to do. So, instead I thought about what I could turn them into. There was a panted leaf wreath, and then abstract art negative space paintings.

 

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The latest installment in ways to use autumn leaves, is a fall finger paint. Finger painting is good, messy fun for everyone. Not only will your little artist enjoy making a mess with her colorful palette, but she can also explore different ways to make art- that don’t involve putting a piece of paper down and painting it! Instead of using paper as a canvas, this activity uses fallen leaves. When she’s done painting, she can keep the leaves as is or use them to make a:

·        Wreath

·        Mobile

·        Collage

·        Mosaic (you’ll need to cut them into pieces)

·        Book about fall

·        Rainbow (glue the leaves in a rainbow pattern on poster board)

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Fall leaves

·        Tempera or washable finger paint

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Pour a few golf ball-sized pools of the paint. I like to use a piece of wax paper or plastic-ware lid to hold the paint.

 

2.     Place the leaves on some sort of barrier. I used foam core board, but you can also use a flattened garbage bag, thick cardboard or even a vinyl tablecloth.

3.     Finger paint! Your child can dot dab and squish the paint onto the leaf. She can blend the colors together, making new ones.

Try a color mixing lessons, and have her turn the primaries (red, yellow and blue) into the secondaries (purple, orange and green).

Follow the art-making (or start it out) with an autumn themed book. Some of my favorites are Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.

Are you looking for more fall art activities? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Fall Activities for Kids on Pinterest.