Ah, autumn! It’s sweater weather and the leaves are
falling off of the trees. Now I’m not saying that mother nature hasn’t done a bang up
job turning the leaves into eye-catching colors. But, recently I decided to
paint a few leaves and make a Thanksgiving wreath. In the process I noticed
that the paint spilling over the edges of the leaves turned into kind of
interesting looking negative space prints.
When I pulled the painted leaf off of the paper (admittedly,
I was only using the paper as a way to keep the artsy mess off of the table),
the area under the leaf (i.e., negative space) was still blank. The area
surrounding it was brightly-colored, leaving a leaf-shape behind. The more
leaves that we painted, the more abstract the art became!
Try it with one leaf, two leaves or a whole handful.
Before you get to the art-making, try a simple science activity and go for a
nature walk. Bring a bag to collect the fallen leaves. As you take a look
around, ask your child:
·
How do the leaves look different now
that it’s not summer anymore?
·
Why do you think the leaves changed
colors?
·
What colors do you see in the leaves?
·
Why do you think the leaves are falling
off of the trees?
Grab a few different shapes and sizes of leaves to
start the process!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
·
Fall leaves
·
Tempera paint
·
A paintbrush
·
White paper
Here’s What to Do:
1. Place
the first leaf on the paper.
2. Brush
a coat of paint over the leaf. This isn’t a time for your child to be neat. She’ll
need to paint off of the leaf in order to create the negative space print. Let
her get messy and paint over and around the leaf.
3. Lift
the leaf off and put it to the side.
4. Repeat
the painting process with more leaves. Encourage your child to place them on
different parts of the paper or in different directions. Use different colors
of paint. Your child can use “fall” themed colors such as red, yellow, brown
and orange or you can give her a rainbow of hues.
5. Save
the leaves to use for other art activities!
Are you looking for more fall activities? Follow my
Pinterest board for ideas!
Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Fall Activities for Kids on Pinterest.
I am looking for simple art projects for Oaxcan preschoolers and the leaf project fits the bill. Would Finger Paint work as well as tempura ?
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