This fabulous fall collage is a fun and easy nature craft for toddlers and preschoolers to make with leaves and flowers collected on a nature walk. It’s a terrific art activity for young children, and a fun way to explore fall leaves and plants.
The hooligans and I went for a big nature walk the other day, and we had a little treasure hunt along the way. When we got back home, we made these gorgeous collages with all of the beautiful fall leaves and treasures that we gathered while we were out exploring.
This may be one of my favourite easy fall crafts yet for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s a terrific way for young children to combine art and nature.
More Kids’ Art Activiites with Leaves:
Fabulous Fall Nature Collage
Supplies:
- paint in fall colours
- paint brush
- plastic wrap (wax paper or a plastic bag works too)
- sturdy paper or cardboard for your canvas
- leaves and garden treasures
- glue
How-To:
For the beautiful background for our collages, we’re using one of our favourite paint techniques – Smoosh Painting!
Smoosh Painting is a mess-free way for kids to blend and mix colours together WITH their hands but WITHOUT getting messy. This is perfect for kids (and parents) who are averse to mess or who have sensory issues, and don’t like getting their hands messy.
Smoosh Painting the Background:
Begin by squirting several colours of paint on your canvas.
Then place a piece of plastic wrap over the paint (or place the entire piece into a plastic bag.
Next, have your child rub their hands all over the plastic wrap to smoosh the paint colours together and all around.
This is a wonderful way for kids to observe what happens when certain colours blend together and it’s a lovely sensory experience.
Then pull the plastic wrap off the canvas or remove your piece from the plastic bag to reveal your results.
You can allow your painted backgrounds to dry or you can proceed right to making your nature collage.
Making your collage:
Have your child sort all of the treasures from their nature walk out onto a flat surface.
To extend the activity, take some time to discuss the names of the leaves and plants with your child and to observe how each one looks and feels. You can even have your child sort the items into categories by colour, size and shape.
Then have your child drizzle a generous amount of glue all over their smoosh-painted background and stick all of their fall treasures in place.
How pretty is this?! I’m thinking our fall collages would look great with a twig frames around them. We may just have to try that next. 🙂
If you’d rather preserve your autumn treasures, Red Ted Art shows us 6 ways to preserve fall leaves right here.
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Gianne Curry
Such a fan!! I thought I would let you know that I linked up to your site after recently making a light table. SUCH FUN!!! Thanks for the great idea. Peruse at cowsgomooandducksgoquack.blogspot.com
Gianne
Barbara Street
This is awesome. I teach preschool and it would be so cool to see their results. You stated that you were supposed to use wax paper instead of plastic wrap? I wonder why. The results with plastic wrap are gorgeous.
happyhooligans
HI Barbara, I tried to answer via email, but I’m not sure if it went through, so I’ll answer here as well, for you, and for anyone else who was wondering. Plastic wrap tends to slide around a bit as you’re smooshing the paint around. Waxed paper, being thicker and heavier would stay in place better, I think. Good question, thanks for asking!
Melissa (@ChMuffinTree)
I so love this Jackie!
happyhooligans
Thanks, Melissa!
Peaceful Parents, Confident Kids
This is great. Autumn is my favourite month. Not only is the weather beautiful but the amazing colours inside so much lovely art work and this is certainly one of them.
Eva
I absolutely love this! I love how you’ve used the plastic wrap and the flowers and leaves look beautiful. It’s a piece of art!
Lauren
What a gorgeous collage for Fall! It came out great! Thank you for sharing at our Pinning for Play link party!
Mary Catherine
I love the technique you used for the base of this fun collage! Thanks for linking up with Share It Saturday — I’m featuring this post this weekend.
Jennifer
I wanted to invite you to the Friday Flash Blog Party, the best linky in town! I hope you’ll join us and link up. Who knows. You may just get highlighted!
The party goes on through Monday.
Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
Emma @ P is for Preschooler
I also love collages but the smooshing component to this one is awesome! How fun and a great sensory activity!
happyhooligans
Thanks, Emma! The smoosh painting really is fun, and makes for such a pretty back drop for a collage. Glad you liked it!
Alice Cook
I’m a Grammy who is lucky enough to spend two days a week with a 2 and 4 year old. Thanks for the great Ideas. We have lots of fun with your activities.
happyhooligans
You’re so welcome, Alice! I just love hearing how you grandparents are getting crafty and messy and having fun with your grandkids!
Pam Mathis
Love your art projects!! Especially Starry Night ! Will be trying most of your projects with my kids. Homeschooling 6 yr old twins, and an 11 yr old. All these ideas can be adapted for both ages. Thank you for sharing!
Annelise Dent
This is awesome. I’m not currently working but always looking for new ideas to share with my grandkids. This is right up their alley. I did something similar last year making scenes and animals from leaves on a painted background with my after school program. We covered the finished product with clear mactac, so the items from our nature walk did not dry up and fall off.