Saturday, November 9, 2013

Nature Crowns



Day 9: Nature Crowns

Today we decided to do simple nature crowns with a paper plate base, though there are many other options for making the base, such as construction paper, rolls of paper, cardboard, etc. Recycling can be a fun way to get the paper! My niece was spending the day with us and I thought this would be a fun activity to do with her.

To make the crowns, we folded the paper plate in half and then cut slits out to the outer ring. When they opened up, they looked like crown points were sticking up to the sky after we folded the points up. The slits could be cut deeper to fit a larger head, too.

With the crowns as a base, the kids went out looking for natural treasures to add to their crowns. They were a little distracted by all the recently fallen leaves and spent a little time playing in the leaves. Really, one of the purposes of doing nature art is to get us to spend more time in nature, so mission accomplished! They came inside armed with various leaves, samaras (maple seeds like the helicopter--twirl, twirl, twirl!), pine needles, etc.


It was fun to watch them work together, planning how they would make their projects, figuring out how to make the glue work the best. I mostly left them alone except to take pictures after we cut out the crowns. I enjoyed watching THEIR projects unfold. They needed to go out for more supplies eventually and regroup to carry out their plan. 


Armed with markers, they decided to do a little embellishment of the crowns. BFFAA--Best Friends Forever and Always! 

They even enjoyed posing with their creations on their heads! As you can see, fall is in full swing. Their is a little yellow here or there, but most of the leaves are brown and quickly falling to the ground. Soon, we might see the lake down at the bottom of the hill through the trees.