This is an art project that I loved to do every year when I taught in the classroom. It is super easy and always got us into the fall mood, even though where I live it still feels like summer.
I decided to try it with my own kids this year. It requires very few materials and the clean-up is quick and easy. My kids love this because they get to use paint and mixing colors and I love it because at the end we just toss away the materials and have a beautiful fall decoration to hang on the wall.
The materials you need for this art projects are:
- White watercolor paper or card stock
- Brown paper (we used construction paper)
- Q-tips
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Glue Stick
- Red and Yellow washable tempera paint
- Paint tray or paper plate (easiest to clean-up)
First, draw and cut out a tree trunk with branches on the brown paper. I gave my boys (ages 7 and 4) some directions but let them use their imagination. My 4 year old said his looked like a monsters hand!
Next, glue the tree trunk to the white paper. Line up the bottom of the trunk with the bottom of the paper.
Now the fun part starts! Using just your Q-tip, dip it in the red paint and start making dot “leaves” around and on the tree branches.
Next, add yellow dots using another Q-tip. I teach my kids about the art technique of POINTILLISM. Artists use dots to paint and when viewed from a distance the colors blend together.
When the tree has a good amount of yellow and red dots, I then let my kids mix the two colors together on their plate/paint tray to make orange. They then add dots of orange with the red and yellow leaves.
I sometimes add some falling leaves and leaves on the ground.
When you are done, you can just throw away the Q-tips and paper plate. The clean-up is that easy. Hang your trees on the wall and enjoy a little taste of fall in your home!
Try this project and leave me a comment to let me know how it goes!
