Art Time – Oh the things You can do with Melted crayons

Our Thanksgiving tree (find the pattern here) was up and ready to go, one week before Thanksgiving:But no autumn-themed scrapbook paper to make our leaves from!  Target dollar spot, you really let me down this year. I checked other places too – and could not find a single (cheap) autumn pattern anywhere – sigh.  I just love those scrapbook leaves. 

Ah well, this was a great opportunity for an art project I’ve been meaning to do for ages – coloring with crayons on a warming plate. 

We used scrapbook scissors (pinking and scalloping) to cut leaves from white cardstock; covered our little cup warmer with foil because melting wax tends to leak through paper, even cardstock; put the leaves on top of the foil and slowly drew with the crayons.(I do not have a warming tray, but this little cup warmer works great for small projects like these leaves.  You could also use a cookie tray taken from a warm oven, but make sure little hands don’t get burned!)

The crayon melts as you draw and begins to glide across the paper.  There’s something very relaxing about doing this!  M enjoyed it so much, he stopped making designs and began to just color entire leaves.  The smooth movement and the deep saturated colors on the paper put him into a sort of trance. :)  I think this would be a great rest time activity!  After he was done we turned the warmer off, crumpled up the foil, and were done.  No mess, which is always a plus, right? :)

Our leaves (mostly):

 

We also made some great little autumn shapes by melting old crayons and pouring them into cookie cutters… this is always fun because it involves SMASHING crayons with a hammer or piece of wood, or whatever you may have lying around that would make a good smasher. ;)

Sort:

Smash:

Melt and pour:

Let harden, then pop out:

A little wax leaked out the bottom of the cookie cutters, but everything turned out okay.  Still, I would use the flexible, non-stick muffin trays in place of cookie cutters, if you have them.

Have a beautiful day! :)

Craft Time – Turkeys with Crumpled Tissue Paper Feathers

Thanksgiving can’t go by without at least one turkey craft, can it?  I know many of you are up to your ears in turkey crafts; if you can’t possibly stand one more, don’t read this post! :)
This was very simple and fun.  I used this activity mainly to introduce M to the “scrunch up tissue paper and dip it in glue” technique that I think is so neat, but that he’s never really been interested in.   This time he enjoyed it, but didn’t like the fact that once in a while glue would get on his fingers. (When did he become Mr. Neat and Clean?)
Supplies: brown paper, marker, scissors, glue, saucer or lid (to put the glue on for dipping), googley eyes (or buttons if you have no googley eyes, although you might regret it – see below), orange triangle, red waddle, and tissue paper cut into 2” x 2” squares.  The measurement does not have to be exact.
Draw a turkey head (think key hole shape) on half of the brown paper, and on the other half draw an arc that covers most of the area.
Cut out the turkey pieces, or have your child cut them out.        
Put a puddle of glue on the saucer or lid.  Scrunch up pieces of tissue paper, dip them in the glue, then stick them to the semi-circle.


Try to completely cover it with the wadded tissue paper pieces.
Glue eyes, beak, and waddle onto the turkey head. 
If you want, use a square of styrofoam or a ribbon spool, or something similar to make your turkey a bit more 3-d.  Place glue on whatever you are using for a spacer, and glue it on top of the tissue paper.Place more glue on top and glue on the turkey head and neck.  It is fine to simply glue the turkey head right onto the tissue paper area if you don’t have anything to use as a spacer.

Hm. Hopefully yours will not also look like a
crazy, hypnotized turkey. :)

You can tape a cardboard tube (t.p. or paper towel, cut to size) to the back of your turkey to make him stand up in the center of your Thanksgiving table!  I think we’ll face ours to the wall, hee hee. ;)
Have a beautiful day! :)
 

Leafy Turkey Craft

It looks like this will be our one and only turkey craft this year.  M just isn’t into doing crafts with me lately (it’s that darn art box’s fault!).  I think this turkey turned out awfully cute though!
Supplies:
Craft leaves, half a paper plate, scrap red, orange, and brown paper, googley eyes, glue.  Also you’ll need something to stand him up later.  We used an old play-doh cup; you could use a cardboard tube cut in half, or something similar.
First, glue the leaves to the paper plate:
Cut a turkey head shape from brown paper, a waddle from red, and a beak from orange.  Glue on top of the leaves:
After he dried, I used hot glue to attach an old play-doh container to the back of the plate.  Gently form the plate around the container:   When he’s dry, set him up and admire!

Have a beautiful day!  GOBBLE, GOBBLE! :)