My toddler and I came up with this idea to help us get ready for fall. It serves as a beautiful suncatcher on a window. The tissue paper glows with the natural light. It is so simple you can do this with any child over 2 years old.
Advertisement
Approximate Time: 20 minutes
Supplies:
2 sheets of brown paper
scissors
a tracing pencil
tissue paper in assorted colors
clear contact paper
glue
simple tree pattern
imagination
Instructions:
Begin by printing off and cutting out the tree pattern. You will also need to cut the center circle out in the top of the tree. A pair of scissors can do this well enough, though you may prefer to use a craft knife to get a more exact line.
Once you have the tree cut out, trace it onto both sheets of the brown paper and cut them out. It helps to have a tree pattern that is symmetrical, as you are going to line the trees up together.
Advertisement
Cut out the center circle in each paper tree as well.
Choose one tree to be the front, this is the tree you will be working with.
Cut a circle from the contact paper that is slightly larger than the top of your tree. It does not have to fit perfectly, as you are going to be trimming this paper at the end.
Using the glue, glue the non-sticky side of the contact paper to the backside of your front tree.
Note:Contact paper tends to roll, so you may want to lay something heavy across the paper as you wait for the glue to dry. It should only take a few minutes.
While you wait for the glue to dry, your preschooler can help by ripping the sheets of tissue paper into small pieces. You will only need a small amount of paper to cover the area. Depending on how many colors you are using, 1/8 of a sheet should be enough.
Advertisement
Once the glue is dry, peel away the paper backing that covers the sticky side of your contact paper. This is where your preschooler can begin to stick the pieces of tissue paper. There is nothing exact about where your child places the pieces. For me, the more haphazard it looks the cuter it seems. You want to make sure that the entire cut out area is covered. Fill in any empty spots with smaller pieces. You can also use small pieces of red to make your tree an apple tree.
Glue the second tree across the back of the first tree. You want the tissue paper pieces to be sandwiched in the middle of the trees. Some people use a second sheet of contact paper in this step to keep the pieces in place and protected.
Advertisement
Trim off the excess contact paper sticking out around the sides and set the tree aside to dry. Once the glue is dry you can hang your preschooler's tree up and enjoy the colors of autumn without the mess.
