Have you ever wished you could bring the natural beauty of fall indoors? I have. I love all the colors of fall leaves. My home is decorated in those autumn hues: red, gold, orange, and green. I wanted to create a fall wreath from real leaves. So when Noreen from Crafty Journal shared a tutorial on how to preserve the colors in fall leaves, I was so excited.
This is a great activity to do with young children. My boys loved collecting and touching the fall leaves. They helped me collect them and then we turned them into a beautiful fall wreath.
This one-of-a-kind fall wreath is now hanging above our fireplace mantel. The fact that it’s made from real leaves only adds to its beauty.
Supplies:
- Wax paper
- Iron
- Scissors
- Mod Podge
- Small paint brush
- Leaves in various colors
- Wreath for base
- Ribbon to wrap wreath (I purchased one that was 15 yards long and used less than half)
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Twist-tie to create hanger for wreath
Assembly:
Collect leaves in various sizes, shapes and colors. As you collect the leaves talk with your children about the changes in the seasons. Share with them what you know about the trees – what types of trees, if they have pinecones or some other form of seed, and about the colors of the leaves. Teach them how to handle the leaves carefully and give them a bag or shoebox to collect them in.
Once you get the leaves home, you’ll need to press them. To do this, sandwich the leaves flat between two pieces of wax paper. Iron the leaves on both sides, making sure to melt the wax into the leaves.
Peel away one side of the wax paper. Now your leaves are ready for Mod Podge.
Gently apply the Mod Podge to one side of the leaf using a soft small paint brush. Once the leaves have dried on one side, carefully peel them away from the wax paper and turn them over to do the other side. Be carefully not to apply so much Mod Podge that they get glued to the wax paper. I also recommend waiting until the are completely dry before stacking them together or storing them. If they stick together you will not get the results you want.
Wrap your wreath in your desired colored ribbon. Once the leaves are dry, hot glue them to the ribbon. Make sure to use alternating colors as you apply the leaves so that your colors will stand out.
Select a “top” for your wreath and wiggle your twist tie under the ribbon and close and twist the open end to create a hanger for your wreath.
Isn’t it lovely? And it was such a treat to take my boys outside to some beautiful places to collect leaves. It’s a wonderful memory and this is a gorgeous keepsake. I now have a fall wreath from real leaves. If you like this post, please help me spread the word about my blog by pinning it on Pinterest.
Other Fall Inspired Activities and Printables you may enjoy:
Bake some delicious Fall Inspired Carmel Covered Apples – directions with pictures included!
FREE Fall Inspired Wall Art Printable
FREE Fall Printables for Preschoolers
Free printable and directions to create your own Thankful Turkey centerpiece – a great tool for teaching kids about thankfulness!
Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Series
If you enjoy free games, activities, and printables for young children, you’ll love my preschool alphabet series. In all I’ve published over 1,200 pages of printables with about 30 activities for each and every letter of the alphabet. Each alphabet letter pack is approx. 50 pages and includes things like cutting, coloring, crafts, matching, puzzles, puppets and more.
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FREE for anyone reading this blog:
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter A
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter B
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter C
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter F
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter H
Additional letters available only for subscribers:
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter D
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter E
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter G
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter I
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter J
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter K
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter L
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter M
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter N
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter O
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter P
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter Q
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter R
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter S
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter T
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter U
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter V
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter W
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter X
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter Y
- Learn to Read Preschool Alphabet Letter Z
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In His Grip,
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