| ISSUE 98 • 4 SEPTEMBER 2011 | |
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Editorial Hello and welcome to Kids Craft Weekly! I love the energy that so often accompanies the transition of seasons. Whether it's Spring or Autumn in your neck of the woods there is likely to be a lot happening in the plant world in your neighbourhood. This week, consider making the time to accompany the kids on a leisurely walk around your local area. Grab the hats, pack some drinks, choose a walking stick and get the kids to carry a basket or bag in which to keep any leaves that happen to take their fancy. (Quiet any protestations – they will enjoy it as soon as they're out the door.) When you get home, rosy-cheeked and invigorated, empty your basket and sort out your leaves. Arrange them by colour, sort them by size, try to name the plants that they have come from and discuss what they feel and smell like. And then you can use them to craft! All the projects in this issue are designed to foster an appreciation of leaves and plants through craft and creativity. Newsletters promise to be more plentiful this season, and in the next issue I hope to be able to fill you all in on the exciting new passion project that has been occupying much of my time over the past few months. I hope you'll be as excited about it as I am! Until then, happy crafting!  Amber Carvan editor@kidscraftweekly.com |
There's nothing fancy about this old favourite but you'll be surprised at how satisfying it is. It's particularly enjoyable to demonstrate this craft for the very first time – your little one will think it's a sheer miracle! You can make a rubbing from any leaf, but those that have pronounced veins and interesting textures work best. You will need • a selection of leaves • paper • crayons or pastels Directions 1. Get yourself set up with some leaves, paper and crayons.  2. Place a leaf under a sheet of paper and rub with a crayon. Younger kids will need an adult to hold the paper still.  3. Watch the impression of the leaf appear on the page.  4. If your little one is a fan of the scissors they might want to cut the leaves out afterwards. 
This project encourages young kids to appreciate the different shapes and colours of leaves. Choose a selection of colourful leaves from your garden or local park, then do this activity the same day as older, crispy leaves may break up too readily. You will need • a selection of leaves • clear sticky contact • scissors • a short piece of ribbon Directions 1. Cut out a rectangular piece of contact and fold it in half. Then peel off the backing from one side of the contact and start to arrange leaves on it.  2. When the leaves are in place, put a piece of ribbon at the top of the picture to form a loop.  3. Peel off the remaining contact and carefully fold it back over the leaves and ribbon.  4. Trim off any wonky edges and hang it up against a window. 
This tree picture is a fun and rewarding project for all age groups - even adults! Young kids will need guidance and help with the cutting, but otherwise it is well within the reach of a crafty three-year old. You will need • leaf • newspaper • watercolour paint • marker • brushes • white acrylic paint • scissors Directions 1. Get a nice big leaf and trace around it onto a sheet of newspaper.  2. Paint the leaf outline using watercolour paint.  3. When it's dry, cut out the leaf shape from the newspaper.  4. On a fresh piece of newspaper paint a large square with a thin layer of white paint.  5. Carefully stick the leaf onto the white paint and wait for it to dry.  6. I am stunned by how great these pictures look and the kids are proud as can be.  |
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