Create 3D sunflower collages to add sunshine to an Autumn day. Make wooden scarecrow figures to add to a harvest scene, or to bring your favourite storys and songs to life. Use some great process art techniques to make some harvest vegerable paintings. Here are some of our favourite Harvest inspired arts and crafts ideas for you to try at home.
3D Sunflowers
Taking inspiration from some of the beautiful sunflower fields that are around during September time, here's how to make a 3D sunflower. Fill your paper with sunflowers. You can also paint some 2D sunflowers by dipping your fingertips into yellow paint to create the petals, and orange or brown paint to create the centres. If you grow your own sunflowers, why not take some of the seeds that fall out and stick them into the centres of your sunflowers for a more textured look.
You will need:
Yellow cupcake cases
Green pipe cleaners
PVA glue
Paper or card
Yellow paint
Orange or brown paint
Scissors (Alternatively make tears)
Sunflower seeds (optional)
Ideas:
1.) Make your own sunflowers by flattening your cupcake cases and cutting or tearing the edges into petal shapes.
2.) Dip your little fingers into the orange paint and make finger prints on the middle circle of the cupcake cases.
3.) Once dry, glue the pipe cleaner onto your paper or card. You can secure further by wrapping the pipe cleaner around the back of the sheet and taping down with masking tape or cellotape.
4.) Glue your Sunflowers onto your stems.
5.) Decorate the background by making fingerprint patterns with your paints.
Have a look at this beautiful reel created by Grange Farm in Lowton, Cheshire. Their stunning Sunflower field makes me smile whenever I drive past:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/346072911178972?mibextid=F9SUZr
Scarecrow Story Figures
These wooden doll scarecrows make wonderful story props to bring your favourite stories to life. Let your child play with their creations as they enjoy reading stories about scarecrows and harvest time. We loved bringing Julia Donaldson's The Scarecrows Wedding to life with ours.
You will need:
Wooden person dolls
Goggly eyes
Paper drinking straw
Straw or Thin Twigs
A scrap of felt
A small feather
Paints
Fine paint brush
Ideas:
1.) Use your fine paint brush to paint clothes and a face onto your wooden person; Peel the backs off the goggly eyes to stick them onto the face.
2.) Cut a paper drinking straw in half. Flatten the middle at the back and glue onto the back of your wooden person. Stuff straw into each end to create the scarecrow's hands.
3.) Stick the remaining straw onto the scarecrow's head.
4.) Cut out a small square of felt. Fold it in half (top right corner to bottom left, creating a triangle shape. Stick the feather coming out of the top peak and glue down the verticle edge. Add glue around the edges of the bottom and attach to your scarecrow's head.
Corn Painting
Painting with lots of different items can be lots of fun and are a great way to explore textures and patterns.
Bubble wrap
Recycle some old bubble wrap by turning it into a fun process art activity. Paint the bubble side of the wrap with yellow paint and place it (bubbles down) onto some card or paper. Keep it still and press down. Lift the bubble wrap to reveal a yellow bubbles pattern (or sweet corn kernels). When the paint has dried, use a pencil to draw corn on the cob shapes onto the paper. Cut out your corn on the cob shapes and stick them onto some brown cardboard from your cardboard recycling. Use paints, crayons or pastels to add green leaves around your yellow cobs.
Corn on the cob printing
Isn't it annoying when you find some fruit or veg in the fridge that has gone past its best to eat? If you're thinking about throwing it away, consider whether you could give it a wash an use it to paint on and stamp with. Paint an old corn on the cob and roll it onto your paper to create a print.
Pumpkins and Butternut Squashes
Here are two more ideas to print using up old fruit: Cut an apple in half, paint it orange on the cut side, and print to create mini-pumpkins. Cut a pear in half, paint it peach, and print to create mini-butternut squashes. Once the paint has dried, you can add details to your vegetables with delt tip pens or paints. You could even stick on some goggly eyes and draw a mouth to bring your vegetables to life!
Some of these ideas, including all of the arts and crafts materials that you will need, are included in our past boxes. You can buy our past boxes as a one-off purchase to give you a taster into our subscriptions.
