Materials
Newspaper
Wax paper in 8" (20 cm) squares
Liquid starch
Small containers
Paintbrushes
Green, red, orange, and yellow tissue cut in 1" (3 cm) squares
Black construction paper
Crayons
Tag board tree patterns, about 7" (18 cm) tall
Scissors
Glue
Hole punch
Instructions
1. Spread newspaper to protect your work surface.
2. When you are ready to begin, ask the children to decide if they would like to make a tree withfall foliage or summer foliage.
3. Give each child a piece of wax paper. Have them apply liquid starch over the surface of thepaper, then cover the center of the wax paper with the tissue squares, overlapping them. Helpthem choose the colors appropriate to their season.
4. When they have covered the center of the paper with tissue, have them apply a coat of starchover the tissue.
5. While the tissue is drying, distribute two pieces of black paper to each child. On one piece, havethe children draw an outline of a tree trunk and its foliage in crayon. Help younger childrentrace the tree pattern.
6. Clip the sheets of black paper together to hold them in place and punch a hole inside the outline,creating an opening for your scissors. Cut along the outline through both sheets of paper.
7. Return the wax paper to the children and have them place it between the two sheets of blackpaper, positioning the colored tissues at the tree-shaped opening. Glue or staple the three layerstogether.
8. Display the finished product at a window so the sunlight will filter through the trees, illuminatingthem.More to doMore art: Adapt this project for other seasons with appropriate colors and shapes. Set up agallery space in the room for exhibiting artwork and photographs of foliage through the seasons,using prints, posters, and the children's artwork.Circle time: Discuss how the weather changes with each season and how it affects our activities,the clothes we wear, and the foods we eat.Science: Collect and sort pictures of deciduous and evergreen trees.
