The days are getting shorter and there is a chill in the air that signals fall has arrived. It’s the perfect time to pour a cup of hot chocolate and do an inside family craft. A fun way to celebrate the arrival of fall, is to make a fingerprint tree. Not only will it make a lovely piece of art, it also serves as a keepsake of your child’s size and age at the time.
To get started, you will need:
• White construction paper or card stock
• Orange construction paper
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint in green, brown, orange, yellow, tan and red
• White craft glue
To begin, place white construction paper in the center of your work area. Next, paint the bottom of the forearm, palm and all fingers of the child (using a generous amount of brown paint). Help the child carefully lay their arm and fingers down on the center of the white construction paper, fingers extended. Gently press down and roll each finger, palm and arm onto the paper. Wash paint off arm and hand and dry completely.
Now, place a nickel sized amount of each color of paint into a paper plate. Have the child dip
their finger into the paint and onto the paper creating leaves of all different colors. The fingers on the paper are the branches, so put the leaves at the end of the branches and all around them.
You can also add grass at the bottom of the tree, using a paintbrush. To add a few flowers in the grass, use a small dot of paint on their finger to create the center and flower petals. You can also add a few “falling leaves” by dotting two or three colors falling from the branches and use a marker to add a few squiggly lines indicating motion.
Finally, make a frame from the orange construction paper by gluing around the back edge
of the picture.
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