Fall Wreathes

What You Need:
Paper plate
Glue
Hole punch
String / twine / yard
Bucket
The Great Outdoors!

What to Do:
Step one is to go outside and collect all the items for your wreath.  I did this with Natalie when she had just turned two.  She wasn't interested in looking for cool leaves out in the yard, but she did love to glue.  So, I picked out our items on various walks we took in the stroller.  I'm looking forward to doing this craft this fall when Natalie is three in hopes that she will pick out most of our items herself.  You of course can collect items over several days.  If you collect over several days, find a safe place to keep your items, such as a ziplock bag or plastic container with lid.  Also, look over your items for bugs.  I brought in a cool dried flower only to find it covered with tiny bugs when we went to use it.  There is also an infamous story in my family of worms in acorns my brother collected and put in his desk drawer. 

When you are ready to make the wreath, cut out the center of a paper plate.  Your child could do this depending on his or her age.

Spread out your collection of fall nature samples, and start arranging and gluing.  I suggest using liquid glue unless you only have leaves.  You might even want a paint brush to help apply it evenly.   Getting uneven items to stick to the bumpy rim of the plate can be a little tricky.

Once your done, punch two holes in the top of the wreath.  Run string through them and tie it off.

Your wreath is ready to hang!

Alterations and Substitutions:
You could use something else to make the wreath, such as cardboard from a cereal box.  That might be better if you plan to use a lot of heavy / big items like big pine cones or pebbles.  Next time we do this, I think I'm going to paint the paper plate a fall color because I didn't like how the white showed through.  You can use all sorts of things to hang the wreath.  We used yard, but you could use twine, string, or ribbon.  This craft can be done for different seasons and locations.  You can do a spring one with flowers and new leaves, or a beach one with shells and seaweed. 

Extensions:

• There are lots of opportunities to talk about shape, size and color with this craft.  Before applying your items to the wreath, you can sort them based on various features.  
• You can count your items, or just all of one type of color.  For older kids you can do addition and subtraction.  For example, "We had nine leaves and we've glued on three.  How many are left?" or "We have six acorns and five pine cones.  How many is that all together?"