Guest Author - Jolene Davis

The fall is a great time to get outside, the weather is cool and crisp, but the sun still shines some warmth. So, while it is still nice out there this craft gets the whole family out into nature. Get ready to take a walk through the neighborhood and keep your eyes open for some fall leaves and pinecones.

Step One: Go get a little paper or plastic baggy, your walking shoes, a coat, and the whole family.

The idea, here, is to keep your eyes open for things that remind you of fall. So, fallen leaves of yellow, red, orange, light brown are great. Also, pinecone and pretty weeds look neat.

Gather the items you find on your nature walk into the baggies you brought along and head on back home when you’re ready.

Step Two: Once home, gather items to make your cards. These will include: glue, markers, color pencils, ribbon, scissors, construction paper (brown, orange, dark red, or cream colored pages), etc.

Now, go ahead and start making some fall cards. Decorate the front of the cards with the different leaves and pinecones you’ve found, add some ribbon, some glitter.

I folded the construction paper down the middle, vertically (to form a long rectangle), then I cut that in half to make two cards, about 4x6 inches each.

You may write what you wish on the inside of the cards. Use them for thank-you notes or to send Fall pictures of the kids to your family and friends.



You could also make Thanksgiving place cards with the items you got on your nature walk. Simply, cut out a 4x4 inch square from the construction paper and fold in half so it can stand up, like a tee-pee. Make as many as you will need for your Holiday feast and write a guests name on each card.

What the kids can do: pick up leaves and other items on the walk, glue items on the cards, and help write the message inside. If making place cards, kids can think of the names of guests. Kids can pick out what items go where on the cards.

Keep the kids entertained the whole time by having them name the colors of the leaves and explaining why the leaves fall off the trees and what their favorite thing is about the season. When you are on your walk try to find a different array of items, making sure the leaves are different colors and pinecones are different sizes.

Have Fun!!