Leaf The Earth

(Sensory play and craft)

Fun and easy Earth Day crafts and activities can be used to accompany Earth Day discussions.

Materials:

-green leaves

-round bowl

-blue construction paper

-a piece of paper of different color (we re-used one paper from comb painting project)

-hole puncher

-rope

-tape, the wider the better

-scissor

-pencil

.

Instruction:

-go outdoor and ask your toddler to collect leaves

-cut or torn leaves into pieces, let your toddler to play with the cut leaves until satisfied while you trace a circle using pencil and opening of a bowl

-ask your toddler to form green lands on the round paper Earth

-cover the Earth with tape

-cut the Earth out of the paper by following the circle pattern

-punch a hole on its edge

Up to here, the Earth is already completed. If your toddler like mine who is still asking for more, you could ask your toddler if an additional handprint project is a good idea.

-trace your toddler hand on a paper

-cut the handprint out

-add double tape (we used a regular tape rolled into its ends, flattened and made a double sided tape) on each back side of tip of fingerprints and wrist-prints

-stick to the Earth

And lastly,

-hang it wherever you and your toddler would like it to be

Y enjoyed to pick up things from anywhere we go. So, I asked her to collect some fallen green leaves yesterday morning. She collected more variety than what I asked for, but out of her collections we got enough green(ish) leaves for this Earth project.

I cut the leaves using scissors and she dig right into the cut leaves to play enthusiastically. Meanwhile I drew a circle on a blue construction paper as a designated area for the Earth. I put in on a tray and asked Y if she could help pour some of her cut leaves on the tray.

I told her about Earth, the planet we live on, to recall about our Earth read aloud session. To luck, she remembered “Earth.” I asked her to put some greens on the blue circle. She took some time and changed her minds several time. The leaves would be scattered everywhere on the paper until I remind her about the Earth again. She then gathered some leaves into the circle before she left to her own collections to play some more with the cut leaves.

I stepped in with a tape, to secure the cut leaves collage, and cut the circle out of the paper.

Once we got the Earth, she helped again to make a hole with a hole puncher while saying “push down” and I hang it by our window

She had still so much energy and I asked if she’d like to make a handprint. “Hands!” she shouted excitedly.

So we added her handprints to lift up the Earth.

She wouldn’t have it hanged by the window anymore. “Where would you like it then? Step ladder?” She said, “yes!” So it was. We hanged it on her favorite step ladder up-to this moment.

#toddler #craft #earth