Easy Fall Craft: Fall Tree Sun Catcher

From fiery reds to gorgeous oranges and yellows, I love the color of the fall trees.  Your child can bring some of that color indoors with this simple fall craft.  (Related Post:  Q-Tip Painted Trees)

Materials Needed:

• Paper Plate
• Clear Contact Paper
• Brown Construction Paper
• Colored Tissue Paper
• Foam Stickers (optional)

Start by cutting the center out of a paper plate.

Cover the back of the plate with clear contact paper.  (You can also use strips of clear packing tape.)

Cut a tree trunk from brown paper.  We used some leftover packing paper from a box that came in the mail.  It’s thinner than normal construction paper, so you can see a bit of light through it when it hangs in the window.

Have your child stick the tree shape to the sticky side of the contact paper.  Then have them rip up pieces of tissue paper to form leaves.  (This is a fun way to work on fine motor skills and build those hand muscles needed for writing.)

Once the tree has all the leaves on it, cover the front side of the plate with another layer of contact paper.

The next step is to decorate the rim of the plate.  Last year we did a collage of fall colors on our fall sun catchers, and then we glued paper leaves all around the edge.  But this year the kids wanted to use foam stickers.  Let your child decorate the edge any way they see fit.

Once the sun catcher is complete, punch a hole at the top and hang it with a ribbon, or use a bit of clear tape and tape it in the window.

This simple fall craft is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.  Check out my fall crafts page for more ideas.

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