There’s something about fall that brings out the artsy side of Mainers! Maybe it’s the brilliant, multi-colored foliage everywhere you look or inspiration brought on by the celebration of the harvest. If that spirit is catching you—and you want to share it with your kids—here are 5 easy-to-make DIY fall crafts you will all LOVE creating together!

Make a Lion from Fall Leaves!

On 2 separate pieces of white construction paper, draw a lion’s face (without the mane), with each face looking directly at you. Take one of the two faces, cut it out, and paste it onto a white paper plate. Next, take 4 to 6 colorful leaves from your yard and glue them around the lion’s face to create his mane. Take the second of the lion’s faces, glue it directly over the “place-holder face,” and (watercolor) paint its eyes black and nose brown. Experiment with different leaves and faces for a variety of different-looking lions!

Make a Silly-Looking Women’s Face from Maple Leaves!

Take 6 colorful maple leaves and cut off their stems. Glue the maple leaves around the top half of a paper plate to create the woman’s silly-looking hair. Then, cut out 2 round circles (slightly larger than a quarter) from white paper, then add the eyeballs into the white circles with black magic marker. Cut out lips from red construction paper and add those to make her smile!

Make a Goofy-Looking Turkey for Thanksgiving!

Use watercolor to paint 2 paper plates brown. Cut out 2 round eyes (each about the size of a quarter) from white construction paper and a triangular orange beak from orange construction paper. Glue the 2 eyes into position on one of the plates, with the orange beak between the eyes (the triangle pointing downward). Next, cut out pink, blue, purple, and yellow circles from construction paper, each roughly the size of a half-dollar; fold each of the circles, and glue them in colorful, frilly rows beneath the orange beak. Cut out two legs and 3 claws (talons) per leg from orange construction paper and glue into place. Finally, take the second of the 2 plates you had painted brown, cut it in half, and glue it into position to make the wings!

Use Autumn Leaves to Create Your Own Beautiful Painting!

Gather a half-dozen or so autumn leaves from your yard, collecting a variety of leaves, such as maple, oak, and birch. Take a piece of white construction paper and place it on a desk or tray before you. Take each leaf and paint with bright watercolors (such as blue, green, orange, or yellow) on just one side of the leaf. Turn the leaf over so the painted side is facing downward.  Press the painted sides onto the white paper in various places on the paper then lift up the leaf to reveal your colorful leaf collage!

Make a Colorful Tree from a Paper Bag!

From the top of a brown paper bag, repeatedly cut downward vertically, in parallel strips, so that each of your cuts is roughly 2 inches apart and extends about halfway down the paper bag. Do this around the entire bag. Take the strands formed by each of your cuts and twist them on themselves, so they resemble branches of a tree, with the twisted bottom of the paper bag serving as the tree’s trunk. Finally, get small, colorful leaves from your yard and glue them onto the tree’s branches!

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