Changing Seasons Tree Puppet - Preschool Craft

Our weather can't seem to choose between summer or fall. One day it's in the 40's, and the next where back in to the 80's. The trees are changing, but the dandelions are still trying to bloom. So, the little one's and I made season changing tree puppets, yesterday, from Kathy Ross', Crafts to Make in the Fall. It seemed an appropriate project, since it rides the seasonal fence, as well as the weather has been.

We started with:

• three 9-inch paper plates - smaller plates might be better for younger children.


• green, red, yellow, and gold paint. The book calls for poster paint. We used acrylic paint, because that's what we had on hand, but I think finger paint would have been the best choice.


• orange, yellow, and green tissue paper


• brown construction paper - we used a paper grocery bag.


• scissors


• a stapler


• paint brushes - we used the spongy kind, just for fun.


• and a newspaper, to work on
  

First, I cut one of the paper plates in half, and put one paper plate away, because each puppet only needs a half of the first plate. I stapled the one of the halves, to the front of the second plate, for each puppet.

I cut a horizontal slits in the last plates, about an inch below the center, and stapled them to the front of the plate with the half plate (the bottom plates should be turned so that the pocket is upside down), so the children could put their hands through the slits, and into the pocket formed by the half plate.

Turning the plates over to the back side, I had the girls paint them green.

When the entire backside of the plate was covered with paint, they pressed pieces of green tissue paper into the paint.

Then, we folded the pocket plate forward, and painted the inside of the tree with red, yellow, and gold, adding yellow, and orange tissue paper to one of the trees. The girls liked the way the second tree looked with just paint, and so didn't add any tissue paper to that one.

Finally, we cut our tree trunks out of the paper bag, and glued them onto the back side of the puppet (the side that was still white), just below the hand slit.

All that was left to do, was to wait for them to dry, so they could be played with.

Summer.

Fall.

Summer.

Fall.

You have no idea, how much fun they had doing that.

It's great to be a homeschooler.