5 WAYS TO ENJOY THE AUTUMN WITH YOUR KIDS

Conkers are ready right now to be collected and used in different ways for games and crafts. They’re great for creative play and crafting. Collecting them is an activity on its own and a fun way to be active outside together in the fall, but the real craft starts when as you’ve gathered them. A creative idea could be to collect some nice big conkers, paint or decorate them, and make a necklace:

Materials needed:

• a screwdriver to make holes (you will need to help your children here)
• a long round shoelace or other thick string
• many clean conkers

Using the screwdriver, makes holes through the middle of your conkers. Then, simply thread the string through the holes, and tie the necklace. Beautiful!

Materials needed:

• Conkers
• Wooden skewers
• A hand drill (or any sharp tool like pointy scissors to make a little hole in the conkers)
• Yarn
• Scissors

Drill five evenly spread out holes in the conkers. Push the skewers in the holes so they are tightly inserted. With a flat knot, secure the yarn around one of the skewers. Start weaving by twisting around each skewer before you go to the next one. If you want to start a new colour, just knot the yarn around a skewer to secure it, and tie the new colour to the next skewer. Keep going until you’re happy. Done!

Materials needed:

• Paper
• Paints – primary colours work well
• Sponge
• A collection of leaves

Pour five different paint colours onto plates and cut up a bath sponge, dividing the pieces between the plates. Place the first leaf onto the paper and using a sponge with a small amount of paint, begin dabbing around the leaf. Encourage your kid to change the colours as they work around the leaf. Once complete, remove the leaf to reveal the silhouette.

Materials needed:

• Brown or orange paper
• Leaves
• Black marker
• Glue

This is a wonderful art project that kids can do easily. Combined with a leaf hunt outside, you’re set for the whole day. Cut out a hedgehog shape with brown paper, and glue on brown and red leaves with the pointy parts sticking up. Draw on a cute face and nose with the black marker and you’re done!

Materials needed:

• Halved walnut shells
• Paint
• Varnish
• Paintbrushes

Paint walnut shell halves white. When dry to the touch, paint them with colours that correspond to different animals (ladybugs red, hedgehogs brown, bees yellow etc.). Do this twice. With all the layers of colour, it’s better to wait a couple of hours for them to dry completely. Finally, the real fun begins! Draw faces, noses, eyes, stripes, dots, tails on your ‘animals’. Let them dry overnight and then paint over with a clear varnish, so they stay shiny!