Kindergarten Leaf Unit Study

Art activity for fall - homemade leaf paint brushes

I'm falling down on the job! We did this painting with leaves activity exactly two months ago, and I'm just now sharing it. This is just one of the leaf activities we did for our leaf unit study in My Father's World Kindergarten. The boys had so much fun painting with homemade yarn paintbrushes, and I knew they would love recreating the art experience, this time with leaves from our backyard.

How to Make Homemade Paint Brushes with Leaves

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Supplies:

Directions: First we went out back and collected a variety of leaves and sticks. I used duct tape to adhere the leaves to the sticks. In some cases I attached the leaves to one another with a stapler.

I set up a large piece of butcher paper on our front driveway to serve as our canvas.

How to make homemade paint brushes using leaves and sticks - art with nature!

I squirted a generous amount of paint on the paper to help the boys get started. Of course they added more paint throughout the process. I chose red, yellow, and orange in the spirit of fall despite the fact that it was actually May.

The boys eagerly reached for the leaf paint brushes and started painting.

Sometimes they smeared large portions of paint with the leaf paint brushes.

Painting with leaves - fall art for kids

Other times they were very intentional about pressing the leaves into the paper.

Making leaf prints - a nature based art activity for kids

They were thrilled to see the prints left behind.

Printing with leaves - fall art for kids

Each leaf made a unique print, and they loved exploring the different sizes and shapes.

Painting with leaves - how to make homemade paint brushes with leaves

Of course there was a little bit of finger painting as well.

And maybe more than just fingers.

Here are tips for messy play as well as laundry tips to avoid stains and keep clothes bright. Please note: Some areas of our driveway didn't rinse clean despite the fact that we used washable paint. I don't worry too much, because my husband can easily wash them with his power washer. If staining is a concern I highly recommend layering a splat mat under the butcher paper. Shower curtains from Dollar Tree work great for this. Old towels would also work.