Autumn Artwork

Are you looking for something fun for the children to do while Thanksgiving dinner is cooking? Get them out of the house and into nature for a while. This is a fun activity for any age and costs nothing. What could be better?

There are a few preparations for you. You will need to save some cans of varying sizes. Make sure they are washed thoroughly and have no sharp edges. If you have some old jars or vases, you can use them too.

Also have a work area where the kids can make a bit of a mess until they are finished. Time enough to clean up after.

Then you will gather all the children, have them put their coats on, and go for a walk. Older children can watch and help little ones so they can all go. If there are no older children, perhaps one of the men will tear himself away from the football game to supervise.

Have the children gather leaves and plants that interest them. However they will need to be reminded that the neighbors yards are off limits. Each child should have a nice collection of fall colored items when they return.

The work area with safe scissors and the cans will be waiting for them. Each child will make their own treasures into a nice arrangement. Then the adults can "ooh" and "ahh" over each masterpiece. Some people give prizes for the best ones but I usually love them all so I try to have a special treat for each participant.

Then have them clean the work area so someone can take pictures. I like to have each child stand by his/her own creation for a photo. In the future everyone will enjoy looking at them. 

As you can see, this is easy. It gets the children outside looking at the things nature has to offer. And the ones cooking dinner have a peaceful time without having to run after the little ones. Try it. And Happy Thanksgiving.