paper crafts

Sunflower Heart Craft

October 2, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Sunflowers are a standout in any yard or garden. When the growing season ends and colder nights loom, their beautiful flower heads can be preserved in a sunflower heart craft.

Sunflowers come in a surprising array of colors, and are given catchy names such as “Lemon Queen”, “Moulin Rouge”, “Firecracker” or “Teddy Bear.” There are around 70 kinds of sunflowers in all, and they range in size from 2 feet to over 6 feet tall. This slide show from Country Living features 15 types of sunflowers that provide inspiration for the craft.

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Craft Supplies To Collect

sunflower stem
white corn syrup
red and yellow food coloring
large heart cut from sturdy paper
thin ribbon
small paint jar
paintbrush
spoon
cutting board
knife
scissors
glue gun

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Making The Sunflower Heart Craft

Steps to making a sunflower heart fall craft.

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Pour the white corn syrup into a small paint container. Squirt in a few drops of yellow food coloring, and a tiny amount of red food coloring. Mix the colors into the syrup with a spoon. Adding a little red turns the yellow paint from lemon to golden.

Test the tacky paint on a piece of scrap paper to make sure it is the shade you want to offer.

Have your little learner use a paintbrush to cover the heart with the slimy corn syrup paint. The paint will be shiny and thick, providing a unique sensory experience.

Cut a sunflower head and three leaves from a plant or purchased sunflower stem from a flower shop.

Help your little learner press the leaves onto the painted heart and add the sunflower head. A glue gun can be used by an adult to help secure the sunflower to the heart. The leaves will stick to the paint on their own.

Let the sunflower craft dry on a flat surface. It will take a few days to dry thoroughly.

Cut ribbon and hot glue it in a loop to the back of the embellished heart for display.

Oh so pretty sunflower heart craft that is easy for little learners to make.

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Paper Plate Ocean Drum

March 6, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Ocean drums are versatile musical instruments that imitate the soothing sound of gentle waves hitting the shore. Your early learner can help create a paper plate ocean drum to make water sounds and will be able to use it in many other ways. The drum can be personalized and will look awesome displayed.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

two 9-inch paper plates
9 x 12-inch white cardstock
transparency film or clear file folder
photo of a child, family, or a pet
small beads
cinnamon candy hearts
alphabet letter beads
adhesive gems
scissors
glue gun
glue stick or glue tape

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Making The Paper Plate Ocean Drum

Steps to create a personalized paper plate ocean drum.

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Cut out the middle part of one paper plate.

Print a favorite photo onto cardstock paper. Or use a picture from a vintage calendar or magazine. Trace a 15.5 cm / 6 1/8 inch circle around the part of the picture chosen for the drum. Cut the circle out and use glue tape or a glue stick to paste it on the center of the second plate.

Cut the same sized circle from a clear file folder or sheet of transparency film.

Use a glue gun to attach the clear circle to the cut plate.

Sprinkle cinnamon candy hearts, letter beads, and small round beads onto the photo-enhanced plate. Alphabet letter beads that spell love or the name of a child or pet would work well.

Glue the edges of the two plates together with a glue gun.

If desired, decorate the paper frame of the drum with adhesive gems.

This paper plate ocean drum can be personalized with a picture of a family member and/or pet.

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Playing The Ocean Drum

The crafted drum can be played many different ways, creating a variety of sounds:

Tilt the drum in all directions by rolling your wrist slowly while holding the instrument by its frame. The encased beads and candies will roll over the bottom and mimic the relaxing sound of waves lapping the shore.

Stop and start playing the instrument suddenly to make the sound of crashing waves.

Hold the drum over your head and tilt it.

Move the drum around your body.

Tap the drum gently with a drumstick.

Scrape the drum.

Use the percussion instrument as a shaker.

Make loud, soft, fast, and slow sounds.

Tap or shake a pattern of sounds.

This paper plate ocean drum can be personalized with a picture of a favorite pet.

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Dinosaur Valentine Craft

February 13, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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It was just a couple of days before Valentine’s Day when one of my preschoolers said “Remember, Mrs. Kaminsky…you promised to make a dinosaur valentine craft for us to do.” And yes, I had!

We were just finishing up a polar dinosaur theme when I had come across super cute dinosaur Valentine’s Day window clings. They served as perfect transition décor from that winter-wrapped dinosaur theme to a Valentine’s Day topic. And they provided lots of craft inspiration, which led me to tell my preschoolers we would do a dinosaur valentine craft.

So this is a very last-minute dinosaur-themed Valentine’s Day craft project!

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Supplies To Collect

dinosaur printable
12-inch x 12-inch cardstock
8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock
pompoms
wiggly eyes
thin felt pen
paper or foam hearts
thin ribbon strip
white glue
glue paddle
glue stick

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Making The Dinosaur Valentine

Download one of these two dinosaur templates and print it on 8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock paper in the color of your choice.

Dinosaur template to use for a dinosaur-themed craft.

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Dinosaur PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Rawr-y dinosaur template to use for a valentine craft.

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Rawr-y Dinosaur PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Fashion a bow from a small strip of thin ribbon.

Cut out the dinosaur, and invite your early learner to use a glue stick to paste it on a 12-inch x 12-inch piece of complementary cardstock.

Then have your little one use white glue to add pompoms to the dinosaur back, wiggly eyes to the head, and a bow to the neck.

Next, have your little learner use the glue stick to add paper or foam hearts to the body, and use a thin felt pen to draw a smile on the head.

Cut out the “I Rawr-y Love You” greeting to add to the craft if desired.

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Christmas Dove Art

December 13, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Angels are often my “go-to” theme for a Christmas craft keepsake, but this holiday season I have doves on my brain. Doves are symbolic of peace and love, which is welcome inspiration at Christmas, or any time of the year. So here are two Christmas dove art projects that make touching keepsakes… and display beautifully. Bonus: I’ve included a free downloadable printable to use for the crafts.

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Squish Painted Dove

Create a symmetrical dove pattern or download the printable in this post to use as a template. Cut out one bird from white 8 ½ inch x 11-inch cardstock paper for each child completing the project.

Dove printable to download for a craft project.

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Dove TemplateDownload

This printable is for individual and one classroom use only.

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Set the doves out onto a table along with red and green paint and spoons.

Invitation to spatter paint paper doves with red and green paint.

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Invite your little learners to spatter paint their dove.

Spatter painted dove using green and red Christmas colors.

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Then help them fold the dove, and smooth their hand over it. Placing newspaper underneath and overtop the folded birds helps absorb excess paint.

Ask your little ones to unfold their birds. They are bound to be excited to see the art they have created.

Squish painted dove art project in red and green colors.

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After the doves dry, hot glue a sprig from a Christmas stem underneath each beak.

A sprig from a Christmas stem is the finishing touch for this squish painted red and green dove.

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Cuttings from a stem with berries, pine cones, and leaves in different tones give the doves a unique finishing touch.

Christmas stem to use as a finishing touch for festive dove art.

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Sprigs cut from one Christmas stem for a craft project.

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Displayed together on a wall as a triangle and topped with a star, the painted birds make a unique Christmas tree shape. Or mount on a complimentary patterned paper background.

Christmas dove art utilizing a squish painting technique.

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View a Squish-Painted Christmas Dove video tutorial here:

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Papercraft Christmas Dove

Supplies To Collect:

8 1/2 x 11-inch white cardstock
sturdy paper in white, green, red, and turquoise hues
12-inch x12-inch cardstock or Christmas-themed paper
flower, leaf, snowflake, and bird paper punches
glue sticks
holiday greetings
self-adhesive pearls
double-sided tape

Supplies needed to make a papercraft dove Christmas keepsake.

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Cut out white cardstock doves, and set them out on a table with glue sticks and festive paper punched shapes. I used bird, snowflake, leaf, and flower shapes in turquoise, red, and green hues. Feel free to choose your own color scheme.

Set up with adhesive pearls and snowflake, leaf, flower, and bird paper shapes to glue onto a paper dove.

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Invite your early learners to glue colorful punched shapes to their doves.

Tips:

A muffin pan works well as a shape sorter for group art.
Paper or foil Christmas scatter purchased from a store could replace the punched shapes in this craft.

A twelve cup muffin pan works well as a shape sorter for group art.

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Afterward, glue a paper punched leaf or Christmas sprig underneath each beak. Mount the birds onto 12-inch x 12-inch solid colored complimentary cardstock with a few pieces of double-sided tape for a raised look. Invite your charges to add self-adhesive pearl gems to the flowers and background paper.

Words such as Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joy, Peace, or Noel add a seasonal greeting to the pictures.

Papercraft dove Christmas keepsake picture.

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An alternative is to mount the arty doves on Christmas-themed 12-inch x 12-inch paper.

Papercraft dove collage projects mounted on Christmas-themed backgrounds.

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Click here for a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays printable to use for a greeting in the craft.

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Holiday Greeting PrintableDownload

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These two Christmas dove art projects are sure to add a festive touch to your classroom or home. Which one is your favorite?

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[Read more…]

Butterfly Sunflower Papercraft

November 15, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This butterfly sunflower papercraft is easy to make and is sure to be a parent pleaser. It’s an all-around showy harvest craft. I did it with my preschoolers this fall and sent it home around Canadian Thanksgiving Day. I’ve included a downloadable pattern for the craft in the post.

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Supplies To Collect

Paper supplies needed to make a butterfly-themed sunflower craft.

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8 ½ x 11-inch cardstock paper in various shades of yellow
9 x 12-inch green and yellow fade-resistant construction paper
12 x 18-inch fade-resistant construction paper in shades of blue
brown construction paper
brown tissue paper
butterfly paper punches
white glue
glue stick
scissors

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Making The Butterfly Sunflower Papercraft

Punch butterflies from different shades of yellow cardstock paper.

Cut large circles from yellow construction paper, and smaller ones from sturdy brown paper.

Cut stems and leaves from green construction paper.

Snip brown tissue paper into small squares.

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Here’s a downloaded sunflower pattern:

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Sunflower Pattern DownloadDownload

This printable is for individual and one classroom use only.

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Set up stations with a brown circle, tissue paper squares, and white glue. Have your early learners scrunch tissue paper squares, dip them in glue, and press them onto a brown circle.

Set up to scrunch tissue paper and dip it in glue to add it to a circle.

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Brown scrunched tissue glued on to a circle.

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After the tissue paper circles dry, ask your little ones to stick theirs on the center of a large yellow circle with a glue stick.

Set out a variety of shades and sizes of yellow paper butterflies for gluing all around the brown circle.

A sunflower head with a scrunched tissue center surrounded by paper butterflies.

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Guide each child in gluing a stem and two leaves onto a 12 x 18-inch piece of construction paper, and then adding the yellow and brown circular sunflower head.

Easy to make butterfly sunflower papercraft. The sunflower head has a scrunched tissue center surrounded by paper butterflies.

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Words such as Happy Thanksgiving or Gratitude could be added to the sunflower picture. I chose to leave the craft wordless and tell parents it was a Thanksgiving Day craft.

Thanksgiving Day inspired easy to make butterfly sunflower papercraft. The sunflower head has a scrunched tissue center surrounded by paper butterflies.

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The butterfly sunflower papercraft makes an attractive harvest or “Happy Thanksgiving” bulletin board display.

Happy Thanksgiving bulletin board display with butterfly-themed paper sunflowers.

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Related: Handprint Turkeys

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[Read more…]

Valentine’s Day Heart Art

January 21, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Valentine’s Day heart art project features an oversized valentine with a very personal touch. Lipstick in “notice me” colors adds to the excitement of making the picture.

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For this post, I purchased low-cost lipstick in as many hues as I could find. If you already have lipstick in a variety of colors, you will save in preparation time.

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Supplies To Collect

lipstick colors in a few different shades
large white circle or heart-shaped doily
foam sticker hearts
adhesive gems
glue stick
sharpie felt pen
two sheets of 12-inch by 12-inch cardstock (in colors that complement each other)

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Lipstick shades used for a Valentine's Day paper craft. Lipstick prints are the highlight of the oversized valentine.

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Making The Valentine’s Day Heart Art Picture

Help your child apply lipstick and make lip prints on the doily. You can suggest a different color for the top and bottom lips for added fun.

Invite your child to decorate the doily picture with foam sticker hearts and adhesive gems.

Write some loving words on the doily, or have your child do so.

Assist your child in gluing the doily heart onto the cardstock square of choice.

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As an alternative, you can use a heart-shaped doily. Have your child make lipstick prints on it and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Or the cardstock with the decorated doily could be cut into a heart shape and then glued onto a complimentary piece of sturdy paper.

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Purple, reds, and pinks are prominent in these arty valentines. Choose materials that go with the lipstick hues you have available. Colors like turquoise and/or gold for lips and complimentary art supplies can be showcased wonderfully in this craft.

To view lipsticks that come in unexpected colors, browse through a post from allure.com. Experimenting with unusual shades or making rainbow lipstick prints will add dramatic flair to this valentine’s keepsake.

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Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

January 20, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Winter wreath craft made from a paper plate and recycled cards. A low-cost art project suitable for all ages to do.

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This winter wreath craft made from recycled cards and a paper plate is easy to assemble and displays well. It is gentle on the wallet too.

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Supplies To Collect

winter themed Christmas cards
paper plate
white wired ribbon
glue stick
scissors
glue gun
circle paper punches

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Paper plate winter wreath craft supplies. Circles cut from winter themed Christmas cards are the highlight of the art project.

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Save winter-themed cards from Christmas, and ask family and friends to pass on cards too. Keep an eye out for white ribbon on discount racks after the holidays. Purchase paper plates at a dollar store. If you manage all of the above, you will collect supplies for an economical fee and have leftover cards, plates, and ribbon for other crafts.

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Making The Winter Wreath

Cut or punch various sized circles from cards.

Cut a big circle out of the center of the paper plate.

Snip off a 24-inch piece of ribbon.

Invite your child to glue circles around the edge of the paper plate using a glue stick. An open spot should be left at the bottom or top of the plate for a bow.

Fold the ribbon into a bow. Use a glue gun to attach the bow to the wreath.

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Paper plate winter wreath craft using recycled cards. A low-cost art project suitable for all ages to do.

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The theme for this paper plate winter wreath can be snowmen, snowflakes, or polar animals. The ribbon you select may be patterned, or a different color altogether. The choices are yours!

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Winter Playdough Recipe

Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Igloo Camping Pretend Play

Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Painting Ice and Snow

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

Scissor Skill Snow Cutting Activities

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Play Tablescape

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Book Inspired Tree Art

August 14, 2018 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Tree Art inspired by the storybook "Wow! Said The Owl" by Tim Hopgood. Papercraft art using a variety of colors and textures.

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Inspiration For The Tree Art

Trees are a popular art theme, and I love using tree art in a mosaic pattern on a bulletin board display.

Over the years I’ve done a few tree displays celebrating our four Alberta seasons. This year I chose an art project based on the storybook “Wow! Said The Owl” by Tim Hopgood. In the story, an owl stays up past his bedtime one summer night and notices the beautiful colors of early morning, midday, and dusk. The owl loves all the color schemes but decides the night colors are still the best. As I read the story, I was saying “Wow” right along with the owl, because the illustrations featuring the owl and tree throughout the day are gorgeous!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Art Set-Up

Paper supplies to make the tree art pictures. An all-ages book inspired art activity.

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Based on the colors in the book, I used heart-themed paper punches to cut a variety of leaves. I used circle paper punches for the sun and moon. Butterfly paper punches came in handy for the midday pictures. A sticker owl was available to complete each picture.

For the art project, I used four different blue shades of 9 x 12 fade-resistant paper. This size displays perfectly as a mosaic pattern on a feature bulletin board I have access to. I cut tree trunks in different shades of brown and glued one on each piece of blue paper.

Then children got a little bag with shapes to create a tree scene. Paper pieces were attached with a glue stick. Some children questioned why we were using heart shapes for the leaves, so I showed them heart-shaped leaves from real plants.

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Tree Art Themes

Children completed at least two of the following projects.

Sunrise paper craft tree inspired by the storybook "Wow! Said The Owl" by Tim Hopgood.

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Mid day paper craft tree inspired by the storybook 'Wow! said The Owl' by Tim Hopgood.

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Sunset paper craft tree inspired by the storybook "Wow! Said The Owl" by Tim Hopgood.

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Nighttime paper craft tree inspired by the storybook 'Wow! Said The Owl' by Tim Hopgood.

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Some of the completed pictures were saved for each child’s memory album; others were saved for the bulletin board display.

Tree art projects arranged in a mosaic pattern on a bulletin board.

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A second bulletin board idea…

Tree art bulletin board idea inspired by the storybook "Wow! said The Owl" by Tim Hopgood.

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Tree art depicting the seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall is always a stunner. And it is easy to display on a bulletin board for parents and children to admire.

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