Make Four Season Trees!

What You Need:

• 4 toilet paper rolls (or 2 paper towel rolls cut in half)
• Brown paint
• 4 sheets of card stock or heavy cardboard (light blue works best)
• Construction paper in green, yellow, orange and red
• Handful of popped popcorn
• Brown yarn
• Tape
• Glue
• 4 pieces of string or twine, about 8 inches long

What You Do:

1. Tape both ends of a piece of string or twine to the back of each piece of paper. Although we placed the paper vertically, we'll left the orientation of your artwork up to you. Be sure to leave enough slack in the string so that you can hang the picture.
2. Have your child paint the toilet paper rolls brown.
3. Show your child how to glue a toilet paper roll to each of the four pieces of paper. Be sure to glue the side of the roll on the paper instead of the end of the roll. Help your child write the name of a season on each piece of paper under the roll, or “trunk,” of each “tree.” 
4. Go outside with your child and look at the trees in your yard or neighborhood. Talk about what season it is and have your child describe the colors of the leaves on the trees. Discuss any other things you see on the tree, such as flowers, berries or empty branches. Look for any animals that make their homes in the trees, such as birds or squirrels.
5. After your nature walk, give your child the piece of paper for the current season. Show him how to decorate the tree to illustrate that season, and then help him decorate the other three seasons:
   • Winter: Show him how to glue the brown yarn onto the paper above the paper roll “trunk” to create bare branches.
   • Spring: Have him use light green construction paper to make leaves for the spring tree. Let him glue the popcorn on to make flowers.
   • Summer: Have him use dark green construction paper to make leaves for the spring tree. He can also draw fruit on the tree or glue colorful buttons or circular scraps of red or orange paper.
   • Fall: Use the yellow, orange and red construction paper to make autumn- colored leaves for the fall tree.
6. Hang the pictures up in your house so you can enjoy all of the seasons no matter the time of year!

At select intervals during the year, point out the tree pictures and talk about how the trees look outside.