Fall Centerpiece

What You Need:

• Foam square
• Colorful fake leaves
• Glue
• Acorns
• Vinyl place mat
• Red, orange or yellow fake flowers
• Fake mini pumpkin

What You Do:

1. Begin by placing the foam square on a vinyl place mat. Let your child take the glue and pour it all over the top of the foam.
2. Now it's time to get messy! Encourage your child to use his hands to spread the glue all over the foam, avoiding only the bottom.
3. After he washes his hands, have your little artist haphazardly place colorful fake leaves all over the foam square. He should keep doing this until the foam square is no longer visible underneath the leaves.
4. Help your child shape his leaves into the shape of a pile. Make sure the leaves stick out in fun and unusual ways instead of just being stuck flat against the foam square.
5. Put a small drop of glue onto each acorn. Let your son stick each acorn anywhere he wants onto the pile of leaves.
6. Give your child the fake flowers and have him stick their stems into the foam square.
7. For the final artistic touch, let your child attach the small fake pumpkins on top of the leaves. His fall centerpiece is ready to be put on display.

Don't let the fall fun stop here! Now that your child has pumpkins and acorns on his mind, talk with him about why leaves change colors in the fall and why we like to celebrate with pumpkins. What's his favorite thing about fall?