Art Works! is a series of blog posts created by the staff at www.EscapadeDirect.com that offer children of all ages and abilities the opportunity for hands-on art activities that allow them to explore, discover, and express their individual creativity.
We encourage parents to join in on the activities, too, and create their own Art Works!
Art Works! Activity #6: Clay Seed Pots and Waxed Leaves
Autumn is here and now is a perfect time to create works of art that help preserve the natural beauty of this time of year.
We have two activities for you in this post – one to preserve the seeds from your garden, and one to preserve the leaves of Fall.
Save Those Seeds! – Clay seed pots are a perfect way to save seeds from your garden for replanting in the spring. To read our article on how to do this activity, click Clay Seed Pots.
Preserve Autumn Leaves
Collect colorful leaves from your yard, coat them with wax, and use them for seasonal decorations! These wax-coated leaves will last a long time.
What You Need:
- Colorful Leaves with stems (leaves such as oak, maple, aspen, and elm make great decorations)
- Paraffin Wax (can be purchased at most craft stores)
- 1 Large Metal Soup Can (label removed and cleaned)
- 1 Small Metal Coffee Can (label removed and cleaned)
- Warm Water
- Stove (used with adult supervision)
- Newspaper
- Waxed Paper
What You Do:
- Cut off a portion of Paraffin wax and place it in a metal soup can. The amount of wax you will need depends on how many leaves you want to preserve.
- Position the soup can inside a metal coffee can.
- Fill both the soup can and the coffee can with warm water so that the water is approximately 1/2″ below the rim of the cans. The two cans together like this will act as a double-boiler to melt the wax.
- Place the coffee can on the stove over medium heat – adult supervision is required!
- Simmer the water until the wax has melted – make sure not to bring the water to a boil. The melted wax will float to the top of the water.
- When the wax has melted, use a pot holder to remove the cans from the stove – an adult should do this step! Position the cans on newspaper to contain splatters.
- Hold a leaf by it’s stem and dip it into the wax. Use caution not to get your fingers in the hot wax.
- Remove the leaf from the wax and lay it on waxed paper to cool. When the leaf has cooled, it is ready to be used for decorations.
Variations:
- Use your waxed leaves to create garlands. Use monofilament fishing line to string the leaves together and hang from a window for a seasonal decoration.
- Waxed leaves make a wonderful Fall table decoration!
You Might Also Like:
Flower Press Kit – Preserve and press the flowers from your garden with this easy-to-use Flower Press Kit!
DuAll Box – The DuAll box can be used for so many different activities! Perfect for collecting treasures and learning about the world around us.
Share Your Art Works! Activities!
If you have an Art Works! project that you would like to share, email us a digital picture (or scan) of your project , and we will post it in our Kids Gallery. If you would like, include the artists first name, age, and your state. It’s fun for kids to see how other children interpreted the project!
As always, encourage your children to come up with their own new ideas for art – and make sure to check back next week for another Art Works! activity in this series!
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