I am very excited to bring you a specific unit extender here at Heart of the Matter– the crafts, projects, recipes, and experiments that we’ve used in our schooling to help add to your existing unit on the topics I post each month.

At our home, we tend to lean towards a hands on approach to help enhance our children’s learning. I love to see them understanding what they are learning when making these projects, as well as the excitement after working on an experiment or putting together a craft. I pray that each month, these projects will bless you and your family.

I can’t believe it’s already Autumn, which gets me thinking about leaves changing colors, cooler temperatures, and getting cozy indoors. With the new season also brings thoughts to falling leaves and apple picking. For this month’s topic, I would like to share some crafts and projects that would complement your existing study on these subjects for this month’s unit study helper, which is geared mainly towards elementary aged children.

Crafts:

Awesome Apple Paper Craft
Resource: DLTK’s Educational Crafts
(http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/mawesomeapple.html)

Supplies Needed:
Paper Plate
Printer
Glue
Scissors

Directions:

• Use link above to find the templates you will need for the apple man.

My kids had fun making this apple paper craft. It was easy to make and needed little supplies. This was designed with a preschooler in mind, but my elementary aged children had fun making it.

Fingerprint Apple or Cherry Tree
Resource: DLTK’s Educational Crafts
(http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous/fingerprint_appletree.htm)

Supplies Needed:
White Paper
Finger Paints

Directions:

• Have child draw tree trunk with leaves and apples on it.

Terra Cotta Apple
Resource: DLTK’s Educational Crafts
(http://www.dltk-kids.com/)

Supplies Needed:
Terra Cotta Pot
Terra Cotta Base
Green or Red Craft Paint
Black Craft Paint
White Craft Paint
Raffia
Fall Craft Leaves
Paint sponge brush

This was so fun to make. You will need to give it a couple coats of paint and allow drying time between coats before painting on the black chalkboard and white lettering. You can put whatever you’d like your saying to be. My children decided to give these as gifts to friends and put Hershey’s kisses inside.

Directions:

• Paint pot green red to represent apple color. Two coats are necessary
• After paint is dry, paint chalkboard section with black craft paint.
• Let dry
• Write your saying with white paint to resemble chalk.
• Let dry
• After lid is completely dry, hot glue raffia bow on top
• Hot glue craft leaves on top under or next to bow raffia
• Fill with candy, toys etc…

Autumn Leaf Wall Hanging

Supplies Needed:
Contact Paper
Craft Leaves
Yarn
Sheet of Construction Paper-Fall color
Sheet of Fall Colored Felt- Non Sticky Back

Directions:

• Cut out inner felt sheet to give about 1-1 ½ inch border on outside to resemble a frame.
• Glue craft leaves in any design you’d like onto the fall colored construction paper.
• Cover work with contact paper, both front and back
• Glue string to make handle to hang up to the back of the project.

Hand Print Autumn Tree

Supplies Needed:
Medium Sized poster board or construction paper
Fall colored tissue paper
Brown construction or copy paper
Crayons or markers (Optional)

Directions:

• Have your child trace his hand print and part of his/her arm onto the brown paper.
• Glue onto construction or poster board
• Have them tear small pieces of tissue paper
• Crinkle them and place on your hand tree and around the tree like the ‘leaves’ are falling.
• Color or draw a scene around it if so desire.

Leaf Wreath

Supplies Needed:
Fall Craft Leaves
Paper Plate
Glue
Yarn or string

Directions:

• Cut out the center of the paper plate
• Glue leaves around the plate to cover it completely
• Let dry
• Place string or yarn around top and hang

Apple Magnets

Supplies Needed:
Red or green craft paint
Lid of a can
Sponge paint brush
Brown Felt
Green Felt
Black Felt Tip Marker
Two wiggly eyes
Magnet
Glue

Directions:

• Paint lid green or red
• Let dry (You may need to paint two coats)
• Glue on wiggly eyes
• Make a smiley face
• Cut brown felt to resemble stem
• Cut green felt to resemble leaf
• Glue magnet to back of lid

Resources:

Apple Unit Helps
http://www.kinderkorner.com/apple.html
http://www.thevirtualvine.com/apples.html
http://www.thekcrew.net/apples.html
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/Apple_Math_Booklet.pdf
http://www.teachingheart.net/appleunit.html

Autumn/Fall Unit Helps
http://www.fvsd.ab.ca/stm/autumn%20Themes.htm
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
http://www.homeschoollearning.com/units/unit_09-21-01.shtml

Lynn is a blessed wife to a wonderful husband of 12 years, a mom to three children, ranging from 15 to almost 8, and in the process of expanding their family through adoption. They are in their fifth year of homeschooling, using a hands on/eclectic approach to learning. You can find out more by visiting her blogs @ Learning By Living and Ladybug Chronicles.