I’m back with more ideas for fall art with kids! The preschoolers had so much fun with our corn painting, so we decided to try another collaborative fall activity centered around art! The kiddos have become quite enamored with acorns recently, so I decided that would be a fun focus this time around.
Acorn painting makes for fun fall art for kids (and adults)!
My Nearest and Dearest’s Acorn Cap Stamping inspired part of the activity, as did Still Playing School’s love for all things acorn!
Materials
Acorns (we had a ton on-hand, thanks to the kids gathering them)
Tempera paint – brown, yellow, and red
Large white canvas
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We started off by dipping some acorns in paint, then rolling them along the canvas. I’ve done versions of roll painting in the past, with items like marbles and coconuts. So I knew the kids would enjoy this part of our art project. I didn’t realize HOW much fun they would have, though!
I put a large tarp on the floor of our Messy Room, then placed the canvas on top of it. A few children came over at a time, dipping the acorns in the paint. They then worked together to rotate the canvas and move the painted acorns around. This led to many giggles, as the acorns would eventually fall off the canvas. Usually, I do roll painting in some kind of container (like a tray), but I didn’t have anything the right size for the canvas. Thus the tarp!
After a bit, the kiddos decided to just use their fingers to roll the acorns. This was definitely a lot messier, but they still loved it. In fact, I think the messy aspect made some of the kids love it even more! Most of the children rolled the acorns, but a few decided to use the acorns like paintbrushes. So we ended up with a few different effects on the canvas.
Once the roll painting part had dried, we moved onto the next part of our acorn art! This part of the process was directly inspired by My Nearest and Dearest’s Acorn Cap Art. I let the children stamp and paint all over the canvas. We had some great discussions about how the acorn tops made different prints and patterns (in comparison to the acorn rolling “technique”).
The final part of our fall art for kids project involved a glue gun and even more acorns! (Did I mention that my students are in love with collecting acorns right now?!) This last part was the least messy, but the kiddos loved it just as much as the previous stages. Basically, they helped me hot glue acorn and acorn tops to our painted canvas. Some children were interested in helping me squirt the hot glue and place the acorns on the glue. Others were happier to just direct the process, and that was okay too!
I personally think our acorn art turned out amazingly well! I love the colors, textures, and the different depths represented by the acorns. The acorns and caps add a three-dimensional aspect to the art that I just adore! Yes, I’m rather biased . . . but I know the kids did a great job with this project. It’s now hung in pride of place above our corn painting canvas.
What about you? Any fall art for kids you’d like to suggest? I’m always looking for more techniques to try with my students.
If you’re looking for more acorn activities for the kiddos, pop on over to my Acorn Pinterest board. Yes, I have a Pinterest board just devoted to acorns. Try not to judge me! 😉 My students are so intrigued by acorns, and I want to capitalize on their interest!
Dear Mary Catherine,
Thank you for the great post which definitely goes to my twitter and Facebook. I will try to do it with my kid today. He is just crazy about acorns! It is a great idea to show him that you can actually do something with them (not just throwing them down the hill or trying to find wild pigs on the playground to feed them )
Thank you!
It’s a great idea, but for teachers and anyone with allergies. Acorns are part of the tree nut family so I wouldn’t suggest this unless you know there is no nut allergies.
Actually, all the research out there says that’s not the case. As long as kids don’t ingest the acorns (and people shouldn’t really be randomly eating the acorns anyway). 🙂 I researched that a while back, and double checked with friends who have severe nut allergies. Now, there’s always a slight possibility that someone might be allergic to acorns themselves, but it’s not linked in with those who have other nut allergies. Always good to be aware, though, so thank you!