Magazine Leaf Trees

Ask any kindergarten teacher what their most abused supplies are in their classroom, and one of the top three will always be “glue sticks.” The poor glue sticks get smashed, completely extended, caps left off, and covered in fuzz. It’s not the fault of the children – many of them do not get to practice the skill as often as necessary before entering elementary school. This art activity gives the preschool students an opportunity to practice that skill while creating beautiful seasonal art at the same time!

First: Introduce the Glue Stick

If this is your classroom’s first time with a glue stick, you have to spend a few minutes demonstrating how to use one. Remember, this is new to them! Show them the parts: the cap, the glue inside, the wheel at the bottom to get more glue. Demonstrate how to hold it. And make sure to give them the most important glue-stick-tip of all: Put the glue on the paper, not on the leaf. This will ensure they have greater success and less frustration.

Next: Get Ready

Provide the children with bright colored fall construction paper, brown trunks, and leaf-shaped cut-outs.  Punching the shapes out of magazine pages is not only economical but beautiful as well. Incidentally, a great way to prep for this is to allow the children to punch out the leaf shapes. Small plastic ramekins are perfect to corral the leaves.

Finally: Time to Create!

The results really do speak for themselves. The students enjoy a high-success art activity while practicing an essential skill. As a bonus, you get beautiful seasonal artwork to display in your classroom!