Activity: Fingerprint Tree

After doing several crafts with Eli I realized that I need to have a good balance between activities that allow a good amount of freedom and creativity (i.e. painting) and activities that require specific instructions (i.e. gluing paper crafts). I had remembered seeing this project online and decided it would be a good one for Eli. So this was last week's craft.

Fingerprint Tree--for an autumn tree use orange, yellow, and/or red paint instead of green

I really thought Eli would just smear the paint all around instead of doing single fingerprints, but after just a couple demonstrations, he caught right on and did fingerprints! However, the perfectionist in me had to help as I tried to show him how create a tree shape by adding fingerprints in a concentrated area. So we worked together on this, though afterward I realized I could have drawn lightly a big oval area and told him to fill it with fingerprints. Just another idea. We used yellow and orange paints and then halfway through mixed them together to make some brown. I think it turned out really nice, and as always he had loads of fun!

ready to start!

This is when he realized his fingers were messy and wanted to be done.