Making a fall wreath with Constance!

I've been trying to do more crafts with the kids. I've been doing them with Constance since she was Bubby's age, but some days I get busy with the humdrum of housework and I forget about it. However, I've been trying to change that. I want to enjoy my kids, play with them, and teach them, because I know eventually they'll be in school and I'll miss these days. I have made a resolution to turn off the tv and get them active and stimulated. Now, Bubby is still really young, so he can't participate in craft time the way that Constance does. I typically let him play with his toys or like I did today, give him a crayon and a piece of paper (he is already learning how to doodle). I call this channeling my inner teacher. This has to be one the many reasons I love being a stay at home mom!

Today Constance and I walked through the yard with a plastic bag and collected leaves! I thought that she would enjoy this activity, but she was actually too scared to touch them. I tried to explain that leaves weren't alive and that they're a plant like grass, but she still screamed every time I tried to get her to touch one. Funny considering she used to try and eat them when she was a year old! With the beautiful leaves we collected, we came inside and made a beautiful fall wreath!
You probably remember making wreaths like this in elementary school. I know I do!

What we used:

A paper plate with the middle cut out

Glue

String (I didn't have any so I took some string from a gift bag!)

Leaves

Blow dryer (my leaves were damp)

Hairspray (I heard once that it helps things like old flowers harden and stay together! Couldn't hurt.)

Excited to dry the leaves! Doesn't she have a beautiful smile?!

I glued around the plate and then I gave her full creative control! Ha ha. When she realized she could use the glue herself, she decided she wasn't afraid of the leaves anymore. She said, the leaves won't hurt us, Mommy.

Bubby threw his crayon and paper on the floor. He was ready for us to be done!

We punched holes into the plate and tied a string through them, a step I reccommend doing beforehand because we had to go back and re-glue a couple of leaves. Once we were finished, I sprayed a little bit of hairspray on it and then laid it out to dry. Constance was so excited when I finally let her hold it up!

This was a fun little activity to do and it was also a great chance for me to teach Constance about fall. She looked at Bubby once we were done and said, Bubby, fall is when the leaves come down from the trees. I guess she learned something. She also got to learn how to use glue, because up until now I've only allowed her to use a glue stick! So, even though this was a pretty basic craft, we still had a blast and made something pretty!