By Mary Van Dyke
In the autumn, collect easy-to-find acorn caps and fallen leaves around the schoolyard, garden and neighborhood. Play and create transformative works of art. Enjoy the diversity and bounty of the harvest season. This is basic integrative learning and fun creative Nature STEM for pre-K thru adult.
Here below are several crafts and activities for working with acorn caps and leaves:
- Acorn Jewels or Acorn Gems
- Acorn Memory Game
- Acorn Nests
- Acorn Berets
- Acorn Cap Whistle
- Acorn Wreath
- Oak Leaf Wonders
- Seed Safari
Acorn Jewels or Acorn Gems
For ages 5 - 10
Materials
- Small acorn caps about 1 cm diameter e.g. from Willow Oaks and White Oaks (5 or so caps per student)
- Washable felt tip pens to color inside of the cap
- White acrylic glue
- Q-tips
- Muffin cases
- 13 x 9 x 2 dish
- Pound of rice
- Popsicle sticks (small) - one per student
- Sharpie pen
Method
- Use washable felt tip pens to color inside of acorn caps (one color per cap).
- Fill acorn caps to brim with white acrylic glue e.g. Elmer's School glue (pour glue into muffin cases - use Q-tips for child to add glue to acorn).
- Fill 13 x 9 x 2 tray or pyrex dish one inch deep with a pound of rice
- Carefully place acorn caps to dry upright in the tray of rice - and label each child’s row of acorn caps with a popsicle stick.
- Leave for 3 days or so to dry.
- Watch the glue dilute the dye from the felt tip pens and then slowly evaporate.
- Acorns will transform into shiny colored Acorn Jewels or Acorn Gems!
Acorn Memory Game
Adult to make for ages 5 - 10 to play the Memory Game
Materials
- Large deep acorn caps from Red Oak family e.g. Black Oaks
You need 16 acorn caps for each 4 x 4 memory game
- Tight-weave jute burlap 18” x 15“ (e.g. obtainable from Michaels) 18” x 10 ft roll makes 6 playmats)
- Deco Americana Gloss enamel in 8 colors - White, plus True Red, Bright Yellow, Bright Orange, Lavender, Festive Green, Calypso Blue I mixed pink from the white and true red
- Flathead brush
- 13 x 9 x 2” tray or dish with about 1/2 inch of rice (a pound of rice) for drying rack
- Paper plate as paint palette
- Organza bag in gold color, 7 x 5 inches for acorns
- Gold color satin ribbon, ½ to ¾ inch, say 18 inches for playmat tie
Per playing set - make two painted caps of in each of 8 colors, reserve caps and make some spares too!
After you paint each acorn cup stand it up in 13 x 9 tray with 1 inch deep rice. Two coats of gloss for each cap, plus three coats for yellow and orange, cover each painted cap with a coat of gloss varnish for extra protection.
Put your acorn cap playing pieces in an organza bag 5 x7 in gold color.
Make burlap playmat
- Outline a 12 x 12” square template, and divide into four 3 x 3 squares.
- Use template to draw outline of "board" on the burlap.
- Roll up the burlap playmat and add a gold satin ribbon for tying and storing when not in use
Enjoy playing this memory game alone or take turns with a partner!
Acorn Nests
Ages 10 to adult to make
- Acorn caps, use large flat 1 - 2 cm diameter acorns with spiky caps, for example from Sawtooth Oak trees
- Look at a guidebook to Nests and Eggs to be inspired and informed about the diversity of birds eggs color, shapes and patterns.
- Sculpy or other polymer clay shaped and baked as per instructions
Here are some eggs my daughter made with blue and speckled with gold paint flicked on with a toothbrush. In retrospect they seem like a Summer Tanager’s egg!
Acorn Berets for small stuffed animal beanies
Ages 8 to 10
- Acorn caps, use flat caps from Red Oaks - to dress your small stuffed animals with berets “beanie caps for your Beanie animals”.
Here’s Pink Kitty looking stylish in her Acorn Beret!
Acorn Cap Whistle
How to Whistle Using an Acorn Cap
Whistling with acorns is a trick that is easy to learn and teach, plus, it is very effective at getting attention and amazement from friends. Additionally, it can save your life if you are lost in the woods and need a way to signal rescuers/ scare off wildlife. See http://www.wikihow.com/Whistle-Using-an-Acorn-Cap
Acorn Wreath
A craft for 2 year olds and up - and with plenty of acorns and caps of all kinds. I have not tried this one. Let me know if you do!
Oak Leaf Wonders
Go on a oak leaf gathering hike - red oak leaves work well
Use snowflake, flower and other 5/8 inch small craft hole punches (e.g. from Fiskars) to punch holes in oak leaves and other fallen autumn leaves.
Hang student’s work on string with miniature clothes pins, on orange paper background. Or enclose your beautiful leaves in a letter to a friend!
Voila - a cheerful and wonderful art display!
And of course - where the harvest-gathering all begins...
Go on a hunt looking for seeds!
Seed Safari
- This is a perennial favorite activity with children of all ages.
- Use an card egg carton box (one per student) to collect and sort finds.
- If your schoolyard has few seedheads in the autumn - then bring some in from elsewhere to increase "findability"
- Use microscopes/magnifying glasses to increase students observation experience.
Discussions
How do seeds travel? Do they float on the wind? Travel by animals?
Seeds we eat: discuss what did you have for breakfast? coffee, beans, wheat, oats, nuts
Bring in other seeds for students to study - including a tomato, cucumber, coconut
Do a seed dissection
Soak pound of lima beans for 2+ hours, demonstrate and give a bean seed to each student. Peel off the seed coat. Can you find the two food parts (cotyledons), and the seed embryo's root and shoot? The food in the cotyledon supports the first growth of the new plant
Readings
A Seed is Sleepy, Diana Aston, Sylvia Long, for 3-5 grade
Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds, Jean Richards, for 1-2 grade
One Tiny Seed, Eric Carle for pre-K to 1
See my previous blog Oak Trees and Acorns as Teaching Tools for a discussion of teaching with oak trees, acorn biology and seed viability.
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