Are you the type to get all wrapped up in the autumn season? Colorful leaves falling from the trees, the smell of pumpkin pie and apple cider, and the promise of the first snowfall. Would you like a way to wear your love for the season? Perhaps the idea sounds a little corny to you, but your kids may love it! You can display your love of the fall by wearing a homemade necklace. If you would like to try this craft with your kids, make sure you have the following items:
-Thread
-Needles
-Popcorn
-Fall leaves
-Dried fruit
-Cranberries
-Nuts
First, you will have to cut a piece of thread for everyone that will be making a fall necklace. Do not cut the thread too short! You will need to be able to tie it when you are done. Make sure that the thread is long enough so that when the ends of it are together, you can easily slip the loop over your head without untying it.
Next, thread the needle. If you are working with younger children, make sure they know how to use a needle. You may have to thread the needle for them. This project works best with older children.
Bring out all of the things that you may put on your necklace. Find colorful autumn leaves outside and pop a few bags of popcorn. Begin your necklace by stringing on a cranberry. Be careful, as cranberries can be very hard and sometimes a needle will shoot through a cranberry very suddenly. When you get the cranberry near the end of your string, put the needle back through the cranberry so that it forms a loop. This will keep the rest of your necklace from falling off the thread. Start stringing bits of dried apples and apricots, cranberries, popcorn, nuts, and autumn leaves. You can make a pattern in the necklace (three cranberries between everything, three bits of popcorn and then three nuts, so on) or you can make it completely random.
When you have filled up your entire string, remove the needle from the thread and tie the two ends of the string together with several knots. Now you can wear your new creation! This craft is fun to do with kids in an after-school program because they can go out and pick their own leaves or bring some from home, and they can personalize their necklaces by bringing in items from home that they think of.
You shouldn’t keep this necklace for very long…no more than a week, as the dried fruit and popcorn may start to get stale and even moldy. When you are done enjoyed your necklace, don’t throw it out! You can hang it from a nearby tree branch and watch birds, squirrels, and chipmunks enjoy the fruity and nutty treats! When only the leaves are left on the thread, bring it back inside…but only if a bird hasn’t beaten you to taking the string; he may want to use it to build a nest!
