If you’ve got littles around the house and are in need of some activities to keep their hands busy so that you can do your thing in the kitchen, then have I got the project for you! These fan folded leaves are simple enough that most kids over the age of 7 can do them with very little assistance. Under 7, and you’re looking at a little more help, but not much, especially if you precut the leaves. As a bonus, once you get done, you’ve got yourself some fabulous decorations for your table!
Fan Folded Leaves
What you need:
- 9×12 sheets of construction paper or card stock (one sheet for each leaf). Something like this.
- Acrylic paints: yellow, orange, red, gold
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Tracing paper
- Scissors
- Double-sided tape
- pipe cleaners
Instructions:
- Start by creating your pattern. This site has some really great examples! The essentials are this: You want to only draw half of what the finished leaf will look like because not only will you be folding it like a fan, but you’re going to be folding it in half. So if you’re looking for something like a maple leaf, then you’re going to draw roughly half of the leaf.
- Add some depth to your paper! Using a dry brush, brush a contrasting color or two on top of the paper. Allow to dry.
- Take your desired color and size, and fold the paper in half width-wise Place the fold on the edge of your pattern, and copy the edges of your leaf. This could be a heart shape, a rectangle, or scalloped edge.
- Cut out your leaf!
- Unfold so you have your shape
- Fold in 1/4 inch or smaller folds (think accordion folds)
- Place your pip cleaner in the middle of your folded leaf and bring the outmost edges together, folding around the pipe cleaner. Adhere with double sided tape.
- Ta da! You’ve got one beautiful fan leaf.
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