How to Make Creative Leaf Placemats

Supplies:

• Construction paper or cardstock
• Markers
• Outdoor leaves from trees (we picked ones that had fallen off our tree already!)
• Craft Glue
• Laminator or laminating paper roll

Please Note:  This project has endless possiblities so the supplies I am listing are strictly for the exact placemat that my kids and I made this week, however, this is one of those projects that you could use a vast amount of supplies to create the same end result.  We chose to use outdoor leaves because I had one child who wanted to do a craft and one who wanted to play outside, and the only way I figured out how to please them both was if our craft project was something that required working outdoors (hence the leaves that we went on a “hunt” for before retiring to the outdoor picnic table for creation).

Directions

1. Pick a nice day outdoors and spend some time collecting your leaves for your project.  You can pick any sizes and shapes so long as they will fit onto your paper size.
2. Once you have your leaves, sit down with your paper and adhere the leaves using craft glue to your paper.

1. Decorate as you prefer using paint/markers/glitter/etc.
2. After allowing some time for the glue to dry, use a laminator (or the self-sealing laminating paper you can buy on a roll at many craft stores or even places such as Walmart) and laminate the final creation.  (Make sure to leave some extra space beyond the paper to laminate so that there is a good seal.  *The lamination is essential in making it so you can wipe the placemat clean without damaging the artwork.*

 Now you have a brand new placemat that your child created all on their own to eat on.  My children love that they made their very own placemat and have had a lot of fun eating off it this week.   This is also a great idea for special occassions such as birthdays or Thanksgiving to create themed place settings.  It’s a super easy, quick project that the kids will enjoy!!

If you get a chance to try this project out, please share yours with us!  We would love to see what some of our other creative artists can come up with!