I still can't even believe it but it's almost as if the season automatically changed right on the Autumnal Equinox.. It was cold and wet over the weekend and the yard is covered with yellow leaves. We ever wore sweaters. I've been talking to Huck about autumn lately and we've also talked about the fact that when it finally starts snowing it will be almost time for the baby to come out and meet us. He's only had a vague notion of the seasons though so I decided to create a felt set to help get the idea across.
This isn't even a knock off from anything I've seen. It's totally out of my own head, baby!
Simple materials, just like the Felt Story Sets from my Cheap & Easy Toy Week. Craft felt, scissors, Elmer's Glue-All & cheap fabric paint.
I made one bare tree that will be used in all 4 seasons and then a set of extras for each season. The leaf clusters are attached to a small back piece so they'll be easier to keep up with.
Spring
Small green buds painted on one side of the bare tree, a few leaves, a robin's nest & daffodils
Summer
Green leaf clusters for the tree, grass, a big sun, a wagon & a picnic
Autumn
Yellow, orange and red leaf clusters for the tree, leaves for the ground & pumpkins
Winter
Snow for the bare tree limbs, a blanket of snow for the ground & a snowman
I feel like the tree is a great centerpiece for learning but you can make the extras for each season specific to what your family does during that season or what's going on in your region. Maybe apple picking is big in your area or you have a garden patch that shows the seasons. Maybe a sandbox for summer. You get the idea--make it your own.
We've been playing with it for a couple of days and Huck totally gets the seasons now. Every time he sees a leaf on the ground he grabs it and says "Look! Autumn is here!"
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For more projects like this be sure to check out my Flannel Board Tutorial and my post on making Felt Story Sets. You might also want to visit out my Cheap and Easy Page for lots of inexpensive homemade toy and game ideas
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