Nothing says New England quite like the fall season; red, yellow and orange leaves, the crisp autumn air, farm stands full of winter squash and pumpkins and of course Apples! Apples are one of the first signs of Autumn and have been an essential part of New England agriculture for centuries. Apple picking is a Fall family tradition around here and we truly can never pick enough! We not only love to cook and bake with our apples, but have found some fun ways to craft with them too!
One of the kids favorite Apple Crafts is to cut an apple in half, dip it into some tempura paint and press them onto fabric or paper to create “Apple Prints.” I’ve been doing this fun, easy project with my kids since they were 4 years old and they still have fun experimenting with apple prints today!
If you’d like to give apple printing a try all you need are these materials:
- Apples
- Cotton or twill fabric
- Tempura paint and brush (and something to pour paint onto for dipping)
- A long stick or dowel rod
- Hot glue gun & glue
- String or yarn for hanging
- Extra fabric cut into leaf shapes and modge podge to glue the leaves onto the fabric.
Instructions:
- Cut your fabric to fit the size of your stick or dowel; fold top edge of fabric over stick and hot glue gun in place (you can also hand sew this if you prefer)
- Pour your paint onto a pallet for dipping; dip sliced apple into paint or apply a thin coat with a paint brush (encourage your child to experiment with the amount of paint, but the less paint, the better, so you can see the star print)
- Press apple onto fabric and remove
- If adding fabric leaves, apply modge podge glue with a paint brush (this glue will be transparent when dry so it is a good idea to brush it under and on top of the leaves.
- Tie yarn or string to each end of stick to hang for display
*You can also create beautiful apple prints on paper
Enjoy!
Some Great Books about Apples to add to the fun:
Be The Route 