Now that many of the leaves have fallen from trees it is an ideal time to carry out leaf printing.
This is a great, fun activity to do with your children.
Firstly it gets the whole family to get wrapped up and get outdoors for some fresh air.
Secondly it will help get the children involved with nature, just by them learning which leaves come from which trees or even just observing the various different autumn shades that are out there you are teaching them new skills.
Even if you do not have the first idea of which leaves belong to which trees it is a perfect opportunity to teach your children research skills.
Possible go to the library for information on trees local to your area or look for information on the internet.
The children will love getting their woollies and boots on and running through piles of leaves.
Most areas have protected woodlands within a reasonable distance of where you live.
Point out to your youngsters any wildlife that you see when you are there, you could also take a digital camera with you and snap pictures of anything unusual or interesting.
There is no end to the fun your children can have with nature, they could try bark rubbing or even a treasure hunt.
I sometimes think that it is far too simple to entertain children these days with the technology that is available.
Obviously these recourses are great educational tools but spending quality time with your children while doing a fun, educational activity can help create a strong bond with your children to help create the kind of family relationships we all would like.
Leaf printing is a fantastic activity to help promote family bonding and it's a perfect time of year for collecting leaves.
So what are you waiting for? You can print leaves on a variety of different materials, canvas, paper or material (maybe design your own T-shirt).
The first stage is to paint one side of your chosen leaf; you will find if you paint the side of the leaf where the veins protrude you will get a much clearer image.
Then place newspaper under your fabric or canvas, if printing on a T-shirt you should put newspaper between the layers of fabric to prevent paint seeping through.
Then it is time to press the painted side of the leaf onto the canvas, paper or fabric, this is known as pressure painting and with practise can achieve beautiful results.
After a few trial runs you will discover how much paint should be applied to the leaf as well as the amount of pressure needed for the best results.
Using a rolling pin can make leaf printing easier as the pressure is distributed more evenly onto the leaf.
Another technique you can try is to lay the leaf down with the painted side facing upwards then lay the paper, fabric or canvas to be printed on top of the leaf, in one firm movement press down on the leaf to create your print.
The effect will be slightly different from using the rolling pin, you will probably have fun developing your own techniques for different effects.
Once your prints are dry you can wear your new printed T-Shirt, frame your printed Canvas or stick up your printed paper.
For another activity the children can do use the leaves printed on paper as parts of your child's favourite animal and get them to add the eyes, ears, tail, legs and so on, hours of fun.
This is a great, fun activity to do with your children.
Firstly it gets the whole family to get wrapped up and get outdoors for some fresh air.
Secondly it will help get the children involved with nature, just by them learning which leaves come from which trees or even just observing the various different autumn shades that are out there you are teaching them new skills.
Even if you do not have the first idea of which leaves belong to which trees it is a perfect opportunity to teach your children research skills.
Possible go to the library for information on trees local to your area or look for information on the internet.
The children will love getting their woollies and boots on and running through piles of leaves.
Most areas have protected woodlands within a reasonable distance of where you live.
Point out to your youngsters any wildlife that you see when you are there, you could also take a digital camera with you and snap pictures of anything unusual or interesting.
There is no end to the fun your children can have with nature, they could try bark rubbing or even a treasure hunt.
I sometimes think that it is far too simple to entertain children these days with the technology that is available.
Obviously these recourses are great educational tools but spending quality time with your children while doing a fun, educational activity can help create a strong bond with your children to help create the kind of family relationships we all would like.
Leaf printing is a fantastic activity to help promote family bonding and it's a perfect time of year for collecting leaves.
So what are you waiting for? You can print leaves on a variety of different materials, canvas, paper or material (maybe design your own T-shirt).
The first stage is to paint one side of your chosen leaf; you will find if you paint the side of the leaf where the veins protrude you will get a much clearer image.
Then place newspaper under your fabric or canvas, if printing on a T-shirt you should put newspaper between the layers of fabric to prevent paint seeping through.
Then it is time to press the painted side of the leaf onto the canvas, paper or fabric, this is known as pressure painting and with practise can achieve beautiful results.
After a few trial runs you will discover how much paint should be applied to the leaf as well as the amount of pressure needed for the best results.
Using a rolling pin can make leaf printing easier as the pressure is distributed more evenly onto the leaf.
Another technique you can try is to lay the leaf down with the painted side facing upwards then lay the paper, fabric or canvas to be printed on top of the leaf, in one firm movement press down on the leaf to create your print.
The effect will be slightly different from using the rolling pin, you will probably have fun developing your own techniques for different effects.
Once your prints are dry you can wear your new printed T-Shirt, frame your printed Canvas or stick up your printed paper.
For another activity the children can do use the leaves printed on paper as parts of your child's favourite animal and get them to add the eyes, ears, tail, legs and so on, hours of fun.