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DLTK's Holiday Activities for Kids
Halloween Tree Paper Craft

I think this simple little cut and paste craft turned out very cute!  

There are a variety of versions to the craft to add complexity for older children.

The craft is simple enough for young kids to contribute but still fun for even mom to make.  I like doing the tissue paper version but it's tough for preschoolers to make -- the templates are more appropriate for them.


Templates version
There are a number of variations on this craft depending on which templates you print:
  
  1. Template Version (younger children):  print the trunk template and the leaves template and paste them together.
      
  2. Tissue Paper Version (older children):  cut 1.5 inch squares of tissue paper, wrap around the eraser end of a pencil and glue to the trunk template.
      

Rather than using the Trunk template, you can decorate a "homemade" trunk (to make the trunk, trace your child's arm from the elbow up, including the fingers)


Tissue paper version

Materials:

bullet printer, 
bullet paper, 
bullet scissors, 
bullet glue, 
bullet something to colour with (for B&W version and to add ghosts, pumpkins, etc)
  
bulletTissue Paper Version only - you will also need:  
  
bullettissue paper in black and orange (about 1/2 a standard sheet of orange and 1/4 of black) -- although these are odd colors for tissue paper, they aren't tough to find near Halloween.
  
bulletstandard pencil with an eraser
  

Instructions - Template Version:   

bulletPrint out the template of choice. 
 
bulletColour pieces, as necessary.  (For a change of pace, try using different mediums than you typically do, such as paints or pastels).  
   
bulletCut out the bats and leaves.  This step may require adult assistance.  
  
bullet We cut out our trunk and glued it to a piece of black construction paper -- you could just decorated the template page with the trunk on it instead.  
 
bulletGlue the leaves onto the tree.  I like using a glue stick for the template pieces. 
  
bulletGlue the bats onto the tree or the surrounding paper.  I like using a glue stick for the template pieces.
 
bulletUse crayons, paints or collage materials to further decorate the page (if you've used a black construction paper background, white pencil crayon ghosts look spooky!)
  

Instructions - Tissue Paper Version:      

bulletPrint out the trunk or make one by tracing the child's hand (with finger's spread) and arm about half way up to the elbow. 
 
bulletColour the trunk if using the B&W version.  (For a change of pace, try using different mediums than you typically do, such as paints or pastels).  
   
bulletCut black and orange tissue paper into 1.5 inch squares.  We put all our squares in a margarine container so they wouldn't fly around and make a mess when someone walked by our work space.
  
bulletSqueeze glue on about 1/4 of the tree (liquid glue works much better than a glue stick for this project)  
  
bulletWrap a tissue paper square onto the eraser end of a pencil.
  
bulletPlace the tissue paper onto the tree by pushing the eraser end of the pencil (wrapped in tissue paper) onto a spot with glue.
  
bulletContinue placing squares of tissue paper, mixing the colors, until the tree is nice and full.
  
bulletUse crayons, paints or collage materials to further decorate the page.


Here we are making the summer tree but the
process is the same for the Haloween tissue paper tree.

Templates:

bulletClose the template window after printing to return to this screen. 
   
bulletSet page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP in most browsers). 
 

 

Tree Trunk Template            (color)   or   (B&W)

Leaves and Bats Template  (color)   or   (B&W)

 

 

 

Printable version of these instructions