Get kids excited for September! A collection of ideas to enjoy autumn events and activities

Perfect for decorations! How to fold a dragonfly

[Autumn Origami] Easy☆How to Fold a Dragonfly [Origami] Simple Insect Origami

When it comes to symbols of autumn in Japan, dragonflies come to mind, don’t they? This time, let’s introduce a dragonfly made of origami that’s perfect for autumn crafts.

Prepare two sheets of origami paper, some eyes, and a felt-tip pen, and let’s get started.

For the dragonfly’s body, make creases vertically and horizontally, then fold toward the center line to form a square shape.

When puffing up and shaping parts of the origami, the key is to use your fingertips as you fold.

Next, prepare the remaining sheet of origami to make the wings.

For the sections where you open the paper outward while folding it down, take your time and fold carefully.

Glue the body and wings together, then adjust the body’s shape at the end.

Attach the eyes, and it’s complete.

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mayumi

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Grapes made with tissue paper

Autumn is full of delicious foods, and it’s especially the season when many fruits are harvested.

How about making grapes, a seasonal fruit you can enjoy in autumn? Roll purple tissue paper into balls to create the many round grape berries in a cluster, and have the children stamp their handprints in green on construction paper, cut them out, and use them as grape leaves.

Glue the grape berries onto a backing sheet of the same color.

The number of berries and how they are arranged will change the size and appearance, giving each piece its own personality.

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utatane

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Mushroom pen holder

Let’s make a pen holder with a mushroom motif, one of the flavors of autumn! First, cover one of the open ends of a toilet paper roll with thick paper, and wrap beige origami paper around the outside.

Then attach a mushroom cap cut out of construction paper.

It’s recommended to decorate the cap with patterns using a dauber or round stickers.

To finish, add facial features to the toilet paper roll—the mushroom’s stem—if you like.

It’s perfect for holding drawing supplies or as a Grandparents’ Day gift.

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SAKI

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A whirling-spiral vineyard

This is a fall craft making grapes using spiral swirls! Cut construction paper into long, thin strips and roll them up to make the grape berries.

Depending on the children, you can prepare pre-cut strips or have them cut along drawn lines—adjusting the starting point of the task works well.

Next, apply glue to a triangular (inverted) grape base and stick on the rolled spirals.

Add leaf parts made by flattening some of the rolled spirals, and you’ll have a three-dimensional bunch of grapes! Decorate by sticking them on the wall or hanging them from parts that look like grapevine branches.

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yuri

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Bleeding-effect mushroom

There are many delicious foods that are in season in autumn, and mushrooms are one of the most famous autumn flavors.

You often see autumn-colored mushrooms in wall decorations and the like.

Here’s an idea to make those mushrooms using a bleeding-painting technique.

For the mushroom caps that will have the bleeding effect, use coffee filters.

Draw on the filters with water-based pens in colors you like, then sprinkle water over them to let the colors bleed.

It’s easy to get even coverage by spraying water from a spray bottle.

Make the mushroom stems with colored construction paper, and once the filters are dry, glue them on.

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utatane

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Autumn leaves with newspaper stamping

Beautifully colored autumn leaves.

Let’s try expressing those subtle shades by making stamps out of newspaper.

Cut the newspaper into a suitable size and crumple it to make your stamp.

A nice thing about newspaper stamps is that you can easily adjust them to fit children’s hands and make them easy to press.

On white drawing paper, mix two or three colors of paint and dab the stamp randomly.

Once you’ve stamped the entire sheet, cut it into leaf shapes.

You can add little insect-nibbled holes, string them together like a garland, and try all sorts of creative ideas.

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utatane

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Rabbit moon-viewing with footprint stamps

One of the events in September is the Mid-Autumn Moon Viewing (Tsukimi).

Picture the round, beautiful moon; the rabbit said to live on the moon—an essential character for Tsukimi; and the round, delicious moon-viewing dumplings.

How about making a “moon-viewing rabbit” that brings this scene to life? For the rabbit’s ears, use the children’s footprints.

Painting the bottoms of their feet will probably feel a bit strange, but that’s part of the fun.

Cut out the footprint stamps, paste them onto construction paper of the same color, and draw the rabbit’s face.

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utatane

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