I am waiting for the fall weather to hit around here. I may be waiting a while but that doesn’t mean that W and I cannot get into the spirit of a new season. He will take any reason to break out the paint and do some art. So he had a blast doing this Fall Tree Cork Painting and I enjoyed giving him the opportunity to paint with something other than fingers and paint brushes!
Fall Tree Cork Painting Craft
Using corks to paint is just one of the ways I like to let W do some sensory exploration with paint. We do a lot of finger painting and W also loves using paint brushes. But it definitely makes things a little more exciting to try using items like corks, sponges, cotton balls, and cotton swabs. Changing up the type of “brush” you use can make it a new adventure!
 What You Need
- White paper or cardstock (I recommend cardstock although this could be amazing on canvas too!)
- Red, Yellow, Orange, and Brown paint
- Brown construction paper
- Tree Trunk template (or just freehand your own on the brown construction paper which is what I did)
- Corks (I recommend one for each color)
- Glue
- Scissors
- Paper plates (to make paint clean up easier)
What You Do
- Trace or draw tree shape on brown construction paper. Cut out and glue to white cardstock.
- Pour paint on paper plates (one plate per color) for easier clean up.
- Dip cork in paint and dot color around tree branches and along the bottom of the paper.
- Repeat with remaining colors.
- Let dry and display!
These could be great homemade gifts for grandparents if you made them on a small canvas or perhaps even a charger! The kids love making them and with a spray of sealant they will last for a long time and be perfect through the fall and Thanksgiving season!
Kristin Barclay says
Very cool, and simple enough that even the craft challenged crowd, like myself, can be successful. I think we may try this!
Mitch says
That is so cool Mariah!
My son would love that, he is a major artist!
thanks,
Mitch
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
Great idea, we save our wine corks too, perfect!!
Emily says
How fun! My favorite fall craft is probably the good ole’ turkey made from a hand. :)
Chelsea Day says
What a great idea. I love it. I think my boys would have a ball making the tree.
Stacie @ The Divine Miss Mommy says
What a totally cute craft! I love it.
Elena says
Looks nice! We like to make crafts with fall leaves
shelly peterson says
This looks like a lot of fun! My son and grandson would enjoy doing this! I love the use of differnt objects to paint with.
Mary Dailey says
My grandkids would love to do this. I’ve been saving corks for special projects, so we’re good to go!
Jenn Pinspired (@YouPinspireMe) says
Thanks so much for this idea! We just took a template of a tree trunk, printed it out, & cork painted on it instead of cutting out the tree trunks – I LOVE that idea, but I needed a super quick craft today! Blogged about it over at YouPinspireMe.ca. Thanks for inspiring us today!!
melissa finn says
This such a great idea and so easy. I’m going to do this with my son. We have lots of corks in this house!
loriag says
This would be great with a group of kids. Thank you for sharing such wonderful ideas.
Janet W. says
This is finally what our trees are looking like in GA now. My grandson would love to do this craft to copy what he sees outside!