The next time you head out on a nature walk, be sure to collect some of the fall leaves on the ground. They’re begging to be used in so many art projects, and this particular one is perfect for preschoolers.

When we got home and set our leaves out on a tray, Veronika marveled at the colors. “The leaves come from the fall, and snowflakes come from winter!” she told me. Sounds like somebody is learning her seasons at preschool!

The first step was to glue our leaves down to colored construction paper. We used reds, yellows, and oranges for the background, to keep up the autumnal color scheme. We then painted our leaves to turn them into various animals. Outlining “cheeks” and the tips of “ears” on a maple leaf made it look like a little fox!

Turned sideways, the leaves were more like birds flying (headed south for winter of course). You can either paint on eyes, or glue down wiggle eyes to each animal, too.

Veronika’s final creations were decidedly her own. Smiling frogs perhaps? Let your toddler create the animal he or she wants and see what creatures you end up with!

We happened to have leaves of only one shape, but if you collect a variety, you’ll be able to explore even more options for painting animals. A long oval might be a deer face with narrow oak leaves for antlers, while a fat oval could be the body of an owl. Please share your animal leaf creations in the comments!