Pipe cleaner fall crafts are a great activity to incorporate art projects into any fall unit, with the changing leaves, beautiful autumn colors, and cooler weather, there are so many opportunities to enjoy seasonal crafts with kids. Also, you’ll love my pages Fall Season Unit Study {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More} and Fall Apple Lapbook and Apple Unit Study for more ideas.
Today, we’re making a beautiful pipe cleaner sunflower together. This is a fun fall craft for kids that combines creativity with hands-on learning.
Whether you’re looking for a simple afternoon activity, a homeschool art project, or a way to celebrate the beauty of the season, this sunflower craft is a lovely place to start.
One of our favorite inexpensive craft supplies is pipe cleaners (also known as chenille stems). Pipe cleaners are soft, colorful, and easy for little hands to bend, twist, and shape.
They are perfect for creating everything from flowers to fall leaves and adorable seasonal decorations.
First, add some of these living books to your fall day.
LIVING BOOKS ABOUT THE FALL SEASON FOR KIDS
And we prefer living books when we can find them.
15 Fall Books For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
With a chill in the air and leaves falling, grab one or two of these fun books for your home library.
A compilation of Native American speeches affirming the desire to live in spiritual and ecological harmony includes the words of Geronimo, Sitting Bull, and Cochise, covering such topics as fishing rights, peace treaties, and the devastation of their land.
"Mr. Tresselt writes quiet, factual prose about katydids, reapers and threshing, falling leaves, apple-gathering, and the first frost."--New York Herald Tribune.
A concise text and crisp, close-up, color photographs of thirteen different leaves from North American trees teach very young children how to look at and compare the leaves of autumn, and are accompanied by an explanation of why they turn color.
These are the apples, juicy and red,that went in the pie,warm and sweet,that Papa baked...for guess who!
Kids will love this playful story of a unique fall friendship between a girl . . . and her squash! On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the miniature world of the mice of Brambly Hedge!
Bad weather is on the way and the autumn stores are still not gathered in!
Quickly, all the mice of Brambly Hedge set to work to finish the harvesting before the rain begins. Primrose, Lord Woodmouse's daughter, meant to help, but somehow she daydreamed her way over the cornfield and into the Chestnut Woods, and before she knew it, she was lost. The sun went down, the wind rose and it began to rain. Primrose was all alone in the dark and she was frightened.
Poor Primrose, would she find her way home again?
Mr. Hermit Miser doesn’t like his neighbors, and they don’t like him. But when a pumpkin vine sprouts in Mr. Hermit Miser’s yard and makes its way into the neighbors’ yards, but he wants all those pumpkins for pies … well, what is he to do?
With adventures in pumpkin-snatching, failed attempts at baking pies, and pumpkin goo everywhere, this tale about being neighborly in a not-so-perfect way will be an endearing autumn story for all the readers in your circle.
This reprint of a 1949 classic adds some recipes, a poem, and a bit of pie-history as well.
As her grandmother's health declines, a young girl begins to lovingly take the lead in their cozy shared autumn traditions. Poetic prose paired with evocative illustrations by Mexican illustrator Claudia Navarro make for a beautiful celebration of life and a gentle introduction to the death of a loved one.
"[Spier's] finely detailed, action-packed New England autumn vistas are almost startlingly beautiful."—The New York Times Over fifty years after he won a Caldecott Honor for The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, legendary illustrator Peter Spier went back to this time-honored favorite in 2014 to paint the half of the book that was originally printed in black and white. In this glowing, restored vision of Spier’s beloved classic, follow the wily fox as he roams a sleepy New England town in search of a meal, with tones and textures so vivid you can almost hear the crackle of crisp fall leaves and the ripples of the river in the moonlight.
An Amish family, traveling by buggy, spends a day doing errands in the village, visiting, and returning home in time for supper
Autumn is in the air: days grow shorter and nights are long. Birds leave, flowers, too. Apples and temperatures fall—then snow!Part poem, part silent stage, this luminous picture book puts autumn on display and captures the spirit of change that stays with us long after fall leaves. Unlock the secrets of this busy and beautiful time of year as the natural world makes way for winter.
Mama has a surprise for her three little squirrels: three bright red sweaters to keep them warm throughout the fall. Imagine the siblings’ surprise when they find that everything in the autumn woods—the leaves, the berries, even the setting sun—is red too, just like their sweaters.This celebration of a perfect fall day will have young and old alike looking for signs of autumn in their own neighborhoods. Kazuo Iwamura’s books celebrating the seasons (Hooray for Spring!, Hooray for Summer!, Hooray for Fall!, and Hooray for Snow!) are perennial favorites—introducing children to the beauty and joy of each season. Iwamura masterfully captures the small wonders of nature in his illustrations and his stories with their gentle humor warm the heart.
The perfect Fall book for kids! A poignant picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is.A scarecrow stood in the garden. Tall, proud, and smiling. Every day a girl brought her favorite books to the garden and she read to him. He heard tales of courage and of hope. And when she said, "The End," the scarecrow always felt a little bit taller and braver. Year after year, she came and she read to him.Until one spring, two different hands picked him up from the garden shed and placed him in the garden. He waited, but she didn't come to read to him.With poignant words from award-winning author Michelle Houts and lush illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor winner Sara Palacios, Hopefully the Scarecrow is a tender distillation of the enduring power of friendship and a heartwarming look at the ways stories connect us.
Funny, relatable sibling dynamics make this story a wonderful way to address navigating big changes. Lori Nichols’s expressive artwork beautifully portrays Maple and Willow’s strong bond, and children will love the creative, kid-powered solution. Maple and Willow have always been inseparable. So what happens when Maple starts big-girl school and Willow stays behind? Well, of course, both girls have marvelous adventures of their own, but the truth is, they miss each other. And when they see that the missing is mutual, they find a unique way to feel connected even when they have to be apart.
School bells and apples and big ripe pumpkins-all the pleasures of fall come alive in this newly reissued classic by award winner Lois Lenski. First published in 1948, Now It's Fall is a timeless celebration of autumn that will enchant a whole new generation of young readers with its gently recolored illustrations.
Next, here are 5 reasons why I love using pipe cleaners for daily crafts and activities.
5 GREAT REASONS TO USE PIPE CLEANERS
1. They Help Develop Fine Motor Skills- Bending, twisting, wrapping, and shaping pipe cleaners gives children opportunities to strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers.
These seemingly simple movements help develop fine motor skills that are important for everyday activities like writing, cutting, drawing, and buttoning clothes.
2. They Encourage Creativity and Imagination- One of the best things about pipe cleaners is that there isn’t just one way to use them. Children can experiment with different shapes, colors, and designs to create something entirely their own.
From flowers and animals to seasonal decorations, the possibilities are endless.
3. They’re Easy for Little Hands to Use- Unlike some craft materials that require complicated tools or techniques, pipe cleaners are lightweight and flexible. Kids can bend and twist them into shapes without needing much assistance.
This makes them a great choice for hands-on crafting at home with or without hot glue.
4. They Make Learning Hands-On: Crafting with pipe cleaners can also become a fun learning opportunity. Children can practice counting, sorting colors, identifying shapes, and exploring patterns while they create.
You can even incorporate a little nature study by talking about sunflowers, flower parts, and the changing seasons.
5. They’re Inexpensive and Versatile- A package of pipe cleaners can go a long way. You can use them for countless crafts throughout the year, making them a budget-friendly addition to your homeschool art supplies.
Now here are a few more fun ways to use your pipe cleaners this fall.
MORE PIPE CLEANER FALL CRAFTS FOR KIDS
- How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Fall Tree
- DIY: Pipe Cleaner Pumpkins – Myriam Mejia
- Cute Felt Turkey Craft
- DIY Pipe Cleaner Maple Leaf For Fall
- Video Tutorial to Make Purple and Black Googly Bat Plushie Hive
Finally, look at how to make a sunflower pipe cleaner for a fall craft.
You can buy each pipe cleaner separately or grab this kit; it includes all the colors you need, sticks for making the stem, and floral tape ( I set this aside for another project)
HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SUNFLOWER
You will need:
- 18-24 yellow pipe cleaners
- 2-3 brown pipe cleaners
- 6-8 green pipe cleaners
- A skinny dowel rod, skewer, or sturdy stick
- Hot glue gun/sticks
- Scissors
- Finger protectors
First, cut your pipe cleaners in half.
Then fold each one in half.
Next, you’re going to loop the bend of one side through the other like this.
Twist the centers together just two or three times.
Fold one side over to the other, leaving two of the pipe cleaners in the center and two on the outside.
Twist the ends and work them a little bit to form a petal shape. I suggest using at least 12 to 18 of these petals for each sunflower so that it’s full.
For the center, coil a brown pipe cleaner and use a little hot glue to make it go, then use hot glue later to make it lay flat
Flip the glued side up; here is where you will attach the petals.
Hot glue each petal down to the center by the cut end so that the ends that are showing are cleaner.
Continue gluing, filling, and layering until it is full.
Grab a long, sturdy stick or dowel rod for the stem; you need something to support the weight of your sunflower.
Wrap it tightly with 2-3 green pipe cleaners.
Finish off the end with a coil of green pipe cleaner hot-glued in place to create more surface area for the back of the flower.
Put plenty of hot glue on it and press it into the back of the flower; hold until the glue has cooled.
We can create a few leaves with the same process we use to make the petals.
Cut your pipe cleaner in half, fold each one in half, loop together, and twist the ends to make a leaf shape.
You can see the finished product is larger than my hand, how pretty would a few of these be in a vase?
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