Grab an apple, some paint, and a paper plate – this fall craft is as simple and fun as it gets. Kids get to use a real apple as a stamp, pressing it into red paint to create beautiful textured prints right on the paper. Then you’ll turn a plain paper plate into a charming woven basket to display all those apple shapes. The result? A colorful piece of fall art that looks like a fresh harvest straight from the orchard.
Little ones will be obsessed with this one. There’s something so satisfying about pressing an apple into paint and watching a perfect print appear – and the paper plate basket ties the whole thing together into a finished piece they’ll be proud to hang up. It works just as well at the kitchen table as it does in a classroom, and you won’t need to make a special supply run to pull it off.
Craft Supplies:
- Cardstock paper (this is your background canvas)
- 1 apple, cut in half
- Red washable paint
- 1 paper plate (to hold the paint)
- 1 tan or gold paper plate (this becomes the basket)
- Markers
- A little brown and green paint for stems and leaves
- Glue or tape
- Scissors (for a grown-up to use)
Directions:
- Have an adult cut the apple in half from top to bottom, so you can see the seed shape inside. Pat the cut side dry with a paper towel, then pour a puddle of red paint onto the paper plate. Dip the flat side of the apple into the paint, coating it evenly.
- Press the paint-covered apple firmly onto the cardstock paper, then lift it straight up. You’ll see a lovely textured apple print with the seed shape in the middle. Re-dip the apple in paint between each stamp, and keep going until you’ve filled the top of your paper with a happy cluster of apples. Six or seven prints looks just right.
- Once the red prints have dried a little, grab your markers. Draw a tiny brown stem at the top of each apple, then add one or two small green leaves beside each stem.
- Take your tan or gold paper plate and cut it into a half-circle (a grown-up job with the scissors). This curved shape becomes the front of your apple basket. Using the black marker, draw diagonal lines going one way, then cross them with lines going the other way. This criss-cross pattern gives your plate that classic woven wicker basket look.
- Line up the flat edge of your paper plate basket along the bottom of the kraft paper, right beneath your apple prints. Add glue or tape to the back and press it into place. Now your apples look like they’re sitting snugly inside a full harvest basket. Ta-da—your fall masterpiece is complete!
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We’d love to see how your apple baskets turn out! Snap a photo of your little one’s creation and share it with us by tagging our social tags – every basket is different, and that’s what makes them so special. Happy crafting, and enjoy this cozy slice of fall together!
