Invitation to Create: Leaf People (Fall Leaf Week)

invitation to create leaf people bin

We don’t follow a specific curriculum. Rather, I pick and choose pieces of different structures and ways of teaching that work for Camden and for our family. One of those is the Invitation to Create from the Reggio Emilia approach. I created this Invitation to Create: Leaf People to inspire Camden’s artistic creativity during our leaf study.

invitation to create fall leaf people pinterest

What is an Invitation to Create?

And Invitation to Create is simply a way to display materials – together but not specific – to spark a child’s imagination and creativity. There are not going to be strict directions or steps to follow; instead, your child can explore the materials provided and create their own art. It’s as much about the process as the product, which is how learning should be.

Invitation to Create: Leaf People

invitation to create leaf people bin

The materials I chose to display were:

  • fabric leaves
  • construction paper strips/ craft foam strips (potentially for arms/legs, etc)
  • shapes made from craft foam or construction paper
  • pipe cleaners
  • eyeballs
  • glue
  • markers
  • pipe cleaners

Really, an Invitation to Create can be a great space to use up arts and craft materials when there’s only a bit left.

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Letting Your Child Create

The idea is that Camden could look at all the materials and use them to create leaf people or creatures, or whatever his heart desires. I did NOT create a sample one, and I did not lead him in the process.

leaf people creation

I chose to tell him that my idea was to create people, but he was welcome to create whatever he wanted. And when he started working, if he requested some tape or a different marker, I added those to the Invitation to Create display.

Camden said this was his favorite project of our entire leaf study. He ended up making four leaf people, one for each person in our family.

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But What Did We Read?

very big fall leaf people book

We read A Very Big Fall by Emmy Kastner. It features Birch, Oak and Maple, three leaves who each choose to jump into fall in their own unique way. Celebrating differences and the big feelings that come along with new situations, this book is a cute and funny read about the changing of the seasons.

The cute little leaves, with their faces and acorn hats and flower decor, make the perfect imagination booster before setting out the Invitation to Create: Fall Leaf People. Highly, highly recommend this one.

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Want more Fall Leaf Week activities?

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