Fingerprint Trees (and some impromptu dino tracks)

Interpretive leaves are the best leaves

Technically this project is to make a fingerprint tree guest book for a wedding, where each guest puts a fingerprint leaf on the tree and signs it. I reinterpreted it for the kids to just make a tree.

Project: Using finger paint to make fingerprint leaves on a tree
Inspiration Pin: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/78531587228806151/
Page Pin is From: http://calgarybride.ca/home/the-diy-wedding-tree/
Participants: Ash, Peony, Lavender, and myself

Difficulty: Easy!
Prep: Minimal, print out the trees and get the green finger paint ready. We used light and regular green for some dimension... and because I happen to have it.
Mess: Less than normal finger painting mess since I encouraged the kids to use their finger tips instead of their whole hand.
Cleanup: Less than the usual for finger painting - granted I did it with the older kids, so if the littles had been involved I'm sure there would have been more to clean!
Age Range: If you don't mind the littles doing an unstructured finger paint, then the babies can get involved. If you want the leaves to look more or less like leaves, probably leave it to the 2.5+ crowd.

Verdict: Big hit! The tree is gorgeous (template available on the site), and the kids loved the concept of the project. Ash grabbed a few dinosaurs to share, so each tree is a mix of finger prints and dino tracks. The project went quickly, great for a filler project but not for a long distraction. I'll be keeping the tree template handy for future projects - like fall leaves, trees with birds in them, flowering spring trees, teaching about family trees... There are a lot of options with this one!

Lots of dots!