Stained Glass Pumpkins {Well, sort of....}

The stained-glass jack-o-lantern {or it can be just a pumpkin...whatever rocks your world} is one of my favorites!! I love this! And I am lucky enough to have big windows in my classroom and these sun catchers look amazing when they are all finally up on display.

So this project is agressive. It is not one of those quick numbers.... I love it though. It practices a variety of fine motor skills and it is just festive and fun.

But, c'mon..... look at the personality on these faces... and the endless options for writing prompts that could accompany these little guys!

Step One:
Your kiddos need to "paint" strips of tissue paper onto wax paper using liquid starch. I make the wax paper pieces about 14 inches long.

As for the tissue paper... I have also done squares of tissue for a more mosaic look, but I think in kinder the strips are where it's at....unless you would like them to take the whole school day to do this.  I asked my kids to make a pattern, too.

If you don't want this part of the project to take that long then make the strips of tissue wider .... and the pieces of wax paper shorter :)

Let this dry- oddly, it is fast... as in only about an hour or so... Also depending on the brand of tissue it may bleed so I'd put a double layer between the project and your table to avoid stains!

Step Two:
The kids are going to add yarn.... This is the down and dirty part. Are you ready?

You need to dip the yarn in white glue. As in dunk it in there. As in I take almost a whole bottle of Elmer's and put it in a bowl. The entire piece of yarn needs to be doused in glue- not just the side that is being glued. Once the yarn is in place I have them go around and press it down {good muscle development, right!}

I don't give the kids a stencil of any kind because I want the pumpkins to be all kinds of shapes and sizes!! But if you wanted them a similar size then I'd suggest cutting a pumpkin on black paper and placing it under the wax paper and they can try and outline it.

You can see I have the names on masking tape on the edge of the wax paper and ask them not to tissue on top of it. After everything is dry in from Round 2, we cut them out and I add their name with sharpie  {I don't have them write it because it is too easy to tear the tissue paper when writing on it.}

Have fun if you choose to make these guys - I always adore them.

Here's one more... because they are cute:

Next week, we will do some pumpkin writing to go with them.

P.S. I did a February version of this little ditty last school year and you can read about that {here}

P.P.S. You have 2 more days to enter The Spooktacular Halloween Giveaway I am doing with 5 other bloggers.... check it out {here}