Fall Doorknob Decorations

crayola supplies

Model Magic® Fusion™

household supplies

recycled newspaper
ribbon
modeling tools
chenille sticks
clear adhesive tape
wooden leaf shape

Why?

Capture the warm colors of fall by creating a gorgeous doorknob decoration with Crayola Model Magic® Fusion™.

Steps

1. This autumn decoration is great to give as a gift. Celebrate the season! Use these ideas, or your own imagination, to make a beautiful door hanger. Find out why leaves on deciduous trees turn such beautiful colors before you start.
2. Mix new colors or marbleize colors by blending two or three pieces of Crayola Model Magic® Fusion™ compound together. Knead until you achieve your desired fall hues. Fusion sticks well to itself and most surfaces.
3. To make leaves, choose at least three wooden leaf shapes or create your own with thin cardboard. Be sure you can identify the trees from which the leaves came! Roll Fusion™ compound until it is very smooth. Lay the slab over one side of the wooden leaf. Use a modeling tool to trim the edges. Roll a thin rope of compound and lay it on the leaf in the pattern of leaf veins. Gently roll over the veins to flatten them a bit.
4. Fusion dries to the touch overnight and dries completely in 2 to 3 days. When the covered wooden leaves are dry, cover the other side of the leaf using the same process. Smooth out the edges to completely cover the wood. Then air-dry the other side.
5. To make Indian corn, roll newspaper about 5 inches (13 cm) long into a corncob-shaped tube. Tape it closed. Roll out a smooth Fusion slab. Cover the newspaper with the slab and smooth the edges. Roll several fall colors of Fusion into many small balls for corn kernels. Place the kernels on the corncob in a random pattern until it is completely covered. Roll out another piece of Fusion, shape a corn husk, and place it on top of the corncob. Make at least two corncobs.
6. To make bittersweet, roll small balls of red Fusion and attach them to chenille sticks. Wrap the bittersweet around the stems of the leaves.
7. When all of the pieces are dry, tie everything together with ribbon. Hang indoors from a doorknob or window for a festive fall welcome!

adaptations

Research Robert Frost’s poetry that relates to fall. Listen to the poetry and create visual images from his words. Then draw or sculpt the scenes.

Research the facts and traditions surrounding the traditional first Thanksgiving in North America in 1621.

Research autumn traditions such as festivals related to harvest time, Oktoberfests, and the autumnal equinox.

benefits

Students research the scientific explanation for why leaves turn colors in the fall in temperate climates.

Students identify at least three different types of leaves from deciduous trees.

Students design an intricate decoration using fall colors and foliage for inspiration.

grades

Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6

subjects

Science
Visual Arts

time

Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Modeling Tools—Use the least dangerous point or edge sufficient to do the job. For example, craft sticks, plastic knives and forks, and cookie cutters can cut or carve modeling materials.

String-Like Materials—Includes string, raffia, lacing, yarn, ribbon, and other similar material. Children 3 years and younger should not be given any string-like material that is longer than 12 inches. Close adult supervision is essential whenever children use string-like material. When crafts are to be worn around the necks of children 8 years and younger, attach the ends of the “string-like material” with clear adhesive tape, which allows easy release of the bond if the craft becomes entangled or caught on equipment. For children older than 8 years, the ends of the “string-like material” may be tied and knotted.

Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points