Corn Husk Dolls

Next time you're shucking corn for dinner, don't throw away the husks -- dry them in the sun for one to three days, and you'll have the makings for a corn-husk doll.

What you'll need

• Dried corn husks or tamale wrappers (available at grocery stores)
• Twine or string
• Scissors
• Pipe cleaners

How to make it

1. Soak the dried corn husks (approximately 20 per doll) in warm water for about 10 minutes to soften them, then blot them dry. Next, gather twenty 10-inch lengths of twine and tie an overhand knot at one end.
2. Trim the husks so that they are each about 8 inches long. Then sandwich the knotted twine between 4 or so husks and tightly tie another piece of twine around the bundle just above the overhand knot.
3. Make the doll's arms by rolling up a pipe cleaner in a husk (this will make the arms posable). Roll up 2 more husks (without pipe cleaners). Then braid the three together and tie the ends with twine.
4. Take the bundle from Step 2 and peel down the husks (as you would a banana) to create a head and expose the hair. Tightly tie the bundle where the neck should be, then insert the arms.
5. Braid together 3 rolled husks (without a pipe cleaner) for each leg. Then use 2 of the inner husk ends to tie the tops of the legs to the dolls. Trim the remaining husk ends an inch below where the legs are attached.
6. Snugly wrap a single husk around the doll's hips, tying the ends together to secure it. Trim the knot tails.
7. Now it's time to dress the doll. If making a girl, go right to Step 8. For a boy, create leggings by wrapping a single husk around each leg and tightly tying twine around the very top. Then fringe the leggings by making a series of short snips along the outer sides.
8. For a skirt, sandwich the doll's body from the hips up with a few husks and secure them to the waist with twine. Then peel down the husks. For a girl doll, leave the skirt long; for a boy, trim 1 1/2 inches from the waist. Finally, drape husks over the shoulders. Crisscross the ends in front and in back of the doll and sash them around the waist with twine.

Glue-Batik Banner

Welcome leaf-peeping season by creating a fabric banner. The glue-based resist technique gives the appearance of batik without the messy wax.

What you'll need

• Cotton muslin fabric or an old bedsheet, washed and dried
• Plastic wrap or waxed paper
• Washable glue (we used Elmer's School Glue Gel)
• Wide paintbrushes
• Acrylic paints
• Paper plate or Styrofoam tray
• Plastic tub, bowl, or sink
• Iron (optional)
• Stick
• Yarn

How to make it

1. Rip the fabric to the size you want (our piece is 9 by 32 inches). Tearing the fabric leaves a natural-looking edge that won't fray. Lay the fabric on a surface covered with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Draw your design on the fabric with glue. For our autumnal design, we traced the outlines of maple leaves, then added lines inside the shapes for veins. Let the glue dry undisturbed for about 24 hours.
2. Use a wide brush and water to wet the entire piece of fabric. Add small puddles of acrylic paint to a plate or tray and mix each one with a bit of water to thin it. Beginning with the leaves, brush the diluted paints onto the fabric, allowing the colors to flow together as in a watercolor painting.
3. Paint the background using the same technique. Let the fabric dry, about 2 hours.
4. Soak the fabric for 20 to 30 minutes in a tub, bowl, or sink filled with warm water. Gently rub away the glue, then rinse the fabric thoroughly and allow it to dry. Iron it flat, if desired.
5. Lay the fabric facedown and place the stick across the top edge. Fold the fabric over the stick and glue down the edge to form a sleeve. Tie braided yarn to the ends of the stick for hanging.

Pierced Sun Catcher

These colorful, perforated window decorations can really brighten up a room when sunlight shows through all the pinholes.

What you'll need

• Card stock
• Corrugated cardboard
• Pushpin
• Thin string or thread

How to make it

1. To create one, simply cut a sun shape out of the paper or card stock and place it atop the cardboard.
2. Have your child pierce the paper with the pushpin, creating a pattern of straight lines or swirls.
3. Loop a piece of string or thread through one of the holes near the top edge of the sun catcher, and it's ready to hang.

This take on a classic camp craft inspires your family members to create versions of themselves with natural treasures from your own backyard.

What you'll need

• Sticks and twigs
• Hand pruners (a parent's tool)
• Hot-glue gun
• Flat stone
• Colored pencils
• Small objects from nature, such as pinecones, pine needles, pieces of bark, acorns, and leaves
• 8-inch piece of twine (optional)

How to make it

1. Trim the sticks with the pruners and hot-glue them together to form a body with arms, a torso, and legs.
2. Draw a face on the stone with colored pencils, then glue it to the torso.
3. Glue on the other features, such as pinecone feet, an acorn cap, bark pants, or a pine needle skirt.
4. Once the glue has set, you can hang your project by tying the twine into a loop, then gluing it to the back.

When the night chill is too chilly for us to enjoy an overnight camping trip, my family enjoys a "no camp" adventure. We rent a campsite at a nearby state park, do our favorite outdoor and camping activities during the day, then -- see ya, cold forest floor! -- head back when the sun goes down.

After a hearty lunch at home, we strike out for our campsite and stake our claim by making a family name sign upon arrival.

What you'll need

• Cardboard
• Twine
• Acorns, twigs, and leaves
• Tacky glue

How to make it

1. Before leaving the house, punch holes in a piece of cardboard and tie twine to it.
2. Collect acorns, twigs, and pretty leaves, then attach them to the cardboard with tacky glue and let it dry for 15 minutes. Hung from a branch at your campsite, the sign is a sweet greeting when you return from your hike.

A Pom as Lovely as a Tree

Celebrate the fall harvest by creating a miniature apple tree -- or a whole orchard! -- from pom-poms. For a fruitless autumnal tree, use orange, red, green, and brown pom-poms.

What you'll need

• twig
• tacky glue*
• 3/4-inch green and red pom-poms
• air-dry clay
• fork
• acrylic paint

Helpful Tip: * Letting the glue dry is key, but it takes time. Older children (with adult supervision) can shorten the process by using a low-temperature hot-glue gun. Use a light hand to avoid leaving big blobs of glue on the tree.

How to make it

1. First, find a twig with at least three side branches, and trim it so that it's about 6 inches tall.
2. Lay the twig on its side and use tacky glue* to attach 3/4-inch green pom-poms to the branches. Let the glue dry, then rotate the twig and add more pom-poms.
3. Keep adding pom-poms, including a few red pom-poms, until you have your desired tree shape (we used about 50). When the shape is complete, add more red pom-poms to make it look like a bumper crop.
4. Form a base around the trunk of your tree with air-dry clay, adding texture, if you like, with a fork. After the clay is dry, paint it green with acrylic paint.

Of all the tasks that befall Rosetta in her role as a garden fairy, painting the flowers is her favorite. So, it only makes sense that she would find a way to extend the pastime into the fall -- such as engaging the other fairies to help coat the leaves with sparkly white frost and then drawing on ghost faces to decorate the hollow for Halloween. Using silk leaves, paint, and glitter, you and your child can follow suit in your neck of the woods. 

What you'll need

• Silk maple leaves, or other similarly shaped leaves (sold in craft and department stores)
• Scissors
• Waxed paper
• White fabric paint
• Paintbrush or foam brush
• White or silver glitter
• Black permanent marker

How to make it

1. Turn each leaf so the points face up and use the scissors to round the top to resemble a ghost's head.  
2. Working on a waxed paper-covered surface, paint the leaves white (front and back). If needed, give them a second coat.  
3. While the paint is still tacky, sprinkle the surfaces with glitter.
4. Once the paint dries, use the marker to draw on ghostly facial features.