Mess for Less

  • Crafts
    • Art
    • Winter Activities
    • Spring Activities
    • Summer Activities
    • Fall Recipes and Activities
  • Kids Activities
    • Baby and Toddler Activities
    • Preschool Activities
    • Sensory Activities
    • Fine Motor Skills Activities
    • Learning Activities
      • Science Activities
  • Family
    • Pets
    • Parenting
  • Shop
  • Breakfast Recipes
  • Lunch Recipes
  • Dinner Recipes
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Snack Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • Crock Pot Recipes
  • Cooking with Kids
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Spring Activities
  • Kids
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Spring Activities
    • Kids
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
  • ×
    Home » Fall Recipes and Activities

    Fall Leaves Using Black Glue

    Modified: Sep 30, 2022 · Published: Nov 15, 2011 by Vicky · 33 Comments · Contains affiliate links

    • Facebook

    Around Halloween time, I saw the coolest project on Carissa Darling for Spooky Black Glue Drawings.  They used black glue to create some spooky Halloween pictures.  We never had time to make those pictures, but with Fall upon us, we made some Fall leaves using black glue. We have since used black glue for other projects such as Black Glue and Watercolor Pumpkins and Hearts with Black Glue.

    Fall leaves made with black glue on construction paper.
    Jump to:
    • Why watercolor fall leaves are awesome
    • Supplies
    • How to make fall leaves with black glue
    • Related posts

    Why watercolor fall leaves are awesome

    • A fun fall art project for kids of all ages

    Supplies

    • Black paint
    • regular white school glue in a glue bottle
    • Paper (I used copy paper)
    • Water color paints and brush
    • Construction paper

    How to make fall leaves with black glue

    To make your black glue, just squirt some black paint into your Elmer's glue bottle.  I wanted to be sure to have a dark black color so I emptied out most of the white glue from the bottle until there was only ¼ left. Then I added some squirts of black paint and shook it up.

    making black glue

    I was left with some cool-looking black glue.

    black glue

    Older kids would probably have a great time making their own leaf picture.  Since my kids are all ages 3 and under, I made the leaf picture outline.  Note that this is not much of an improvement.

     fall leaves using black glue

    I added some veins.

     fall leaves using black glue

    These took forever to dry.  I made them while the kids were napping, thinking we could use them when they woke up.  Nope.  It took a day for the black glue to dry.  So plan accordingly.

     fall leaves using black glue

    When the glue had dried, I talked to the girls about Fall leaves and the different colors they can be.  Of course, this went in one ear and out the other.  The kids used watercolors to paint the leaves whatever colors they wanted.

    child painting leaf on paper
    watercolor painted leaf picture

    Little C was so into painting her leaf.  Her colors actually did look like all the shades of Fall with the combination of yellow and orange!

    watercolor painted leaf picture

    When "A" finished painting her leaf with watercolour paint, she decided to paint the paper surrounding it too.

    child painting leaf picture

    After the paintings were dry, I cut them out and glued them to some Fall colored construction paper. They would also really pop on black construction paper or white cardstock. I left one on the water-colored background to show you how it looks.  I really like both options.  I was so pleased with the vibrant leaves the kids created.  Even B who painted a large portion of her Fall leaf black still managed to have a colorful leaf.

    For more fun activities for kids, check out Green Kid Crafts for environmentally friendly crafts.

     fall leaf pictures on construction paper

    If you are looking for more fun activities for kids, check out , an earth-friendly monthly craft subscription box for kids that sparks creativity while teaching kids respect and love for the environment. These boxes are themed and each month will be filled with fun projects and creative activities that can be enjoyed by kids from ages 3-10.

    Related posts

    • Contact Paper Window Stickers - Fall Leaves
    • Fall Craft - Black Glue and Salt Leaves
    • 25 Fall Fine Motor Activities
    • Halloween Crafts for Kids: Black Glue and Watercolor Pumpkins
    • Fall Crafts - Leaf People

    More Fall Recipes and Activities

    • fun fall activities for kids
      Fun Fall Activities for Kids
    • Chocolate Covered Strawberry Acorns
      Chocolate Covered Strawberry Acorns
    • Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
      Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
    • A collage of pumpkin desserts—bars, cookies, muffins, and cinnamon rolls—displayed on plates and trays
      Easy Fall Recipes

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Marcia says

      November 20, 2011 at 4:07 pm

      These are fabulous and so simple to make which is a big plus! Thanks for sharing.
      Marcia 🙂

      Reply
    2. AllieMakes! says

      November 19, 2011 at 5:20 pm

      That's a great project! I think my little one's will love it
      Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie this week! I can't wait to see what you have for next week!
      AllieMakes.Blogspot.com

      Reply
    3. Lisa @ Lisa's Craft Blog says

      November 19, 2011 at 11:30 am

      This is a really neat idea!! I don't have kids, but can think of a grown-up version that could be really cool too!! If I try it, I'll definitely let you know!!

      Thanks for sharing!!
      ~Lisa

      Reply
    4. Audrey's mom says

      November 19, 2011 at 7:07 am

      What a unique idea! Audrey is always asking to use glue. I will have to pick up a bottle at the dollar store and see where we have the paint stashed.

      Reply
    5. Whole Child Creative Curriculum says

      November 17, 2011 at 9:39 pm

      What a striking project! I might try a variation on it with brown glue and turkeys! 😉

      Carla @ Whole Child Creative Curriculum

      Reply
    6. Zimms Zoo says

      November 17, 2011 at 2:39 am

      Thanks for stopping by the Zimms Zoo. You have a great site here and if I had more time to spend with my little guys I would do a ton of these. But this black glue is something that all my guys will like and we can do together.

      Reply
    7. Artsy VaVa says

      November 17, 2011 at 2:38 am

      This is a great project! Thanks for sharing. I'm pinning this to my Kids Art Projects board.

      Reply
    8. Stacy Curran says

      November 17, 2011 at 12:54 am

      That is SO cute! I love it!
      Stacy

      Reply
    9. JDaniel4's Mom says

      November 16, 2011 at 6:28 pm

      What a cute idea! I love the outline effect.

      Reply
    10. RedTedArt says

      November 16, 2011 at 7:40 pm

      I think these look absolutely beautiful! Really inspiring!

      Thank you for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!

      Maggy

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    Newer Comments »
    Vicky from Mess for Less

    I’m Vicky, the founder of Mess For Less, sharing easy, family-friendly recipes. With over a decade of experience as a home chef and recipe developer, I create meals that bring people together and kid-friendly learning activities inspired by my background as a former teacher with a Master’s degree in education.
    About me

    Spring

    • Spring Bingo Pin
      Spring Bingo
    • Spring Meringue Recipe
    • Spring Movement Cards
    • NO BAke Twinkies Cake for spring
      No Bake Twinkies Cake for Spring

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy and Disclosure
    • Recipe and Safety Disclaimers
    • About Me
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for our newsletter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Advertise

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 MessForLess