Easy Apple Stamp Pumpkin Craft for Kids

This post was sponsored by WaterWipes as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

My kids just love play dates.  I feel like every time I turn around my kids are asking to have friends over.  So when my younger daughter asked to have some friends over for a play date earlier this week, I wasn’t shocked.  I was a little uncertain as to what we were going to do during the play date, but before I knew it moms had been contacted and there was a play date in my future.

And then I remembered a craft my daughter did at camp over the summer.  Her counselors cut open a lemon, dipped it in paint, and had the kids paint summer designs.  They then made the lemon paint print into suns, bicycle wheels, and all sorts of fun things.  It was adorable.  But it got me thinking – why not do one for fall?  How about pumpkins and apples?  A pumpkin craft using sliced apples!  It seemed easy enough for the preschoolers to manage, didn’t require a ton of supplies, and there were ways for older kids to decorate the pumpkins to keep their attention.  It seemed like the perfect play date craft!

Needless to say, it was a hit.  All of the kids – preschool through second grade – loved this craft.  The little ones needed help here and there, but they seemed to love painting.  And the older kids not only made pumpkins with apples, but they painted faces and added scenery around their pumpkins.  Not all of their pumpkins were orange, but that’s okay, let’s just call those abstract pumpkins.  And clean up?  Well, cleanup was a breeze, thanks to WaterWipes.  Let me tell you, when you have 9 kids painting at the same time, accidents are bound to happen.Okay, for the record, I don’t think the paint on their face was an accident, but it happened.  Due to the nature of this craft, most of the kids did end up with paint on their hands and arms though. Thank goodness for non-toxic, washable paints and WaterWipes.  If you’ve never used WaterWipes before, they’re both durable and effective without containing any of the harmful chemicals that may be found in other baby wipes.  WaterWipes are the safer, more natural option for your little one and can handle tough jobs like messy, painted hands…and elbows and arms and faces.  And because they’re chemical free with only two ingredients, 99.9% pure Irish water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract, I don’t have to worry about irritation or injury when my kids (or my friend’s kids) clean their hands and faces with WaterWipes.  That’s peace of mind!
If you’re hosting a fall play date, I highly recommend this craft…just don’t forget the WaterWipes!

You will need:
Apples
Orange, green & black paint (I highly recommend washable paint)
White cardstock
Paint brushes
Paper plates
Table cover
WaterWipes

Step 1 – One hour before you start your craft, cut your apples open using a sharp knife (not serrated) and let the apples sit for approximately 1 hour.  Doing this will allow your apples to dry out a bit, which will help with the paint “stick” to the apple a little better.

Step 2 – Pour your orange, green, and black paint onto separate paper plates.  Place the cut part of the apple (the inside of the apple) into the orange paint, liberally covering the apple with paint.  Press painted apple onto a sheet of paper.  Stamp the apple again if the “pumpkin” needs more paint.  If you need a more even coat of paint, you can always use a paint brush to cover the apple before stamping again.

Step 3 – Using a small paint brush or finger, paint a small green leaf at the top of the pumpkin.

Step 4 – If you’re feeling extra artistic, paint jack-o-lantern faces on the pumpkins (using a smaller paint brush) once the orange paint is dried.  My older kids just loved this part.  Hang to dry and then display in our house for all to see!

Step 5 – Clean up messy hands, arms, elbows and faces with WaterWipes.  It probably won’t take more than one!Have you tried WaterWipes before?  What did you think?  Leave me a comment letting me know!