Make a mobile for autumn fun

I love autumn, with its mellowness, crisp mornings and beautiful colours. It always feels not like the end of something but the beginning, thanks largely to the start of the school year. I still feel like the season's not complete without buying myself a new pair of shoes.

To help children celebrate the possibly unwelcome change in seasons  this fun mobile is great to make.

You will need:

• To go for a walk to collect treasures like golden leaves, conkers, rosehips and teasles

• A long stick

• String, scissors and a large needle or florists' wire

• Something to make a hole in the conkers with (we use a drill or skewers)

Method:

• The large stick will be used to hang your decorations from so tie string or wrap the wire at each end and bring to a point at the top and knot, allowing you to hang up your mobile

• Make holes in the conkers, leaves and other treasures (you may want to do this rather than letting your child)

• Use the florists' wire or thread the string through a large needle, make a knot and then thread on whatever you've collected

• Don't forget to leave space at the top to enable you to tie the string of autumnal treasures onto your stick

• Repeat this as many times as you like, varying the length of string and decoration

• Ensure they are evenly spaced so you don't end up with a lopsided mobile

• Hang somewhere you can enjoy everyday (ours is hung in our porch).

You could collect more than one stick so you could make a cross and hang strings from the four corners or you could make a square with four sticks and hang from each side. Florists' wire is also wonderful stuff to have around; I plan on using some to make a rosehip garland for my kitchen windowsill.

You can also collect beautiful leaves in jewelled tones and laminate them, then cut round to make an everlasting autumnal mobile.

For more nature-inspired autumn crafts check out this twig fairy craft or play at nature detectives and go on an autumn hunt.

Photo: Debbie Webber