FINGERPRINT TREE

Have you ever met a kid who didn’t like playing with a stamp pad? Nor have I! Your kiddos will surely love making a Fingerprint Tree to celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees! They can make a trunk using a brown marker, crayon, or colored pencil, and then poke their fingers in a green stamp pad to make fingerprint “leaves” on the tree. Year after year, my kindergarten synagogue students LOVE making this; and, truth be told, most of them end up putting their whole hand in the stamp pad, which is, of course, all the more fun (but less fun for the grown-ups if it’s not a washable stamp pad — make sure you use a washable stamp pad)! Each year, I am amazed at the uniqueness of my students’ tree creations and how much they inspire me to appreciate the beauty of trees even more!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

-White paper (I prefer thicker paper, like construction paper, for this project)
-Brown marker, crayon, and/or colored pencil
-Green stamp pad (make sure it’s washable ink)

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

(1) Using a brown marker, crayon, and/or colored pencil, draw a tree trunk on your white paper. (2) You can also draw branches if you like. (3) Poke your fingertips in the green stamp pad and then, right after, press your fingertips onto the paper to make your “leaves.” (4) Repeat this process (fingers in the stamp pad, fingers on the paper) over and over until you are happy with how your tree looks. (5) Display your artwork in a place of honor in your home!