Autumn. Natural material: leaves, acorns, chestnuts, fir cones

Beautiful lines of the Japanese poet Siko, glorifying a small natural miracle: "... You will reach the highest beauty and fall, maple leaf!". Probably, it is with such a mood of contemplation and philosophical tranquility that one should begin to deal with the mistaken, ancient Japanese art of floristry, in which the pictures of natural material are made up. In our opinion, this is called "engage in floristry."

A little bit about samurai and kindergarten past

By the way, every self-respecting samurai had to deal with the mistaken every day. It would seem that adult uncles, courageous warriors, and suddenly such a kindergarten occupation, because many people when they meet with the phrase "natural material" come up with pictures of childhood full of semolina in the kindergarten and classes with the beloved teacher. Remember the crafts made of leaves - flowers and acorns - cones - chestnuts and other natural charms, which after the creation were proudly given to my mother? Probably, after all, in needlework, where natural material is used, warm and perfect for execution, after all, the creator is not somebody, but Nature itself, it makes sense. Otherwise, it would not be a harsh samurai who, waking up, said to themselves: "Today I will die" to appreciate a new day.

What is the use of working with natural materials?

Let's try to understand.

1. Each of us at least once in my life, even in a cute childhood, gathered a bouquet of leaves that smelled of autumn sun and wind, because it is beautiful.
2. Almost everyone brought home full pockets of chestnuts, cones and were inspired to create a "chelopodrechika" with a head of acorn in a corrugated cap, glued to cardboard applications in the form of flowers and fish from the leaves. Because it is interesting and there is a feeling of co-creation with Mother Nature herself.
3. Many of the house had a box with natural materials - autumn gifts of parks and forests, where it all gathered during walks. It's great, because it's fresh air + communication with nature + development of imagination.
4. And if the mother and father were connected to making men, turtles, house-of-cones, it's generally wonderful, because there was a feeling of unity with loved ones.

So, from which side or look - one solid benefit of all these crafts and paintings of natural material.

Rules for harvesting and storing branches, cones of acorns and chestnuts

There were sad moments during the creation of children's masterpieces and sad moments, for example, applications from leaves quickly deteriorated: the pattern dried up, jarred, deformed, the leaves became brittle. And it was insulting: the natural material in the kindergarten, as a rule, did not deteriorate so quickly. Why? It's very simple: you need to observe some rules for collecting and storing raw materials for floristic works, which we'll talk about right now.

1. Collect natural material only in environmentally non-polluted places: where there are no chemical plants, landfills.

2. If you want to get raw materials for crafts of optimum quality, you should go out in dry weather to find any interesting leaves, twigs and other natural resources.

3. Branches for crafts are better to take dry; Live, losing moisture, will gradually deform.

4. The cones should be taken unopened, but remember that in a too warm room they can still open up (this property of cones can be used for sharing with children the experience of natural science: it is surprisingly interesting that the cone, fallen from the tree, gradually changes shape, Opens the scales, and the seeds become visible).

5. Acorns and chestnuts are unpretentious natural material. Collect easy, keep - too. The only recommendation: boxes with them should not be stored close to central heating batteries. With over-dried material, it is more difficult to work.

Collection, drying and storage of leaves and flowers

If you are going to go in search of beautiful leaves, take with you a solid folder. Folding the found leaves into it, you will avoid their deformation.

There are many methods of drying, we consider the simplest of them. Bring the material through, carefully folded between sheets of paper and ironed with a warm iron. After putting the leaves under the load. Ideal for drying leaves, flowers and grass blades to put them between the sheets of a weighty academic volume in a massive binding.

After drying, store in a folder. Remember that under the influence of light, dried leaves and flowers lose their brightness. If the material is naturally dry and has become too brittle, then sprinkle it with water from the nebulizer a few hours before use.

Equipment for working with natural materials

To create a picture of natural material in the technique of application you will need: a dense base (cardboard), PVA glue (it becomes transparent when dried, so even if it protrudes beyond the edges of the parts, the work will look neat), scissors.

For volumetric modeling of natural materials, an awl can be needed (working with it only in the presence of adults) for piercing, wooden toothpicks for connecting parts, PVA glue, plasticine.

Conclusion

Still, why samurai were carried away by such a trivial matter as making compositions using natural material, affordable and simple: leaves, flowers, grass? Because this activity allows you to feel the harmony of nature. If your child can learn to see the beauty of a regular leaf, gnarled, at first sight, twigs, he can certainly appreciate the beauty of the greatest works of art, feel the beauty of being when he becomes an adult and a conscious person.