Mushroom Craft: How to Easily Make with Paper Plate
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This cute paper plate mushroom craft is a delightful activity that's fun, frugal, and easy. It's perfect for a rainy day, a nature-themed activity, or a Letter M lesson. Best of all, it only requires a few simple supplies that you probably already have around the house, making it a budget-friendly project.
I'm sharing my creative tips and ideas for using this paper plate craft with your kids. My boys and I have had a blast using it in our homeschool - and I truly hope that you enjoy it with your children, too. I've got a step-by-step tutorial (with pictures) for you to follow to help you keep it as simple as possible.
A Magical Way to Enjoy Mushroom-Themed Craft
If you're planning and preparing for learning about mushrooms with kids, I think you're really going to like this mushroom crafts made with paper plates. It's simple, no-prep, and can be tweaked to be used in so many ways.
In our relaxed and eclectic approach to homeschooling, I love watching how our learning adventures unfold. Our favorite homeschool activities have often come from our real-life experiences. And many of those ideas have been sparked during our nature walks and observations in our own backyard!
Mushrooms often speckle our lawn after we've had a good amount of rain. We have several shady areas under big pine trees that seem to have a whole patch of mushrooms in different sizes pop up over night. Our state (Pennsylvania) is well-known for mushrooms so I guess that's not too surprising.
During one of outdoor adventures, my boys were fascinated by all of these fungi. I used this paper plate mushroom craft for homeschool preschool fun with my younger ones. It was fantastic for reinforcing our Letter M lessons.
And my older boys joined in since they were so excited from their observations. In addition to this craft (which they loved to customize with their favorite colors), they read books about mushrooms as part of their homeschool science. It was great how it brought everything together, turning a simple craft into a multi-layered learning experience that engaged both the creative and scientific sides of their minds.
What You'll Need for This Easy Mushroom Craft
For this project, I have some marvelous news. You really only need two supplies - paper plates and construction paper. To have your mushrooms look like the ones in the pictures in the tutorial, make sure to gather:
- Paper plates
- Red construction paper
- White construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
As with all creative projects with kids, I encourage you to think outside the box. Tweak the materials based on what you have in your craft supplies. Use different colors of construction paper, card stock (with patterns and textures, too), or torn pieces of magazine pages for a unique look and to recycle.
You can also use paint (or tempera paint sticks like Kwik Stix), crayons, or markers. Glitter glue can add a nice sparkly effect!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making This Paper Plate Mushroom Craft
Prepare the paper plate.
Cut the paper plate in half. You’ll use both halves. Make the stem by taking one half and cut out a stem shape for your mushroom
Decorate the mushroom top.
Tear small pieces of red construction paper. Glue the red pieces all over the other half of the paper plate to cover it.
Make and add the white spots.
Cut out white circles from construction paper. Glue the circles on top of the red torn paper to make the mushroom’s spots.
Assemble the mushroom.
Glue the stem to the back of the decorated mushroom top.
Creative Ideas for Making and Using Your Paper Mushrooms
Want your paper plate mushrooms to have more details? Use paint, markers, or glitter glue to add shading or even cute little bugs. Those supplies can also add terrific textures to make your mushroom seem more life-life.
You can use different sizes of paper plates (or cardboard used as base) to have a variety of mushrooms.
For the white circles, you can add numbers or letters (especially Mm). Also, you can practice counting and addition. You can make the mushroom cap and leave it plain. Then, cut out a pile of white paper circles. Use those circles for hands-on math (or spelling) fun.
If you're making several mushrooms (or working with a group of students), you can hang them on the wall or create a mini-forest scene on a bulletin board.
Encourage your kids to make up little stories around their mushrooms, adding tiny characters or symbols drawn with markers. This activity can spark their imaginative storytelling while connecting art with narrative. A little gnome or fairy can lead to a fantastic story that brings the project to life.
Your students can add smaller mushrooms to construction paper backgrounds. They can draw grass or small creatures for a neat nature scene.
To boost your learning fun, read about mushrooms. Learn about their scientific classifications, different types, and the mushroom life cycle.
More Ways to Have Mushroom Fun with Kids
Keep all that mushroom fun going by incorporating books, videos, games, and other activities. A few of our favorite resources featuring mushrooms are:
An Anthology of Fungi: A Collection of Mushrooms, Toadstools and Other Fungi (DK Little Anthologies)Mushroom Botanical ArtHumongous Fungus (Underground and All Around)Mushrooms: A Kids' Guide. Fascinating Facts, Look & LearnPetit Collage: Woodland Wobble | Wooden Stacking Game for Kids | Roll The Die and Stack The Objects on The Mushroom | Don't let The Tower Fall!| Great for Ages 4+New York Botanical Garden Mushroom Identification Flashcards: 100 Common Mushrooms of North AmericaRidley's Funky Fungi Mushroom Card Collecting Game for 2-4 Players Aged 8+, 30-Minute PlaytimeGamewright - A Bunch of Fun Guys - Strategic Mushroom Foraging Card Game, Ages 8+, 2-4 Players
🍄 Isn't this paper plate mushroom craft so much fun? I'd love to hear how you'll be using this activity with your children. Please share (and any questions you may have) in the comments area at the bottom of this post!