Appropriate age group(s):
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Estimated time to make this gift:
30 min. or so (more, w/prep time)

Materials:
Wreaths:

Paper plates

Construction paper the color(s) of autumn leaves

Glue

Pencils

Scissors

Glitter (optional; extra messy, extra fun!)
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More "Leaves":

Coffee filters

Thinned tempera paints in autumn hues, including a touch of green

Eye droppers, one per color of paint used

Paper for the leaves to dry upon

Paper patterns (borrow from nature or adapt your own) in leafy shapes, to trace onto filters

Kid scissors

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Instructions:
Handprint Wreaths:

Have the kids trace their hands on the construction paper and cut out hand-shaped cut-outs.

(This might be tricky for smallest cutters, but it's way fun to just Try it! Alternative plan would be paint and hand-stamping ooey gooey fun, around perimeter of plate.)

The center of the paper plate is removed, leaving a rim about 2 inches wide. Glue the colorful "leaves" around the permimeter, overlapping just slightly.

More glue can be thinned a little, brushed on with a wide brush, and glitter can be lightly sprinkled on. (If glitter-ing is done in a tray, some of it may be rescued, vs. just all dumped and vacuumed up later.)
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Coffee filter "leaves":

Trace the leafy patterns onto the coffee filter with pencil and cut out. Place "leaves" on the drying paper, and gently drop little droplets of paint onto the leaf, watching them absorb the color. Encourage observation over Speed; it may not take very much paint at all to create an awesome leaf! Let the leave rest upon that same paper to dry completely.

Other comments or suggestions to consider:
I just saw these items at school today, and thought they were so pretty! The wreaths look very festive, and easily made. The individual (coffee filter) leaves were used to add color around the top and bottom of a bulletin board display. Not one to waste anything, the "artiste" designing the board cut Letters to title her display, using the paper she'd placed the leaves on to dry. Duplicate letters in a solid color were angled behind the leafy-looking letters, giving a nice 3 dimensional appearance.
Definitely looked above average in Coolness, while displaying items students had made in a nice way. It sure looks good in the well-travelled hallway, right before the Fall Festival weekend.