Star Yowie in a Fall scene

What can we use instead of real leaves if they are hard to find?

If real leaves are unavailable, cut leaf shapes from colored paper or old magazines or use fabric/scrapbook leaves and glue them onto the background in place of the step that says 'Glue each leaf to the background.'

My Star Yowie keeps falling over—how do I fix the stand?

Make the tab larger and stiffer by folding a wider tab at the bottom of the Star Yowie cutout, reinforce it with a small scrap of cardboard and extra glue, and press it down while the glued tab dries as described in 'Fold a small tab...' and 'Glue the folded tab so Star Yowie stands.'

How can I adapt this activity for different age groups?

For toddlers, pre-cut the star and leaves for them to glue and color with chunky crayons, for preschoolers let them draw and color the Star Yowie with supervision, and for older kids encourage detailed face designs with the black marker, complex leaf patterns, or a pop-up stand when they 'Draw a star-shaped Star Yowie' and 'Cut out' and 'Fold a small tab.'

How can we extend or personalize the fall scene after finishing the basic steps?

Layer extra glued leaves for 3D texture, make several crayon leaf rubbings from 'Make a crayon leaf rubbing' to add as a background border, attach Star Yowie to a craft stick for play, or embellish with watercolor washes and paper pumpkins before you 'Share your finished Star Yowie fall scene on DIY.org.'