1Make the first tree.

Draw a tree with the trunk separate from the treetop, or print out either Template 3 or 4 of these printable trees. Cut out the tree trunk and the treetop.

2Make more trees.

Create more trees by following either of these options:

a.)   Use the first tree as a template - trace the outline of the tree trunk and treetop on various colors and textures of paper or fabric. Cut each one out. You will need about four or more trees for your collage.

b.)   Draw or print out more trees - repeat Step 1 on different colors and textures of paper. When drawing your own trees, try making trees of various shapes and sizes.

3Plan your collage.

Cut out a paper background large enough to accommodate all your trees. Layout your trees on the paper, positioning some trees slightly at the back to create depth. Don't worry about going over the edges of the paper. However, leave some space on areas where you plan to add other details later.

4Glue the trees.

Glue the trees onto the paper, starting with the trees at the back. A tip if you plan to add animals—leave out some areas along the tree trunk without glue. These gaps provide spaces to hook or partially insert an animal. The suggested areas where to put glue are circled out in red.

5Make grass, ferns and more detail.

Cut out other details such as grass, bushes, ferns, rocks, or a body of water. You can use a lot of the paper or fabric scraps from the previous steps.

You can combine smaller paper shapes to create bigger elements like this fern. Use paper edging scissors for wavy or scallop-shaped edges.

6Glue the details on the picture.

Glue the details onto your picture. Again, if you want to add animals, we recommend that you apply glue only at the bottom edge of these pieces.

7Trim the edges.

Trim the edges of your picture.

8Make some animals.

Draw your own animals or cut out animals from old magazines. You can also print out these rainforest animal sets:

• African Rainforest Animals
• Amazon Rainforest Animals
• Asian Rainforest Animals