My kiddos love being crafty. It doesn’t matter what kind of craft it is, they enjoy the time we spend making crafts. I view it is a fun way to spend time with the children and to see where their creativity takes us. We especially love activities that combine crafts and nature. Craft time with your children does not have to include a large complicated project. Sometimes it is the smallest of projects that bring the most joy. Today I am telling you about just a few ways you can combine craft time with nature time.
* It’s for the Birds: Take your craft materials outside on a blanket to enjoy nature as you create some easy to make bird feeders. We sometimes purchase wooden ones from a local hobby store to paint, but you could also just make a feeder from materials you find around your house. Peanut butter, bird seed and a pine cone is a quick fix to feed the hungry birds in your backyard. We have even strung soft apples on a piece of rope to hang from a branch.
* Pots, pots and more pots: Terracotta pots usually go on sale in the fall. I tend to buy several in various sizes to use throughout the year during our craft time. Children can paint the pots or create colorful mosaic designs on them. These are great to use for plants, herbs, robot building, gifts and more.
* Flowerbed art: Let your children create colorful flower stakes to put into your flowerbeds. These colorful stakes are a playful addition to any garden.
* Nature walks: My kiddos love taking nature walks. They also have nature journals to draw scenes from nature, attach photos taken during the walks, make rubbings of interesting leaves, etc. We have hours upon hours of crafty fun for only the price of a blank sketch book.
This is just a small sample of the quick and easy nature crafts that we do throughout the year. The important thing to remember is that craft time doesn’t have to be complicated or cost prohibitive. Children are so creative when given just the most basic of craft supplies. Set out a few supplies and see what adventures outside your children find.
What type of nature crafts do you enjoy doing with your children?
These are great ideas! I will have to keep my eye out for terra cotta pots. They would be fun to paint. We also enjoyed painting a birdhouse this year. But my son’s favorite is when we do a scavenger hunt. I put simple words, like “bark,” “brown leaf,” “stone,” etc. on a list, with thumbnail images from the web, and print him up a list. He carries a cloth bag and puts things in as we find them. I love your other nature walk ideas too.