Bring Nature Inside with These Hands-On Projects

It’s a great time of the year to bring nature inside with these hands-on projects. Gather your natural supplies, a few craft items, and these ideas to fill your summer days with some creative crafting.

Leaf Paintbrushes Nature Project

Plan a nature walk with your kids and the main thing you want to look for are different types of leaves. Collect several of each type of leaf along with some branches. Once you’re back home, all you need to do is bundle each type of leaf and wrap it around a branch with some string.

Now you have leaf paintbrushes! Let the fun begin. Your kids will love experimenting with the various textures they create when painting. Use some watercolor paper and paint and get started with your nature painting.

What other textures can your children find in nature? Consider looking for them on your next nature walk and grab this seasonal nature scavenger hunt for kids.  Another fun option is this nature walk bingo.

Check out the 100 things to do before, during, or after a nature walk with your kids. These ideas will help you make the most of your time outside.

Leaf Preserved Mobile

The next nature project is a Leaf Preserved Mobile. You’ll use glycerin to preserve the leaves. Instead of pressing the leaves and letting them dry out, you’ll use a glycerin solution. It will replace some of the water in the leaf and then allow the texture and flexibility to stay looking fresh when the water evaporates.

Plan ahead – this project takes at least 3 days for soaking the leaves. Then, displaying your leaves on a mobile will take about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

You’ll just need an embroidery hoop and some twine or string. Once you know how to preserve leaves with glycerin, you can come up with other nature projects. What will you do next?

Nature’s Alphabet

For a fun nature project that meshes creativity, art, and the alphabet, head out on a nature walk with your young learners and simply look for the alphabet in nature! For your Nature’s Alphabet project, you could also document your findings by taking photos of all the letters you find. Wouldn’t your littlest learners love a photo book of Nature’s Alphabet so they can remember your nature walk?

Hammered Leaves

You may have to save the Hammered Leaves project for a few weeks when the leaves start changing into their vibrant fall colors. All you need is a collection of fall leaves, watercolor paper, a hammer, and a paper towel. Simply place a colorful leaf on the watercolor paper and then set a paper towel on top. Take a hammer and carefully hammer the leaf until you see the colors come through the paper towel. When you peel off the paper towel, you’ll see the colors of the leaf transferred onto the watercolor paper.

 

Check out the 5 things to do on a fall nature walk, plus add these easy and fun fall nature study ideas to your homeschool in the coming weeks.

Here are some more ideas for your fall nature projects:

• FREE Printable Find and Draw Scavenger Hunt for the Fall
• 9 Fall Sensory Bins Your Child Will Love Discovering
• Printable Autumn Nature Study

Ideas for Your Next Nature Project

Nature projects give you a great excuse to take a nature walk with your kids! Check out these ideas to use in different seasons of the year to bring a little nature into your homeschool.

• FREE Nature Journals for Kids
• 5 Ways to Get Outside and Make Art with Nature
• 5 Ways to Incorporate Nature Into Your Homeschool + FREE Nature Calendar
• Notebooking Ideas for Nature Study
• Nature Study with Trees and Leaves