Bring Nature Inside with These Hands-On Projects
Published:
August 5, 2021
Contributor:
KiwiCo
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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 these 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:
9 Fall Sensory Bins Your Child Will Love Discovering
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.
5 Ways to Get Outside and Make Art with Nature
5 Ways to Incorporate Nature Into Your Homeschool + FREE Nature Calendar
KiwiCo
KiwiCo was created to celebrate kids’ natural creativity and curiosity, while helping parents who want to bring enriching experiences to their children. We want to make it fun, easy, and delightful for families to spend time building, exploring and creating together. Read more about us here and check out our subscription boxes for kids.
