nature crafts for kids

  • CRAFTS, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, URBAN NATURE

    Plein Air Painting With Kids

    As the weather warms up, we start looking for any excuse to take our everyday activities outside. We love having dinner outside, reading outside, and playing games outdoors. Taking art and crafts outside is another fun way to maximize your outdoor hours while doing something fun and productive. Today, Michelle Garret, California mom and founder of Wonder Club Explorers, is here sharing all about plein air painting – the act of painting outdoors! Whether you have a budding artist, a kid that loves nature, or just want a way to let your kids be artistic with less mess and clean up, plein air painting is for you! 

    Slow down with plein air painting

    As busy parents, we often find ourselves on the go, moving from one activity to the next, and collapsing into bed by the end of the day. Taking some time to slow things down and get outside is imperative for our kids (and for us). We know the benefits and importance of spending time in nature. While outdoors is the perfect place to be active and “run wild,” it’s also nice to have some downtime in nature to be thoughtful, observant, and creative! 

    Plein air painting with kids is an amazing activity that combines the benefits of nature and art. It is a fun and relaxing way to spend a sunny afternoon with your children, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday activities. It lets them be still in nature, but also gives them something to do that engages their mind and stimulates their senses. Painting is one of my child’s favorite things to do outside, and I’m excited to share this activity with you today. Here’s all you need to know about the art of painting in the outdoors with kids.

    Note: “plein” is pronounced like plain or plane

    plein air painting with kids

    What is plein air painting?

    Painting en Plein air is a French term that means painting in open air and describes the act of painting outdoors. The plein air style of painting is outdoor art, in and around nature. It is a direct contrast to painting in a studio with fixed lights or objects. It’s not necessarily a style of art or with any particular medium, but a method of creating based on your location (outdoors) and subject (nature/landscape). 

    Plein air painting is usually art that captures the nature around them. Whether that’s the full landscape you see before you, or maybe just a tree, flower, or garden in your yard. It’s creating art from nature right in front of your eyes, not from a photograph or memory. When an artist paints in nature, they can better observe landscapes and their changing conditions, be that weather or light.

    Plein air painting is a sensory experience

    We often hear of the importance of giving your children full-body sensory experiences. Plein air painting is definitely a sensory experience, which creates a 3-dimensional experience and helps your children create powerful memories. When you paint outdoors, the sounds, smells, and sights of your surroundings add inspiration to your creative pursuits. You can feel the breeze, hear the rustling leaves, and smell the freshly-cut grass. 

    plein air painting art history book

    Famous plein air artists

    Painting outdoors is not a new activity, by any means. Here’s a little ditty for all of you kids who’ve ever taken an Art History 101 class. The artists who revolutionized this painting style in the late 1800s were known as Impressionists. The most renowned impressionists included Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. Those are some serious heavy hitters of the art world! Plein air painting with kids will put your child in very good company! 

    Where to paint outdoors

    The great thing about painting outside is that it can be done anywhere! The world is your canvas (literally). Interested in painting seascapes? Head to the beach! Interested in painting saguaros and sagebrush? Head to the desert! Interested in painting flowers and butterflies? Your backyard, local park, or nearby botanical garden may all be perfect locations!

    The great thing about nature is that you have a lot of options for the subject matter. Outdoor painting sessions need not be as divergent as desert or ocean, but could simply be the backyard or neighborhood park. There’s no limit to where you can paint, you just have to decide where to start and give it a try! 

    Plein Air painting event - tips for painting outdoors with kids

    What do you need for Plein air painting with kids?

    We like to think of plein air painting as a picnic with a side of art supplies. For an outdoor painting session, you’ll want to pack art supplies such as watercolors, acrylics, or colored pencils. As for your canvas, the thicker the paper, the better. Can you use a sketchbook, thick cardstock, a canvas, or even a large piece of cardboard (this is a great way to get some use out of all those boxes). You’ll also want some paper towels and a cup of water so you can clean your brushes in between colors. These are the basic items one needs for a Plein air painting adventure.

    Serious hobbyists and professionals will sometimes carry with them a portable easel stand. Easels are not necessary, but they can be helpful when your kids want to be at eye level with their subject matter. You don’t need to rush out to your arts and crafts store to make an easel. Portable easels can be easily made out of everyday materials like this cardboard art easel or a rustic one made out of sticks and twine.

    Whichever landscape is your destination, dress appropriately for your location and the weather. Bring sunscreen and a hat for sun protection, plus refreshments so you don’t have to interrupt your creative inspiration when thirst and hunger strike.

    Plein air painting out and about

    Plein air painting doesn’t require a lot of planning or preparation. For the most part, you can find objects and landscapes right outside your house that are perfect for painting. However, if you want to take the show on the road, we suggest picking a location in a park or near a river where there are a lot of trees, birds, and shade. This will not only give your child plenty of inspiration to paint but also make them feel like it’s more of a special occasion. 

    If you’re away from home, bring a few gallons of water with you for cleaning brushes, and be sure to use non-toxic paints that won’t hurt nature around you. Bring a trash bag with you to remove any trash you may create (or see/find in the area) to leave your location better than you found it. 

    Plein air painting koi pond

    Artistic elements of plein air painting

    You don’t have to worry too much about artistic elements with plein air painting with kids. However, if you have a child that’s into art or serious about their creation, there are a few things about art and observation that you can teach them to help them create their masterpieces. Here are few ways to help your child observe the area around them, decide what to paint, and how to capture it. 

    The power of observation

    Once you arrive at your destination, spend some time with your kids discussing and making observations about the landscape they’re going to paint. Younger kids might rev up their observation skills with a game of “I spy.” Older kids might jump right in with interesting observations about unusual things they see. The goal of spending time focusing on observation of their surroundings is that it helps them to hone in on what to paint.

    Kids might become fascinated by the shape of the clouds in the sky, the shape of a tree, or the colors of the plants in a garden. By talking through all of the options in advance, kids strengthen their powers of observation and get better with decision-making skills at the same time.

    Plein air painting seascape

    Composition and rule of thirds

    As you talk to your kids about what they see and what they may eventually paint, you’ll also want to help them understand composition. As you’re gazing out at your subject matter, talk to your kids about artistic considerations such as foreground, middle ground, and background. Talk about the elements in the landscape and how close they are to you (and to each other) – this will help them realize that things farther away look smaller than items nearby. 

    Have them look at the horizon and where the landscape meets the sky.If you’re painting a beach landscape, talk about the horizon line where the water meets the sky. What do you see above the horizon? What does the water look like at the horizon (and is different than what it looks like up close)? Are there waves? Are people frolicking on the beach in front of you or out in the water? And as you guide their eyes to the sand, are there beach umbrellas or sand toys?

    Spending time observing the elements of a landscape helps young artists to understand how to layout the composition on their own canvas. In art and photography, this is known as the “rule of thirds.” If you divide your canvas into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, the focal areas of your composition should line up at the meeting points of your imaginary grid. However, the rule of thirds is just a guideline, and your little artists may not want to be encumbered by rules when being creative.

    Think about color 

    Finally, have your child think about color when they’re plein air painting. Do the colors they see match the colors of their paint (or should they mix them a little to see if they can get a color a little more true to life)? Let them observe what happens when you mix colors. Let them add more water to their watercolor paints and see what happens. Experimentation is key and so much fun for kids. 

    plein air painting rustic easel

    Plein ol’ fun!

    Plein air painting is a great creative outlet for young artists that puts kids outdoors and in nature. It’s also a great way to expand upon school topics such as art history, geography, atmospheric sciences, horticulture, earth science, and more. Kids of all ages (and adults) can benefit from spending time in nature, being still and observant, and the creative act of painting outdoors.

    Plein Air painting Wonder Club Explorer Merit Patch

    Earn a patch for painting

    We hope you are inspired to pack some paints and head outdoors with the kids. We are so passionate about plein air painting that my company, Wonder Club Explorers, has created a Plein Air Painter Merit Patch. This is just one of the 18 patches offered with the Wonder Club Explorers Adventure Kit. Every artist has a different perspective, and it’s so much fun to watch kids paint, create and express themselves. Wonder Club Explorers is an independent scouting program for kids without all the hassle of meetings and fundraising.

    So, get out there, have fun and remember to tag us on social media using the hashtags #runwildmychild and #wonderclubexplorers on your next Plein air adventure!

    About the author

    Michelle spends her days working on projects to improve the quality of life for the citizens of her community and her nights reading books to her 6-year-old about every kind of dinosaur there ever was (there are 900 validated species, in case you’re wondering). Together with her son, Michelle created Wonder Club Explorers, a company to inspire wonder and curiosity in kids. She carves out time for herself on the weekends as an early morning exerciser and metalsmith of fine jewelry. Michelle is also the co-host of the Run Wild My Child podcast. She resides in Altadena with her husband and son amongst California Oak trees and a stone’s throw of the San Gabriel Mountains. 

    You can find Michelle online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @wonderclubexplorers
    Website: http://www.wonderclubexplorers.co
    RWMC posts: Michelle Garrett

  • CRAFTS, HOLIDAYS, RECIPES

    Easter Nature Crafts for Kids

    Spring is officially here! And what a better way to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and warmer temperatures that spring brings than by getting outside and collecting some nature treasures! What you do with your nature treasures is up to you, but we have some fun ideas! Today, Hannah Martin, UK mom and co-host of the YouTube show Hobie’s Nature Club is here with some fun and creative spring and Easter nature crafts for kids. 

    Incorporating nature into Easter crafts

    I’m not sure what’s happening with the weather where you are, but here in the UK, we have seen blue skies and sunshine for the first time in what feels like forever!  Flowers are in bloom; birds are busy making nests, which means only one thing… it is Spring and very nearly Easter.  We love this time of year. There are so many activities to do outside with kids and everyone actually wants to be outside again.

    We also love decorating our house at Easter. We love the nature-inspired reminders of new life through eggs and chicks, bunny rabbits, lambs (…but don’t forget the chocolate!).  This year we decided to go all out with our Easter decorating in our favorite way – with nature! We decided to make a few fun Easter-themed nature crafts from materials we could find in nature. Not only does this mean we got to spend time outdoors in nature together, but we also got to have fun, get messy (and crafty) in the spirit of the holiday all in one go.

    Easter nature crafts for kids

    Below I’ve included a few ideas for some nature crafts to do with your kids.  Each of these projects will be great for the upcoming holiday. Spread them out over the next couple weeks, as you won’t be able to do them all in one day. They are simple and fun for kids (and adults) of all ages.  Most of the crafts use things found in nature, but obviously, you will need some other crafting bits, too.  So, let’s get on with the fun part! Here are some entertaining ideas to brighten up your home and Easter table, with a few bonus yummy Easter treats mixed in, too!

    Easter bunny nature picture card

    This Easter craft activity is the simplest by far, but it’s so much fun! With this activity, you get to combine two favorite things – exploring outside and making a card for a family member or school friend.  All you need is to do to collect your materials is to go outside and explore your garden or local park and find the following:

    • 2 bunny  ear-shaped leaves
    • 1 bunny face-shaped leaf
    • Twigs for whiskers
    •  Something pink for a bunny’s nose or you could paint a stone.
    • Something white for bunny’s teeth, we used petals.
    • Goggly eyes
    • Lots of PVA glue

    We learned from previous craft activities that when you are trying to stick shiny, waxy leaves onto paper you need lots of PVA glue! And you need patience because you need to wait a while for it to become tacky (you can speed up the process by using a hairdryer if needs be).

    Sticking leaves onto paper

    Cover your paper and the leaves in glue and then place the leaves onto the paper where you want them. You’ll need to hold onto the paper, we had to rub the leaves and weigh them down with a lid. Draw your mouth and stick on the teeth and nose and eyes.  Then apply more glue for the sticks…we loved our end result, he makes us smile!

    Nature-inspired Easter egg hunt

    Everybody loves Easter egg hunts, right? Well, our version of an outdoor Easter egg hunt also incorporates nature. Instead of finding eggs, your kids will find fun things in nature that they can use to decorate a cardboard egg. This activity is great for big groups and kids of all ages. Small children can also get involved, which is great if you have toddlers and little ones. It will make a perfect Easter day activity as it can incorporate hiding chocolate eggs, too. 

    Here’s what you will need for your nature-inspired egg hunt:

    • PVA glue
    • Cardboard
    • White paper
    • Scissors
    • Treasure hunt clues
    • Collecting pot/bowl/bag

    We started by cutting out an egg shape from the cardboard and white paper and then stuck them together.  I then gave the children nature challenges such as going outside and finding:

    • 10 stones
    • 3 different things that are red
    • 2 different shaped leaves etc
    • 2 different colored flower petals
    • evergreen needles
    • 3 super tiny sticks

    Every other turn, have the children run and find a chocolate egg! When you have completed the hunt you then use the nature treasures to decorate your eggs…and of course, eat the chocolate ones!

    Treasure hunt

    Egg Shell Herb garden

    Egg-tastic mini herb garden

    You will need:

    • Egg box/carton
    • Eggshells
    • Herb Seeds (parsley, basil, chives, and watercress)
    • Soil
    • Scissors

    Crack eggs with one large piece of shell and one small.  Place the large piece in the egg box, fill it with soil. Next, insert the seeds following the instructions on each of the seed packets. Water the soil and leave your egg card herb garden in a bright, warm place for the seeds to germinate. If you want to transfer the plants into your garden later, you can easily place the whole thing (eggshell and all) directly in! 

    Egg Shell Herb Garden

    Pinecone spring chick

    This fun craft is one that you can let your kids run with to make their own! There are no hard and fast rules – you can get as creative as you want! First, you will need to go on an adventure to a local woodland with evergreen and pine trees so that you can find some pinecones for this project. Next, you’ll need to gather the following craft supplies from your stash:

    • Yellow paint mixed with PVA glue
    • Orange foam or tissue paper for beak and feet
    • Yellow feathers
    • Goggly eyes

    Yellow paint and PVA Glue

    Let your child paint the pinecone with the yellow paint/glue mixture and then stick the feathers all over it. This is a fun (and messy) project, so we recommend doing this outside and using a washable paint (just in case). Next, cut a triangle from the orange foam or tissue paper as the beak and stick it onto the pinecone, along with the googly eyes. Ta da! You now have an adorable little pinecone chick! 

    Easter tree decorations

    Since becoming a parent, I’ve started to enjoy festive decorations more for all our holidays. Holiday decorations are such a fun and easy way to get kids excited about the next holiday and show off their amazing creativity. They’re usually fun and colorful and bring me so much joy looking at them and remembering the memories of making the decorations together. And for Easter, there’s nothing better than a small blossoming branch as a centerpiece for your dining table. If you want to make your own Easter tree, here’s how! 

    You will need:

    • Lots of eggs (white shell best, although they’re hard to find in the UK)
    • Needle
    • Cotton
    • Paint
    • Natural items
    • Double-sided tape
    • String/twine/raffia to hang the egg

    The first step is to remove the inside of the egg from the shell by egg blowing! Have you ever done this? I remember egg blowing as a child (although I can’t remember why we were doing it), but this is obviously a fun memorable child activity. However, I will say that it is a lot harder than I remember! 

    To start, you have to carefully use a needle to make a hole at both ends of the egg.  Rotating the needle is more effective for not cracking the egg. You want both holes to be small, but one should be big enough that the inside of the egg can pass through. 

    Piercing hole in egg for blowing

    Children blowing eggs

    Next, in order to blow the “guts” of the egg out, you need to seal your mouth over the smaller hole and blow gently.  It’s a good idea for the adult to start as after a few drops it gets easier.  Once you hit the yolk you might have to take over again as it takes quite a lot of puff to break it down through the hole. 

    I have to be honest, I thought we were then going to thread the cotton through the egg to be able to hang it but every attempt resulted in a cracked egg! We ended up using double-sided tape and attaching the string or raffia to the egg and then painting over it. You can give it a try (hopefully you’ll have better luck than us) or just start with this little trick.

    Next, let your kids paint the eggs, add stickers or glitter, or go into the garden and collect nature things to stick on them. While your little ones are searching for their nature decorations, you can find a pretty branch to cut and place in a vase with soil and top with small stones or wood chips.  Once your eggs are dry, hang them from your Easter tree/branch and use this as a centerpiece for your Easter table or tabletop decoration! 

    Easter tree decorationsEaster TreeWhat you need for rocky road bunnies

    Rocky-road chocolate bunnies

    Now, this is our not-so-nature-loving activity! But, it is great for a rainy April shower kind of day. Plus, these are very yummy treats that your kids will love! The great thing is there is no need to measure or weigh.  Just chuck all the ingredients in a bowl and mix.

    • 2 large bars of milk chocolate
    • 1 bag or bar of Malteser chocolate
    • Mini marshmallows
    • Mini chocolate eggs
    • Rice krispies/corn flakes or crushed biscuits/cookies
    • Optional healthy things like raisins, cherries, dried cranberries, or apricots
    • M&Ms
    • Sweetie laces for whiskers
    • Silicon mold

    Break your chocolate up and place it in a glass bowl. Heat gently and slowly in a double boiler over a pan of boiling water. Make sure to stir regularly with a wooden spoon. While the chocolate is melting, lay out your bunny features in the mold (rice crispies for eyes, m & m for nose, cut up sweetie laces for whiskers).

    Once the chocolate has melted (be patient, this may take a while – don’t rush it), remove from heat and add your crispy bits, crushed mini eggs, marshmallows, and anything else you fancy and spoon into molds.  This does need to be done quite quickly as the chocolate will start to solidify. We’ve had this cute silicone mold for years and never used it so this was a first for us! We were so excited to finally put it to good use.

    Place mold into the fridge for 1-2 hours to solidify. Once the chocolate is solid, push your bunnies out of mold and EAT! Mmmmm! 

    Making this candy treat was so much fun! We had a blast and ended up with a LOT of candy. We’ll be giving these yummy treats as gifts to the family for Easter.

    Silicon bunny mouldMini Marshmallows and mini eggsBunny shaped Rocky Road

    Spring crafts for kids

    We hope you enjoy being creative with these spring and Easter nature crafts for kids. We hope this has inspired you to get outside and look for fun and useful nature treasures to use in your crafting projects. Spring is such a fun time of year to get outside and see nature coming to life around you. Now, go outside and play! 

     Are you incorporating nature into your spring decorations this year?

    About the author

    Hannah Martin has worked as a PE Teacher in the UK for 15 years. She has always loved being active outdoors. However, she discovered a new passion for nature and appreciating the environment when she had her son Hobie (now 5 years old). Hannah and Hobie’s vision is to inspire parents to spend time doing fun, creative, nature activities outdoors with their children; no matter where they live and whatever the weather. They believe spending time together outdoors as a family will encourage future generations to love and care for the world, wildlife, and environment.

    Find more from Hannah (and Hobie) in the following locations:
    Instagram: @hobies_nature_club
    Website: hobiesnatureclub.co.uk
    YouTube channel: Hobie’s Nature Club
    RWMC Posts: Hannah Martin

  • CRAFTS, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WINTER

    20 DIY Nature-Inspired Holiday Ornaments for Kids

    We love finding fun ways to incorporate nature into our home and decor. While it may be cold outside, now is a great time to get out into nature, collect some fun items, and get crafty! Today, Meghan Garriott, Illinois mom of three, is here with 20 nature-inspired holiday ornaments that you can make with your kids. These DIY ornaments are all made with items found in (and just outside) your home! Not only are they the perfect (non-breakable) addition to your tree, but they also make adorable gifts for friends, family, teachers, and neighbors. 

    20 diy nature inspired holiday ornaments

    Nature-inspired holiday ornaments

    Decorating for the winter holidays can be a fun family experience. Each year we like to put on music, dance and decorate. Unfortunately, with 3 little kids, it’s hard to not have a ton of broken or damaged decor by the end of decorating, and definitely by the end of the season.

    This year we are doing things a little differently. I’m pardoning all my glass bulbs and heirloom ornaments. They’re staying in their boxes, safe and sound this year. Instead, we are made all of our own nature ornaments.

    Not only does that mean that we got to spend some time outside in the fresh air collecting items, but we got to spend time together making the ornaments and putting them up. 

    Plan your crafting day

    Below, I’ve included ideas for making 20 different kinds of nature-inspired ornaments. Each ornament uses both natural materials and traditional craft supplies. Making the ornaments is super fun, but so is collecting all your nature items. Since you will be using a lot of the same materials over again, I recommend making a full day out of it and do both the collecting and ornament making in the same day. Spend the morning gathering all your materials and then go home and start making your ornaments. Your nature items will be fresher, there will be less whining about when you’ll make them, ess clean up and fewer sticky/painted fingers this way!

    Nature ornaments for kids

    Gather your craft supplies 

    For our day of ornament making, we used only the craft supplies that we had at home. No additional trip to the store for supplies – we made do with all the scraps, ends, and bits we found in our craft closet and boxes. Every ornament we walk you through below is very easy to customize based on what you have at home and I’ll include fun variations for a lot of them.

    Our non-nature material included:

    • string
    • twine
    • glue
    • construction paper
    • Mod Podge
    • wood beads
    • oranges
    • salt dough (water, salt, flour)
    • paint

    Some additional fun things to consider using would be:

    • leftover ribbon
    • leftover wrapping paper
    • spare buttons
    • popsicles sticks
    • glitter
    • sequins
    • stickers

    Collect your nature materials

    The next thing to do is get outside and find natural materials. You likely won’t have to venture too far from home to collect most of your nature materials. In our own yard, we collected sticks and pine cones. We went to the park to collect some pieces of arborvitae/red cedar tree clippings and some pine clippings. We had some pressed flowers from over the summer that we used as well. Acorns were on our list of things to find but unfortunately, the squirrels beat us to most of them. I’ve included how we planned it used them.

    My kids had a great time finding the perfect sticks and pine cones to use. To make the most of your hunting day check out this Fall Scavenger Hunt how-to.

    Holiday salt dough tree ornaments with pine and red string

    20 DIY nature-inspired ornaments (and how to make them)

    Ok, let’s get to the good part. Are you ready for 20 easy DIY tutorials on how to make the cutest nature-inspired holiday ornaments with your kids? Here we go! 

    Salt dough ornaments

    There are so many different fun types of ornaments you can make with salt dough. Have you ever made salt dough? It’s super easy and guaranteed to be fun for the kids. I’ve included the recipe and instructions below, as well as three different types of nature-inspired ornaments you can make with salt dough.

    Salt dough recipe

    • 1 cup of flour
    • 1/2 cup of salt
    • 1/2 cup of water (may add more as needed)

    Knead the dough till smooth then use a rolling pin till thin. Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes. Using a reusable metal straw poke holes for string to go through. Bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 20min then flip over and cook for 10 more minutes.

    1. Salt dough Christmas tree ornaments

    Gather small Arborvitae/red cedar clippings. Choose the pieces that look the most like a Christmas tree. Cut them to fit your salt dough shape. Place clipping on salt dough and paint with thick layer of Mod Podge. It will likely take a few coats with about 20 min dry time between each coat.

    Once the Arborvitae is securely on your dough you can paint ornaments or a star on your tree, or leave it as is. (As an added bonus, these clippings smell really lovely)

    Painting modge podge on ornament - how to make diy salt dough ornaments2. Salt dough pressed flower ornament 

    As above you organize then pressed flowers on your cut and baked dough. Carefully handle the pressed flowers.  They may be delicate. Once arranged how you like paint with. Thick layer of Mod Podge. It will take a few coats.

    If you don’t have any pressed flowers this year, keep this idea in mind come spring and summer! Collect them and press them in a book until you’re ready to use them next December. Add some ribbon or twine to hang and some accent beads if you have them.

    3. Salt dough pine needle ornament

    For this ornament you will coat the whole ornament with Mod Podge before placing the needles. While the Mod Podge is still wet use the pine needles to make designs on your ornament. Let dry then coat with one more layer of Mod Podge.

    Pressed flower on salt dough - easy nature inspired holiday ornaments to make with your kids

    Acorn ornaments 

    4. Acorn silver bells ornament 

    Paint acorns in metallic silver. Add a black cross-hatch on the bottom of the acorn to look like the bottom of a bell. Tie a red ribbon or string around the acorn stem to hang

    5. Acorn bulb lights

    Paint the bottom part of multiple acorns in bright colors. Hang separately or along one long string like a strand of lights.

    Twig star wrapped in twine - holiday ornaments made from nature

    Ornaments made from sticks and twigs

    6. Stick star ornaments

    Use 5 fairly equal in length sticks. Fashion them in the shape of a star and glue edges together. Regular glue works ok, but has a longer dry time. Hot glue works best. Once dry wrap string, twine, or ribbon around the star. Wrap just the points of the star, wrap the individual twigs or wrap the whole thing like we did. There is no wrong way to decorate your star.

    A fun variation would be to make tassels and attach them to the end of the points. If you don’t have string or ribbon just paint that star or cover it in glitter ( if you’re brave). You could also paint the sticks/twine or add sequins to make them more colorful.

    7. Stick letter ornaments

    Use sticks to make the first letter of all the names in your family. This was a good activity for my 3 year old who is learning how to spell his name. Wrap letters in ribbon, yarn or twine. Decorate with buttons, paint, or glitter.

    8. Stick reindeer ornaments

    Make a triangle with sticks with one point of the triangle pointing at you. This will be the reindeer’s nose. Bring the furthest side from towards you a few inches, the extra length on the sides will be the antlers. Use  construction paper to make a red Rudolph nose and put some eyes on each side a few inches above the nose.

    9. Stick snowflake ornaments

    Using 6 sticks of equal length, glue them all together at one point to create a circle. At the end of each stick glue 2 small stick pieces to each side of each stick to form the full snowflake. Paint it white, cover it with glitter or just leave it as is.

    Christmas tree made of sticks and string -diy nature inspired holiday ornaments for kids

    Tree ornaments made of sticks 

    10. Stacked stick tree ornaments

    Start with a stick about 6 inches long, place gradually shorter sticks above to form a Christmas tree. To keep the stack together you can glue to a. Popsicle stick base or tie them together with knots between each stick as seen below.

    11. Wrapped twig tree ornament

    For this tree we used a stick that naturally branched off into a V then glued another stick across the bottom to complete the triangle. We then use a small piece for the trunk of the tree. Wrap twine, yarn or string around the triangle to fill in the tree. Add a star at the top.

    Tree made from string and twigs

    Pinecone ornaments 

    12. Pinecone Christmas tree ornament

    Paint the scales if the pine cone green. Feeling artsy? Try using two or three different colors of green on the same cone. Add a star at the top and maybe some homemade ornaments to finish it off. You can use sequins or little pom-poms for the ornaments. Or even nature confetti (use a hole punch on some vibrant colored leaves). 

    13. Snow covered pinecone ornaments

    Paint the edge of each scale white. For glistening snow add iridescent flake paint on top of the white or sprinkle with white, silver, or gold glitter.

    14. Beaded pinecone ornaments

    Use smaller pine cones for this one. Tie string to the top of the pine cone, add colored or plain wood beads to the string on top of the pine cone. If you have small beads, glue then to the pinecone scales like ornaments on a tree.

    15. Disco ball pinecone

    There are a few ways to completely glitter your pinecone in order to turn it into a sparkly disco ball. You can spray the whole pine cone with spray adhesive then put pinecone and glitter in ziplock bag and shake till completely covered. Another way to cover it in glitter is to paint each scale with glittered acrylic paint. Either way you do it these are a great addition to the holiday decor because they are so sparkly and reflect the lights beautifully. 

    Pro tip: When temperatures are low pinecones tend to close up. To open them back up just put them in the oven at 200 for about 15 minutes. 
    Painting glitter on pinecone

    Globe ornaments 

    16.  Filled globe nature ornaments

    Start with some clear plastic globe ornaments (like these). Then, fill them up with your favorite nature finds. You can make beachy ornaments (filled with sand or shells from your favorite beach), pine forest ornaments (filled with pine needle clippings) or even wildflower ornaments (filled with dried flowers). The possibilities are endless!

    Pro tip: This is also a great way to remember a particular trip or vacation. While you’re there (wherever you are), remember to collect a bunch of small items that can be placed in a globe ornament. When you get home, put all the things in the ornament and write the destination and date of the trip on the globe. 

    17. Pressed flower globe ornaments

    Instead of putting dried flowers inside a clear ornament, you can decorate the outside of your ornament with them! Paint the entire outside of the globe ornament with Mod Podge. Gently spread pressed flowers onto wet Mod Podge and allow the first layer with the flowers to dry. Next, add a second layer on top of the flowers to seal. The Christmas tree lights shining through the flower petals is so pretty.

    Orange slice with cinnamon stick and red string

    Dried fruit ornaments

    Decorating with dried fruit is so simple and festive! To dry oranges or grapefruit, slice the fruit into thin even slices. We used a potato slicer/mandolin to make sure all slices were the same thickness. Place slices on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Before baking punch holes for hanging. We used a reusable metal straw to punch these holes. Bake for 2-3 hours or until dry. 

     18. Dried orange ornaments

    While the dried oranges are beautiful hung just by themselves, we also made a few with pine clippings, cinnamon sticks and beads on the string above the orange. Another variation and to add some color, use grapefruit or blood oranges. 

    19. Dried fruit garland

    Instead of one single ornament, string oranges or grapefruit slices together using twine or string. Add beads, cranberries, acorns or popcorn between each orange for fun variations.

    Suncatcher nature ornament 

    20. Suncatcher nature ornament

    Using clear contact paper, place colorful leaves, pressed flowers, ferns, nature confetti, or pine needles in a fun arrangement. Place another layer of contact paper over the top to seal in arrangement. Cut out into shapes and poke a hole in the top to hang on tree. Check out this fun flower suncatcher for more ideas. 

    Get creative with your nature ornaments

    Nature-inspired ornaments are so much fun to make with your kids. The good news is that there is no wrong or right way to make any of these ornaments. You or you children will likely come up with many variations as you are working on them. The beauty of working with natural materials is the are already perfectly imperfect and leave a lot of room for creativity. Thankfully,  if any of these get knocked off the tree by tiny excited gift retrievers, you don’t have to worry about glass or ruining an heirloom. You can go outside and gather your supplies to make another.

    How will you be using nature ornaments to decorate for the holidays this year?

    About the author

    Meghan is a country living, mom of 2 boys in rural central Illinois (with a baby girl on the way). She is a Physical Therapist Assistant by trade but spends most of her time outside with her family. At home, she has large flower, herb, and vegetable gardens to tend to and 3 large dogs to play with. As a family, they enjoy hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and helping her in-laws show and raise livestock. Photography became a hobby while in isolation after her oldest son’s bone marrow transplant. It has since become a passion to capture her family’s daily life. Throughout her family’s journey with rare disease and transplant, the outdoors have been a safe space for the whole family to grow, learn, and thrive.

    You can find more from Meghan online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @meghangarriott
    RWMC posts: Meghan Garriott

  • CRAFTS, FALL, GOOD FOR NATURE, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    Conker Crafts for Kids

    Have you ever found a conker? Conkers are the nuts from the horse chestnut tree (not to be confused with the chestnuts that you can eat). Also called buckeyes, conkers are ripe and ready for fun in the fall. Today, UK mom, teacher, and YouTube host Hannah Martin shares her family’s favorite conker crafts for kids. She’ll tell you where to find conkers, when to look for them and how to use them for fun fall crafts that you can do with your little ones. Let’s get crafty! 

    All about Conker Crafts with Kids

    Conker season

    It’s that time of year where we lose the warmth of summer and the long evenings. But, nature has a lovely way of reminding us of the beauty of the next season. Autumn appears and shows off her loveliness, with colours changing every day on a woodland walk, cool crispy air, fewer pesky bugs, and so many treasures falling from trees.

    Our favorite fall nature treasure by far the round, brown shiny balls called conkers! (In the US, you may call these “buckeyes” or “horse chestnuts.”) Conkers are not only good for the fun traditional game of “conkers” but are great for fall-themed crafts and activities with your children. Once you think of one idea, if you are like us, you will get carried away in creating an array of conker animals, insects, reptiles and spooky decorations for your house or garden!

    Finding conkers

    One of the best things about using conkers for crafts is that it’s basically a whole day’s activity! Before you can start crafting, you have to get outdoors to discover and collect the conkers. Finding them is definitely a big part of the fun! And Autumn is by far the best season for woodland walks and exploring. There is so much to entertain little minds; colorful leaves, piles of crispy brown leaves to stamp in, fruits, nut,s and seeds from trees.

    Horse Chestnut trees

    Your first mission is to find the right tree. Horse Chestnuts trees are easy to spot in the autumn, as they are one of the first trees to change colors. Horse Chestnut tree leaves turn brown slightly before all the other trees around them, which is a great way to get kids paying attention and observing the colors. This is especially the case if there has been a wet spring.  Horse Chestnut trees are usually pretty big, growing up to 25m tall and in their own space. They’re frequently planted along roadsides.  The Horse Chestnut leaves have five or more lobes whose midribs come from one point.

    Horse Chestnut Leaf

    When and where to find conkers

    In the UK, conker season starts in August and continues through September and October. However, the climate and weather in any particular area can have an effect on the conkers and when they’re ready.

    The best place to spot conkers is looking at the ground for their green, spiky capsule close to Horse Chestnut trees. Conkers are ready when fall from the tree. This is when they’re harden and ripen in the middle. But if you leave them on the ground for too long, conkers can become weak and soggy.

    On our conker quest this year, we discovered that we were quite late to the party. By the time we went out, lots of the Horse Chestnut trees in our area had already dropped their conkers and had been found and collected by someone else. We had a very dry, windy summer, so we think they dropped their nuts earlier than usual.

    *Note: Don’t get confused by a Horse Chestnut and a Sweet Chestnut. Sweet Chestnuts are the nut that once cooked you can eat (a la “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”), they have a much softer, pricklier shell than conkers. Conkers are not edible. Both come in green shells, but conker cases have short, stumpy spikes all over.

    Horse Chestnut and Conker

    Make collecting conkers fun

    Finding and collecting conkers on it’s own is a really fun outdoor activity for kids and families. We always like to spice things up a bit, so sometimes we’ll make concker collecting a competition! Who can collect the most conkers in a set amount of time, or who can find the biggest or smallest conker. While collecting, we also start imagining what we will make each one into.  It’s so interesting seeing all the different shapes and sizes that you collect.

    Conker craft supplies and safety

    When you do crafts with children, it’s important that the child gets to be hands-on for the majority of the activity. This means you should choose tools that are safe, or just ensure you give clear, simple instructions for safe use.

    When working with conkers, the hardest part of the crafting activity is usually making a hole  in the conker. We find a child’s hand drill the easiest and safest way. Howver, you can also use a palm drill or just a skewer. Be advised that this requires strength and risk awareness, particularly thinking about hands in the right place and eyes if leaning over.

    Equipment for Conker Crafts

    Conker crafts for kids

    Conker crafts are fun for the whole family and really easy to make! You can turn conkers into so many different things; your only limit is your imagination! Today, we’re sharing a few of our favorite conker crafts for kids. All of these conker crafts have been tried and approved by my 5 year old! And the good news is, you don’t need much in the way of supplies other than what you can find in nature! So, let’s get outside, find some conkers and start getting crafty! 

    Conker spider

    For our first conker craft, we are going to make a creepy conker spider! This is a really simple craft activity (and quite ironic, as old wives tales say that spiders hate conkers). These crafts make cute decorations for the corner of your house — and who know, maybe they will scare the spiders away!

    Conker spider supplies:

    •  2 conkers
    • 1 cocktail stick/toothpick
    • hot glue
    • 1-2 pipe cleaners
    • wire cutter
    • goggly eyes

    Conker spider instructions:

    1. Use your drill or skewer to make a hole in the head of the spider and the body. Cut the cocktail stick in half and put it into the hole on body. Squirt with some hot glue and attach another (smaller) conker as the head.
    2. Make 4 holes on either side of the spider’s body. Decide how long you want his legs to be, and cut pipe cleaners to size. Squirt glue into the hole one at a time and insert the pipe cleaner legs.  (Use parental supervision/help, as the glue is hot!)
    3. Stick on your googly eyes and decorate your spider as you wish.

    Spooky Conker Spider

    Conker spider web

    Every spider needs a web so we decided to create our little conker spiders a home.

    Conker spider web supplies:

    • 1 large conker
    • 8 sticks (you could use wooden skewers, whittled sticks or bamboo)
    • white string; twine
    • glue

    Conker spider web instructions:

    1. Make 8 holes the size of your sticks, equally spaced out around the perimeter of the conker.
    2. If the sticks are slightly smaller than the hole, fill the hole with hot glue.
    3. Tie one end of the string to the bottom (near the conker) of one upright stick.
    4. Take the string and wrap it around the next stick once and on the second turn pull it tight and cross over the first wrap so the string stays in place.
    5. Continue doing the same in a circular motion. When you get back to the first stick move up slightly and continue to wrap around each stick twice.
    6. When you get to the outside end of the sticks on the one you started, tie off the string leaving a length to hang.

    It’s that simple, but looks very effective, especially when you attach your conker spider and hang it from a tree or ceiling!

    Weaving conker spider websWeaved conker spiders web

    Conker bat craft

    Conker bat supplies:

    • 1 conker
    • black cardstock paper
    • half a pipe cleaner
    • googly eyes
    • string

    Conker bat instructions:

    1. Make two holes on either side of your conker for the bat’s wings.
    2. Make two smaller holes on the bottom of the face of the conker for bat teeth.
    3. Make a hole all the way through your conker and using string or wire insert a length and tie a knot at the bottom. This is to hang your bat.
    4. Cut your wings out of the black cardstock paper making sure one end is narrow enough to fit in the holes. Gently create a crease long ways and fold in half widthways to make it look like a batwing.
    5. Squirt glue into the holes and insert one end of the wing.
    6. Cut your pipe cleaners for the size teeth you want, squirt glue into the holes, and insert pipe cleaners.
    7. Add your googly eyes and using paint pens or permanent markers add any decorations.

    We have our bat hanging from the web on a tree in the garden.

    How to make a conker bat

    Making conker animals 

    As soon as you get started making conker crafts, I guarantee that your children will start coming up with their own imaginative ideas! My son wanted to carry on the “creepy” theme and do his own monster. That lead to us making conker pumpkins.

    Next, we moved on to other animals. He has been studying the jungle at school, so his next idea was for the monkey, which I love. We just added some beads to his hands to give him some weight to hang.

    We made porcupines with toothpicks. We made snails with playdough. We still had a lot of conkers leftover, so we made snakes! For the snake, you will need quite a lot of conkers. We used wire to thread them onto so that it would bend. We now use this snake as an arithmetic bead string when adding and subtracting up to 10.

    Pro tip: If you want to paint the conkers, just add PVA glue to the paint mixture. Conker HedgehogConker Crafts

    Conker Snake

    Conker tic-tac-toe

    Our last conker craft idea was to create a game of noughts and crosses (or tic-tac-toe). All you need is a solid base (we used a sliced stump of an old tree) and 4 sticks. Mark up to 5 conkers with a “O” and 5 with an “X.” We used acrylic paint pens for this. Place two sticks parallel and two stick perpendicular and your tic tac toe board is all set up and ready to play! 

    We love having this fun and easy game board at our disposal. It’s great for keeping outside and being able to access at any time with the family. We pull it out anytime we’re outside and have some time to play. BUT! Beware of squirrels stealing your conkers!

    Conker Tic-Tac-Toe

    Conker crafts for the win

    There are so many fun ways to use conkers. They’re fun to collect, fun to play with, and a lot of fun to use in crafts. So, next time you are out on a family, autumn woodland walk, don’t forget to keep looking down for conker treasures and enjoy making your conker crafts and creations together.

    Have you created any other conker crafts?
    Share your photos on Instagram and use the hashtag #runwildmychild to be featured!

    About the author

    Hannah Martin has worked as a PE Teacher in the UK for 15 years. She has always loved being active outdoors. However, she discovered a new passion for nature and appreciating the environment when she had her son Hobie (now 5 years old). Hannah and Hobie’s vision is to inspire parents to spend time doing fun, creative, nature activities outdoors with their children; no matter where they live and whatever the weather. They believe spending time together outdoors as a family will encourage future generations to love and care for the world, wildlife, and environment.

    Find more from Hannah (and Hobie) in the following locations:
    Instagram: @hobies_nature_club
    Website: hobiesnatureclub.co.uk
    YouTube channel: Hobie’s Nature Club
    RWMC Posts: Hannah Martin

  • CRAFTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SUMMER

    Squirt Gun Painting with Kids

    Summer has arrived and this means even more outdoor fun activities with our little ones! But, what to do with our creative little ones? The ones who want to create, draw, paint the entire day? Arts and crafts are great for creative kids, but sometimes art activities can tend to keep your little ones indoors more often than you’d like. If you are looking for a fun way to combine art and some family fun outside, look no further. Today, Creative Team member Tine Voeten, a European traveler and mother of two, is taking her kids’ art projects outside and sharing all about squirt gun painting with kids.

    {This post contains affiliate links.}

    Squirt Gun Painting with Kids

    Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” – Pablo Picasso

    The fun of squirt gun painting

    Squirt gun painting is the perfect combination of two of our favorite summer activities: art and playing outside! We geared up with this combo in mind and took our squirt gun painting in the wild! Today, I’m here to share everything you need to know to get start squirt gun painting with your kids. This is a fun summer outdoor activity for kids that’s sure to entertain them for hours and make beautiful memories. 

    Why painting is healthy?

    Everybody knows that the act of painting is relaxing. But, did you know that painting has many advantages to improve mental health and overall quality of life? Here’s a quick reminder of the benefits of painting:

    • Painting stimulates creative growth. Not only creative people should paint. By painting, less creative people can stimulate their creative growth. Practice and focus allow people, young or old, to learn creative skills.
    • It reduces stress and gives you the ability to cope with stress better.
    • Painting sharpens the mind and improves memory through conceptual visualization.
    • It cultivates emotional growth. Creating art helps kids and adults to express their emotions.
    • Creating beautiful art through painting encourages a more optimistic approach to life.
    • It builds problem-solving and helps develop fine motor skills in your child’s hands. 

    When you combine these advantages with going outdoors, this is a family activity that should be on every family’s monthly activity list! I am very sure it will become one of your top summer activities!

    Squirt Gun Painting supplies and setup

    Squirt gun painting supplies

    • Paint (tempera or liquid watercolors)
    • Water squirt guns
    • Water 
    • Funnel or a plastic bottle cut in half
    • A big piece of plastic, preferably something you can reuse afterward (optional)
    • Canvas or strong paper (poster board)
    • Painters tape (optional)

    All of your gear can be bought on a budget or repurposed from what you already have at home. We bought our squirt guns in a discount shop and they work perfectly. Same for the canvas we bought in the same shop. Everything else we already had at home. 

    Squirt Gun Painting - summer outdoor activities for kids

    What kind of paint to use for squirt gun painting?

    You can use either tempera paint or liquid watercolor paint for squirt gun painting with kids. Both work just fine. However, I wanted to make sure our materials were all safe to use outdoors and easy to clean up. We opted for tempera paint, the most common natural, and child-friendly paint. Another advantage parents will appreciate is that it is easily washable from clothes and skin. Our choice was made! 

    Best squirt guns for painting

    You don’t need fancy squirt guns for squirt gun painting. Actually, you probably want to go as cheap as possible on these because the paint may end up rendering them unusable for regular squirt gun play (although, we had no problem washing the paint out completely). We choose inexpensive squirt guns from a discount shop and they worked great for our purposes. Try to find ones with an easy trigger for your kids, especially if they’re really little. If you don’t want to have to wash out your squirt guns between each color, get a variety pack of squirt guns so that each squirt gun can contain its own color. 

    How to set up your Squirt Gun Painting area

    Squirt gun painting set up

    Here’s the step-by-step tutorial on squirt gun painting with kids that covers everything you need to know to make this the most fun summertime outdoor art activity for kids.

    Step 1: Prepare your squirt gun painting area

    Protect your yard and nature

    Whether you are water squirt gun painting in your own garden or on location (in the woods, on a hike), you may like to cover some of the delicate areas for paint drops. If you’re concerned about the paint staining or ruining a surface, you may want to take this activity onto the grass or protect the area under/behind the canvas with a large tarp or sheet of reusable plastic. Also, prepare a small table with a cover to put guns and paint down whenever you need to reload, without making a complete mess. And believe me, the first load of paint goes fast, thanks to the enthusiasm of our young ones.

    Decide how to hang your canvas

    If you have an outdoor easel, you can use it for the best result. You can also hang your canvas on the fence, a tree (like we did), or even just prop it up a bit.

    Find the perfect squirt gun art location

    We decided to go to a forest we love so much, located very near to our home. We took our water squirt gun painting gear with us as the sun was setting with the goal: create squirt gun paint art and have a blast! All packed with a bag full of guns, paint, another bucket of water, and a blanket/plastic to cover our work area, we took our chance to catch the most beautiful moment of the day. 

    Be prepared

    We prepared extra paint and water in case the guns would empty fast. At home, all of our materials were ready to use. In the forest, we had to be a bit more creative when it came to setting everything up. In the end we put everything on a blanket in close range. It was perfect! 

    Best Squirt Guns for PaintingBest paint to use for squirt gun painting

    Step 2: Fill your water guns with paint

    Once your area is set up for painting, you’ll want to make the paint and fill your squirt guns. We recommend using a funnel to help get the paint into the squirt guns to cut down on the spill and mess. You can also use plastic baggies to mix/make the paint and then snip off a corner and squeeze/squirt the paint into the gun. If the plastic stopper hinders your efforts, cut it off and then recap the squirt gun once the paint is in. Shake your guns well before using.

    How to make squirt gun paint

    Start with basic tempera paint. You’ll want to dilute your paint so that it’s not super thick and squirt/runs better on the canvas. The paint should be a 50/50 split between paint and water. You can either fill the squirt gun with the paint and then added water and shake it up. Or, you can mix the paint and water together (before putting it into the squirt gun) in a cup to get the right consistency. Either way works just fine! Use a funnel when pouring paint into the squirt gun.

    Squirt Gun Painting

    Step 3:  Squirt on the canvas

    Once your water squirt guns are ready the game is on! Make sure every child has enough space to squirt his or her own canvas. And let them squirt all over. They will love it! The little artists can paint at close range, a technique that is easier for our younger kids. This gives a great effect on the canvas and on the child!

    If your children know how to use the water gun, they can stay further away and fire paint across the garden.

    When all the squirt gun painting is complete, let the canvas dry outside or in a safe space overnight (or until the paint is fully dry to the touch). Then bring it in to hang on the wall or give as a gift!

    Different ways of squirt gun painting

    There are so many fun and different ways to paint with squirt guns. There’s no right or wrong way to do it! Just have fun and create! Here are a few different ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

    • Painting on the canvas with only a squirt gun (no attributes or anything else)
    • Relief painting with tape and stickers – Add forms and figures on top of the canvas to create fun art when they’re removed. For example, use painter’s tape to make a shape or the first letter of your child’s name on a canvas. When the paint is dry, you can remove the stickers or tape gently. This results in the greatest birthday gifts for grandparents! 
    • One child standing in the front of the painting to squirt a silhouette. Canvas and paper might be too small, but this is great fun with a white sheet! Oh, and don’t forget to put on some play clothes, ready to get dirty! 

    how to paint with a squirt gun

    Paint and create – watch the fun unfold

    That focus when the children start pumping their guns! The enthusiasm when they paint squirts out of the guns onto the canvas! The astonishment of how fast the paint squirts onto it and the beauty of the colors when they spatter and drip all over the fabric! This is such an amazing activity for kids. My girls just couldn’t get enough of it. I suppose most of the time this will be the case with kids, so I advise you to bring some spare canvas with you. They wanted to create more and more! 

    Aisha, our oldest daughter was fully focussed on her art piece and kept adding layers till she was happy. Our youngest daughter, Sienna, decided to use her hand to let the colors blend even more. In the end, when she noticed there wouldn’t be any contrast on her painting, she decided to paint her nose instead! They were having so much fun! 

    Squirt Gun Painting tips and adviceoutdoor nature crafts and art projects for kids

    Squirt gun painting trial and error

    I have to admit, we first did a try-out of our squirt gun painting before we got it right. Doing a trial run (not on your canvas) is a step I highly recommend. First of all, it is just so much fun, so the extra squirt gun painting was entertaining. But also, this activity does require a bit of preparation (as we needed to find a spot in the woods to do this), so I’m glad we tried it out at home before hitting the trail with our gear. 

    We powered up in the garden and measured how much paint and water needed to be added to get the best result. Our trial check let us know that we added too much water the first time. This resulted in very pale-colored paint drops that didn’t even stick to the canvas at all. If this happens to you, no worries, you can always add more paint on the spot, if you bring your funnel and paint to your own outdoor art studio. 

    Clean up time

    But exactly as it is at home, after the fun comes clean-up! In the forest, we made sure everything was in the same conditions as when we arrived there. We had enough water in the bucket to clean the paint in the area. All plastic we brought to the painting fiesta we of course took back home. Nothing was left behind. 

    And what did we win from this adventure? Lots of fun and in total four amazing paintings from the greatest artists in the house! 

    Squirt Gun Painting - art projects for kids

    Have you ever squirt gun painted with your kids? 

    About the author

    Tine is a natural-born adventurer from Belgium. She met her husband, soulmate, and the father of her two girls while working and living in the Dominican Republic. Nine years ago they moved back to Europe and are still exploring European grounds. Her happy place is wherever her kids are, but she spices up life by discovering unknown places, planning new adventures, and going outdoors as much as possible. Having kids added a big value to her life, because seeing life through the eyes of her little ones lifted it to a completely different dimension. Their family goal is to travel the world, living a location-independent lifestyle. The family is now working on a couple of projects to make this dream happen! In the meantime, they keep on exploring and Tine keeps on writing and inspiring other families to explore just like them. 

    You can find more from Tine online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @kidsdelmundo
    RWMC posts: Tine Voeten
    Website: http://www.kidsdelmundo.com

  • CRAFTS, HOLIDAYS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, WINTER

    Dried Fruit Holiday Garland

    We love holiday crafts, projects, and traditions. If you’re looking for a fun new tradition to start with your kids, making dried fruit garland is a great one! This fun and easy project is made from natural items, is eco-friendly, and easy enough for little kids to help with. Plus, you’ll end up with a beautiful decoration to hang on your mantle, tree, or cozy spot of your choosing! Today, the uber-talented Tiffany Griffin, Texas homeschooling mom of four, walks us through the process of how to make your own dried fruit garland with kids. She’s got a step-by-step tutorial with all the details – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fun and easy this project is!

    Starting a new holiday tradition

    Traditions are a big thing in our family. I find around the holidays, my heart aches for slow mornings, simple crafts, and quality time with my children. I can only hope my love for traditions rubs off on them to pass down to generations after me. One of our favorite holiday traditions is the ever popular dried fruit garland! If you’re looking for a fun new tradition to start with your kids this year, making a dried fruit holiday garland should be at the top of your list! 

    There are so many reasons this activity is so wonderful. It’s great for little hands and helps with dexterity and fine motor skills. Not only is drying fruit a gift of beauty from mother nature, but it is also a sustainable craft that requires little to no waste. Leftovers can be composted, used to infuse for water/homemade cleaning solutions, or in our case, fed to our pet Lizards. Win! It will also add so much natural beauty to your home (and smells great, too!). 

    The history behind holiday citrus

    While the drying of fruit has been around for countless years, are you aware of why oranges are seen as a “holiday” fruit? During the Great Depression, oranges and citrus fruits were considered a luxury item. Most families could not afford citrus fruit at all, any time of year. But they’d splurge at Christmastime and give oranges, which became a symbol of gold and wealth! Ever received an orange in your stocking? That is why! 

    Optional air-dry clay beads

    We decided to add in some hand made beads to turn this project into a fine motor skills activity. Molding clay improves children’s spatial awareness and 3D visualization abilities. Throw in the wonderful dexterity workout that is threading the oranges and beads and you have a full force sensory craft to share with your children, while also creating a tradition that can be shared each year! 

    How to make your own dried fruit garland with air-dry clay beads

    STEP 1: Cut the oranges into 1/4 in slices. 

    STEP 2:  Pat dry as much as possible, the drier the better!! It is very important to get as much juice off of the oranges/grapefruit that you can. Paper towels and terrycloth rags do wonders! 

    STEP 3: Once the fruit is as dry as you feel you can get it, place the slices on parchment paper on a cooking sheet. I found it was helpful, but not necessary to bake them on a cooling rack. If you don’t have one, no worries! 

    STEP 4:  Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and put in your fruit! The middle rack works best! Cook them for about three hours, making sure to flip halfway through. Be sure to check on them about every 30 minutes to make sure they are not browning. If they are, take them out and allow them to cool and dry out for 12-24 hours before resuming. 

    Step 5: Allow the fruit to set out until they are completely cool. This is a good time to make your beads!

    Step 6: Using air dry clay, have your kids roll the clay into small balls. You can do all the same size or various sizes. Use a toothpick to make a hole through the ball big enough for your string/jute/twine. Allow to dry and harden. 

    Step 7: Once the fruit slices are cooled and dry you can use a toothpick to make two small holes through your fruit to thread your string/jute/twine through the oranges to create a garland! Alternate between fruit and beads.

    Step 8: Hang your garland and enjoy!

    Have you ever made dried fruit garland?

    About the author

    Tiffany is a homeschooling Mama of four earthside children, one baby girl that travels among the stars. She is a vintage-obsessed, wicker-collecting, tree-loving photographer, creator, painter, and writer. She loves to document her children’s childhood and is passionate about sharing her take on motherhood, raising children outside of the “norm” and in nature. She’s crafty, creative, and passionate about mental and emotional health. She’s a big believer in the healing power of nature.

    You can find more from Tiffany in the following locations:
    Instagram: @dear.wildlings
    RWMC posts: Tiffany Griffin

  • CRAFTS, HIKE, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    Wildflower Hike and Homemade Bookmarks

    Have you ever gone on a wildflower hike with your kids? Not only is a fun way to get outside and explore, but wildflowers can also be used in so many fun crafts and projects! Today, we have Robin Lloyd, Colorado mom of three, here sharing tips on how to make the most of your wildflower hike and how to turn your wildflower treasures into beautiful bookmarks with your kids. Enjoy! 

    wildflower hike with kids + DIY wax paper wildflower bookmarks

    Wildflower hike expectations

    One of the most important lessons I am learning as a parent is that we can do great things on a small scale. For so long I’ve been wanting to take my children on a wildflower hike and collect wildflowers to make beautiful bookmarks. However, I wanted our experience to be just right; the perfect winding path chock-full of vibrant wildflowers set against stunning mountain views and dappled golden light. I didn’t want to go until I had researched exactly what types of wildflowers we’d find so I could amaze my children with my wildcrafting knowledge. I wanted to be able to name and teach them about each unique bloom was as we placed them carefully in our beautiful handmade flower press. In my mind, I could picture it so vividly and wanted desperately our adventure to look just like that. 

    But, the reality was that these ideals of a perfect moment were holding us back from having the actual experience. We’re all busy and sometimes it’s more important to have any experience rather than wait for the perfect one. I realized I didn’t want my perfect vision of our outing to keep us from having fun and creating memories. 

    wildflower hike with kidsplanning a wildflower hike with kids

    Have the adventure anyway!

    Finally, I was tired of waiting for the time to make our wildflower hike perfect. One evening I did some quick research on my AllTrails app, and found a nearby trail that mentioned wildflowers. The next morning I threw prepackaged snacks into our backpacks and a cooler pack for the flowers and we took off. (I will say that I highly recommend doing a little trail research as there are unforeseen closures during this time due to COVID!)

    The next day, we went on our wildflower hike and had a wonderful time! No, I didn’t know all the flower names, but that was ok! We looked them up later (which was really fun for all of us). I believe it’s important to also do the big adventures, but don’t let the fear of an adventure not being perfect hold you back from enjoying all the little ones! We opted for action over perfection and now we go on intentional wildflower hikes quite regularly. Sometimes every couple of weeks! Once wildflowers are no longer in season, we collect leaves and grasses. I have found a few things that help us make these hikes fun and easy and I’m excited to share them with you today.

    collecting wildflowers with kids for craftswildflower picking with kidspicking wildflowers with kids

    Wildflower hike tips for parents

    Cooler – Bring a soft cooler pack or reusable silicone bag for the flowers you collect on your wildflower hike. If you have young children as I do, your flowers are going to get squished. It’s ok, it doesn’t affect the outcome of the bookmark keepsakes. 

    Photos – Take pictures as you collect your blooms! I am learning wildflower knowledge right along with my kids, and it’s much easier to look up and identify pictures of intact blooms than the “well-loved” specimens we take home with us.

    Press – Use a flower press or book to place flowers into upon returning to the car. I use our giant Webster’s dictionary. Every time I go to order a flower press, I decide to wait. Maybe one day I will order one (or make one), but for now, our Webster’s has never let me down. A handy tip is to keep it in the car, ready for spontaneous pressing of treasured finds! In complete honesty, I have often forgotten to place our flowers in the book before driving home and ended up digging them out of various backpacks upon our return. They still turned out fine. Fair warning, you might find some crawling friends in there as well.

    identifying wildflowers with kidswildflower hike with kidscollecting wildflowers with kids

    Scissors – Bring small scissors along on your wildflower hike. We don’t always remember these, but occasionally they help when trying to take just a bloom and not the whole plant. A great part of the fun is picking the flowers, and I like to let them do it themselves. I carry these in my personal backpack.

    More – Collect just a few more flowers than you think you’ll need (but please don’t take them all). See above about flowers being well-loved! Not all flowers will make it home, and that’s ok. Petals will fall off, and stems will get crushed. This does not always render them unusable! We typically use our “leftover” bits and pieces to make collage bookmarks. Make sure that you’re allowed to collect/pick/keep wildflowers in the area that you’re visiting (not all parks or nature preserves allow you to pick or take anything). And be sure to leave plenty of flowers for the birds, bees, and butterflies (and other people to enjoy). 

    Anything! – You don’t have to only use wildflowers. We collect and make bookmarks with all kinds of things we find on hikes, like leaves and feathers. You can find all kinds of different items and objects on your hikes any time of year. Anything remotely flat will work!

    wildflower hike and diy wildflower bookmarkswildflower picking while hiking with kidspicking wildflowers on hikes with kidshow to find wildflowers when hiking with kids

    Let the flowers dry out first

    If you want to turn your wildflower hike treasures into bookmarks, the first thing to do is to let the flowers dry out. If possible, let them sit for a couple of weeks to remove all moisture. Sometimes the colors will fade a bit. That’s to be expected. I’ve heard of people microwaving their flowers to dry them out and preserve the colors, but we haven’t tried that yet.

    While the flowers are drying, we use our photos from our wildflower hike to identify which species we found. It’s a lot of fun to see the kids learn new things about the plants and flowers in their area. A lot of times they remember a flower name from our last outing. Sometimes we will write the names of each flower on the bookmarks, sometimes little quotes, and sometimes nothing at all!

    pressing wildflowers drying out wildflowers for craft projects

    Making wildflower bookmarks with a laminator

    When we first started making wildflower bookmarks, I used my laminator for this process. However, after a while, it resulted in a ton of plastic waste. Since we do this activity frequently, I wanted an option that was less wasteful. So, I started using the wax paper method. Using a laminator is easy, however. And you’ll get no judgment from me if you choose to use that method. It is far less messy and results in a much “tidier” finished product.

    If you do choose to laminate, simply have your kiddos arrange the flowers on construction paper. Slip each flower-covered piece carefully into laminating sheets and run them through the laminator. Have the kiddos cut out when cooled!

    I will say, if I am sending bookmarks to distant friends or family we will still use our laminator as it makes for a sturdier bookmark. The wax paper laminating method does eventually fall apart, but in my house, that’s a good thing. We would have far too many treasures if everything we collected lasted forever!

    Making wildflower bookmarks with kidsDIY Wildflower Bookmarkshow to make wildflower bookmarks

    Waxed paper wildflower bookmarks

    Now, instead of using the laminator, we make our wildflower bookmarks using wax paper and glue. They’re not quite as study, but they do just fine and the kids get to be very hands-on throughout the process.  Here’s what you’ll need:

    • wildflowers
    • clear waxed paper (I have used the brown natural kind too, it makes for a vintage-looking bookmark!)
    • plain paper (we love using colored construction paper so everyone can personalize their own)
    • washable glue
    • kid-safe scissors

    wildflower nature crafts for kidsDIY wildflower bookmarkwax paper diy wildflower bookmark

    How to make wax paper wildflower bookmarks

    Have each child arrange their flowers on a piece of construction paper. I have them cut out the flowers AFTER laminating. You can draw outlines on the paper first, but I prefer to let them just have at it! We end up with very interestingly shaped bookmarks, and that is part of the fun!

    Drizzle glue* over the flowers on the paper and then place waxed paper under each piece of flower-covered construction paper.Place another piece on top, (right on top of the glued flowers) and then set the entire thing on an iron safe surface covered with a thin towel (I like using tea towels).

    *We did try it without the glue, and it didn’t work as nearly as well. The waxed paper does melt to the flowers and paper, but without fail it falls apart when little hands try to cut out the flowers.

    Place another tea towel on top. Iron the flower-covered side of the paper first. Iron on medium to high heat for a few minutes until the wax has adhered to the paper, checking periodically to make sure it’s not burning. Flip over and repeat the process. A delightful smell of wildflowers will waft from the papers!

    Once the glue has dried to clear and the papers have cooled, let the children cut out their wildflower bookmarks! We usually let them dry overnight, or place them in the sun to speed the drying process.

    Now, if you’re like me and somehow always manage to leave them out in the rain, just hang the flower papers up overnight and they’ll be fine in the morning.

    DIY laminated wildflower bookmarks how to make diy wildflower wax paper bookmarks diy wax paper bookmarks nature craft for kidsfun nature crafts for kids

    The beauty of a bookmark

    These lovely little bookmarks are so fun to make and have so many great uses. They are easy to slip into envelopes and mail as surprises. They make wonderful gifts for grandparents, relatives, teachers and friends! You can hang them on walls as decoration. My kids love having them over their beds where they can see them every day. Hang them on windows and let the light shine through them like stained-glass. And of course, they’re perfect for using as bookmarks in your favorite nightly read! The flowers and the bookmarks stimulate exciting “remember when” conversations about our adventures every time we look at them. 

    nature craft bookmarks diy wildflower bookmarks with kidspreserving wildflowers

    Have you gone on a wildflower hike with your kids?
    Are wildflower bookmarks in your future?

    About the author

    Robin Lloyd is a Colorado mama of four year-old boy-girl twins and a one and a half year-old boy. Her family are second-generation homeschoolers and strive to spend every moment possible outdoors!

    You can find more from Robin in the following locations:
    Pinterest: @ThisLittleMustardSeed
    Website: The Mama Playbook
    Facebook: @thislittlemustardseed

  • CRAFTS, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, OUTDOORS INSIDE, SPRING

    DIY Flower Suncatcher

    Looking for a fun and simple way to bring a bit of color and nature into your home? Want an excuse to go out and pick some beautiful wildflowers? Are your kids are bored and need a fun craft project! We’re here to help! Today, Kathleen White, Arizona mom of three shows us how to make a DIY flower suncatcher with simple everyday items you probably already have at home. This fun and easy craft will encourage your kids to get outside and enjoy nature and give you a fun way to display it at home. 

    Making DIY Flower Suncatchers with Kids

    Bring the beauty of nature inside

    With all of us being in our homes a little more than usual lately, it’s more important than ever to bring nature inside to us. We’re always looking for ways to bring more nature into our indoor lives and fun ways to stay entertained. Flower suncatchers are the perfect combination. This is a fun and super easy DIY project that you can do with kids of all ages. It’s easy to get the whole family involved in the process. Let’s get started with what you will need!

    Gather your supplies

    The beauty of this DIY flower suncatcher is that you probably have all of these items sitting at home. No need to leave your house, except to go pick some flowers! And since we’re all about getting kids outside, this is my favorite part of the process! Here are all the supplies you’ll need: 

    • Paper plates (preferably the old school ones, not foam plates)
    • Markers or paint
    • String or yarn
    • Press N Seal wrap
    • Hole punch
    • Scissors
    • Flowers, leaves, grass, etc

    DIY Flower Suncatcher supplies

    Go flower picking

    The first thing you need to do is to collect your flowers. Time to grab all the kids and get them outside to explore! Give them their mission to find as many flowers, leaves, foliage, grass, etc. as they’d like to use. Spend this time getting some of that energy out so they’ll be ready to focus on the craft when you get home! We chose to use a flower pot that was sitting around to put all of our treasures in. You can use whatever you have at home (bag, box, bowl, etc.)!

    If you want to protect tiny hands, you can take along a pair of gloves. Not necessary, but may be a good option if you’ll be picking thorny flowers. Have fun with the flower picking portion of this project! Make it an adventure! Choosing different shapes, sizes, and colors will make each suncatcher unique!

    Collecting Flowers to make a DIY Flower Suncatcher DIY Flower Suncatcher - picking wildflowers DIY Flower Suncatcher - collecting flowers, grasses and plants DIY Flower Suncatcher for kids

    Instructions for making a flower suncatcher

    Step 1: Cut out the center circle from the paper plates.

    Step 2: Once you have cut out all the circles, let the kids decorate the front of the paper plates. You can use colors, markers, paints, stickers or whatever else you have on hand. 

    Paper plate simple easy DIY Flower SuncatcherDIY Flower Suncatcher - decorating paper plate frameDIY Flower Suncatcher tutorial with a paper plate frame

    Step 3:  Place a sheet of the wrap paper on the front of the plate. Turn it over and add flowers. Next, place another sheet of the wrap paper on top and press the plate flat to allow the two pieces to stick together.

    DIY Flower Suncatcher - arranging your flowers and grassesStep by step tutorial on how to make a flower suncatcher with kidshow to make a flower suncatcher with kids tutorial

    Step 4: Use the scissors to cut off any excess wrap around the edges.

    Step 5: Punch two holes in the top and add your string so you can hang it up!

    Step by step tutorial on how to make a flower suncatcher with kidsDIY Flower Suncatcher

    Show and share

    See, I told you it was easy! Making DIY flower suncatchers is such a fun project for kids and a great way to display your nature treasures. The kids were so incredibly proud of their suncatchers. They added nature elements and fun color to our space and reminded us of our fun outing.

    Are you ready to make your own DIY flower suncatcher? We want to see it! Post a photo of your suncatcher on social media and use the hashtag #runwildmychildDIY so we can see and share your creations! 

    About the author

    I’m Kathleen, wife to my high school sweetheart and mama to 3 energetic littles. I’m a photographer in love with telling compelling stories of life’s beautiful chaos and photographing families authentically. I am slightly obsessed with window light, Saturday morning snuggles, and documenting our adventures. We recently took the biggest leap of faith of our lives and are currently traveling full-time around the United States in our RV!

    You can follow our adventures in the following locations:
    Website: http://www.faithboundtravel.com
    YouTube: Faith Bound Travel
    Instagram at @faithboundtravel
    Other RWMC posts from Kathleen: Kathleen

  • BEACH, BIKE, CRAFTS, GARDENING, GOOD FOR NATURE, HIKE, HOLIDAYS, INFORMATION, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, SPRING, WATER

    15+ Activities to Celebrate Earth Day with Kids

    Earth Day is next week and the world needs you and your actions! There are so many things parents and kids can do to help protect, preserve and restore our planet – from cleaning up, to recycling, composting, planting a garden or just enjoying the beauty of nature! Today, we have Chelsea Furlong (professional photographer and eco-conscious mom of 2) here with 15+ eco-friendly activities kids and families can do together to celebrate Earth Day. And bonus that all these activities can be done at or around the home, while socially distancing.

    kid friendly Earth Day activities


    15+ Earth Day Activities With Kids

    Earth Day 2020

    April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. On that historical day, 20 million Americans filled the streets with protests to stop the destruction of our precious planet. This essentially started what became the planet’s largest civic event and an environmental movement. Since then, Earth Day has been celebrated annually worldwide on the 22nd day of April.

    While this year is a bit of an anomaly and we’ll have to celebrate at (or close to) home and away from others (no marches or protests this year), there’s no reason why this can’t be the best Earth Day celebration ever! Use this as a way to avoid shopping/purchasing anything new (especially plastics) and use what you’ve already got on hand in new ways. Get creative and make the most out of the things you already own or can find in nature close to home.

    Celebrating Earth Day with kids

    Getting kids involved in taking care of the planet when they’re young encourages them to continue the tradition as they get older. It’s a parent’s job to teach kids to be good stewards of the earth encourages them to love and respect their planet and nature. There are so many amazing ways you can celebrate this day with your kids and family while being conscious of your carbon footprint. Here are some of my favorites!

    1. Nature scavenger hunt

    Make a list of things found in nature around your home, neighborhood or a local park. Then go out for a walk or hike with the family and see how many items you can find. In order to save paper, you could make the list on your phone or a reusable dry erase board or reusable writing board. We love our Boogie Board writing tablets for things like this! 

    Earth Day activities with kids

    2. Neighborhood clean up

    Grab some gloves and garbage bags and beautify your neighborhood by removing all the trash humans have tossed around. My kids actually love doing this because they almost always find treasures they want to clean up and keep. Our oldest son keeps a whole lot of other people’s discarded items to use in creating art and sculptures, and we don’t mind one bit! We get to enjoy his creative mind while giving the trash a second life before it’s tossed into a landfill for decades, centuries, or possibly forever.

    Earth Day clean up with kids

    3. Family bike ride

    Going on a family bike ride is a great way to get the family outside enjoying what Mother Earth has to offer while being active and adventurous! Head to your favorite bike trail or try a new one. You can enjoy your town or city without polluting the air and you’ll feel so great afterward!

    4. Get out on the water

    Spend the day observing nature from the water. Instead of using something motorized, try a kayak, rowboat, stand-up paddleboard, or other pollution-free water vehicle.

    Earth Day activities with kids

    5. Make a bird feeder

    There are TONS of ways to DIY a bird feeder using recycled materials. We made bird feeders using recycled toilet paper tubes, popsicle sticks, and even pine cones! We have a great post on making ec0-friendly bird feeders with kids using materials you already have at home! No need to leave the house!

    Earth Day activities for kids

    6. Practice Earth Day yoga

    My kids love doing yoga! Celebrate Earth Day with kids by doing a special outdoor kid-friendly yoga session. Stand barefoot in the grass so you can feel the earth under your feet and are grounded. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the sunshine and wind on your skin. You can pick some earth and animal-related poses to do. Tree, turtle, butterfly, lotus, and frog are some of my children’s’ favorite yoga poses.

    7. Make seed bombs or seed paper

    Another great activity to celebrate Earth Day with kids is to make seed bombs (with clay) or seed paper using recycled paper scraps you have lying around the house or in your recycling bin! You can bomb an area in your yard or neighborhood and see how they grow over the spring. Or give them out as gifts to friends or leave them on a neighbor’s doorstep as an Earth Day present. Feel free to use my seed paper valentine instructions as a guide, with a few swaps. Change the color (to blue/green) and shape (to a circle like the Earth) to match the Earth Day theme.

    8. Start a garden

    Kids love playing in dirt! Have them help you make a family garden. You can plant a flower garden or edible garden, and work together to take care of the plants. If you don’t have a lot of space or live in a city, you can always do a potted garden or patio garden! We don’t have a lot of space to plant edibles where we live, but we still try to grow some herbs and vegetables every year using pots and containers. Here are some recommendations for easy vegetables to grow with kids and a great post on how to make gardening enjoyable for kids.

    Eco Tip: Be sure to buy the pots/containers pre-loved at a thrift store or from someone else!

    patio garden gardening with kids

    9. Plant a tree

    There’s no better time than Earth Day to plant a tree! Spring is a great time to plant and Earth Day is a great reason. Pick a special spot to plant a family tree that you all can visit for years to come! If you plant a fruit tree, you’ll also have the added benefit of beautiful blossoms and fruit you can enjoy once your tree is mature.

    10. Make earth art

    Doing an art project is always a fun way to celebrate and document any holiday. Making art from natural materials is so much fun to create. Plus, there’s a fun added benefit in that other people will find joy when they come across your artwork! You can use any kind of materials you find in nature to create a masterpiece on the ground. We like to use shells, sticks, rocks, leaves, flowers, petals, nuts and sand.

    celebrating Earth Day with kids

    11. Start composting

    Starting a compost is something that has been on my list to do for years now and I think Earth Day is when we’ll start! My oldest son has been bringing me food scraps daily, asking to put it in a compost instead of the garbage. I promised him we would do some research and begin one soon. We don’t live in a rural area and don’t have much of a backyard space so our compost will need to be small. However, there are plenty of great options for composting in small spaces and in the city! A friend uses this composting tumbler in their backyard and adds the finished compost to their flower beds. You could research composting with your kids and start this year, too! And when you start your compost project, make sure to include a few bins for little hands so the kids can help out, too!

    12. Have a picnic

    A great way to get outside and enjoy nature is by having a picnic. You can have a picnic inside or outside! But be sure to keep it earth friendly by:

    • packing your picnic in reusable containers,
    • bringing reusable utensils/straws/water bottles, and
    • bringing cloth napkins/hand towels.

    Bonus: Try to reduce your picnic carbon footprint by preparing a vegan meal!

    13. Take a hike

    One of our favorite outdoor activities is hiking. Hiking always inspires us to take care of our beautiful planet by reminding us just how impressive nature can be! This year, if you can safely get out to a place away from others, take a fun Earth Day celebratory hike. Bring along a bag to pick up any trash/litter you see and some binoculars to do some birding while you’re out!

    ways to celebrate Earth Day with kids

    14. Make nature crowns

    Nature crowns are a really fun and easy craft you can make and wear in celebration of Earth Day! No need to buy anything, just use whatever you can find in nature. You can make nature crowns out of just about anything – flowers, grasses, clover, vines, sticks, dandelions or wildflowers! Be creative and have fun with it!

    15. Make nature paint brushes 

    Head out on a nature walk and collect different materials to use as paintbrushes! Pick up things like sticks, leaves, long blades of grass, flowers, etc. Take them home and dip them in paint to make a family piece of artwork to hang up forever. It’s a great way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. You’ll be able to look at the art you made and remember the time you spent with your children for years to come.

    16. Earth Day puppet show 

    Another fun way to celebrate Earth Day with kids is to make puppets with materials from your recycling bin. Or, you could make sock puppets from all those single socks you have lying around! You can have your children do some research online or read some books about ways to protect our planet. Then they can share what they’ve learned by putting on a puppet show! This is also an amazing activity to share with family and friends on FaceTime or other video chatting app during quarantine. You don’t have to leave your house and you can bring some joy to others in isolation from a safe distance!

    17. Make sculptures, art, or robots using items in your recycling bin

    My kids love making art from trash! It gives those items one more life before they get tossed into the recycling bin or trash can. Use materials you would normally throw away or recycle and repurpose them into art, a sculpture or a robot (or a monster or an alien or anything!). Let them paint and decorate their creation. Display it proudly!

    18. Build a fort

    Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is to head out into the woods with your family and make a fort together! Use materials found on the ground to design a shelter. (Do NOT take down anything alive! I’m sure you’ll have plenty of options that are no longer alive and that have fallen to the ground without the help of humans!) You could have a picnic inside your fort, read some books, or just sit in the quiet and observe Earth’s gifts surrounding you.

    Earth Day activities with kids

    How will you celebrate Earth Day with your family?

    About the author

    Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. Our family loves biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.

    You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
    Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
    Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com
    RWMC posts: Chelsea Furlong

     

  • CRAFTS, GARDENING, GIFT GUIDE, GOOD FOR NATURE, HOLIDAYS

    DIY Eco-friendly Plantable Seed Paper Valentines

    February is the month of love! We not only want to encourage you to spread love to friends and family, but to make sure you’re also loving on your planet. As Valentine’s Day approaches, parents are faced with trying to figure out what to send to class with the kids. We know plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, and pre-printed cards are fun and easy. But those things aren’t always great for the environment.  This year we hope you’ll consider some eco-friendly alternatives. Today, we have the amazing Chelsea, professional photographer and eco-conscious mom of 2, sharing a simple project for turning recyclable paper into adorable Valentines that are good for the birds and bees! Chelsea walks us through how to make DIY wildflower plantable seed paper Valentines that are fun  and easy for kids to make from materials you already have at home.

    DIY seed paper valentines

    Making a change

    Each year I try to make a few changes in our lives that allow us to leave a smaller footprint on Earth. As I was thinking about what to do for this year’s valentines for my kids’ classmates, I realized this was another area we could make improvements. It seems like every year my kids bring home more and more stuff from their class holiday parties. Little plastic trinkets, individually wrapped candies, plastic baggies stuffed to the brim with junk that eventually ends up in the trash.

    And let me be honest, my kids absolutely LOVE IT. They love receiving all those fun treats and they love giving them out as well. But this year I can’t do it. I can’t add to the growing problem. So, I decided to find an alternative that would more closely match our values.

    DIY plantable seed paper Valentines

    Instead of buying something that would be thrown away, we decided to make something. These DIY plantable seed paper valentines made from recycled paper are a perfect alternative to the usual store-bought valentine items! They check all of the boxes when it comes to a Valentine that aligns with our values. They’re handmade, which allows for me to spend extra time with the kids. They’re made from recycled materials, giving a new life to things that would otherwise be thrown away. And they’re plantable, which means our little Valentines will keep on giving long after we’ve gifted them!

    Not only will these homemade Valentines provide beauty when they’re grown, but they’re extra good for the environment. We deliberately chose a wildflower pack that’s specifically made for birds and butterflies! Win-win for everyone! We had so much fun creating these eco-friendly seed paper valentines and hope you will too. They’re super simple to make and absolutely adorable!

    Plantable seed paper materials

    The great thing about these Valentines is that you don’t really need anything special to make them! Other than the wildflower seeds, you probably already have all the materials necessary to make your own plantable seed paper at home right now. Here’s what you’ll need to get started.

    • Paper scraps
    • Food dye (optional)
    • Wildflower seeds
    • Water
    • Large bowl
    • Blender or food processor
    • Grease splatter screen (or screen material)
    • Towels
    • Cookie sheet
    • Pencil
    • Scissors

    DIY Eco-friendly recycled plantable seed paper valentine

    How to make plantable seed paper

    I was pleasantly surprised just how fun and easy it is to make your own DIY plantable wildflower seed paper. It didn’t take us long at all and we were so happy with the way it turned out. The paper is also so versatile and can be used for any variety of holidays, gifts or projects. Tuning the plantable paper into Valentines was so much fun and we truly loved the way they turned out.

    Step 1: Gather paper and rip

    The first step is to gather scrap paper and let the children rip up the paper into small pieces. I highly recommend using paper that has been used and that you’d normally recycle, as opposed to new clean paper. You can really use any kind of paper, from printer paper to construction paper. You can use junk mail, papers from the kids’ schoolwork that you aren’t keeping, flyers, old coloring book pages or even newspapers.

    We used a stack of papers that would be normally tossed into the recycling bin. We also used one piece of red construction paper, just for some added color. You can use any colored paper depending on the color you want your seed paper to be, or just leave it out altogether.

    How to make wildflower seed paper

    Step 2: Soak the paper

    Next, place the ripped pieces of paper into a bowl of water. Let the paper bits sit in the water for 10-15 minutes to allow the paper to fully soak and saturate.

    DIY wildflower seed paper with kids Tutorial on how to make plantable seed paper Eco-friendly valentines for kids

    Step 3: Puree to a pulp

    Once the recycled paper is soaked, place the pulpy mixture into a blender or food processor. If you want create colored paper, now is the time to add a few drops of food coloring to the mix. We used two drops of red dye for ours. Put it all in the blender and liquefy it! This step should definitely be supervised by an adult!

    *Please note: the blending can be hard on appliances so you’ll want to use a high-quality appliance. This may also dull your blades. Blend at your own risk*

    Homemade eco-friendly Valentines for kids from recycled materials Eco-friendly recycled Valentine plantable seed paper wildflower seed paper tutorial plantable seed paper tutorial DIY Eco-friendly recycled plantable seed paper valentine

    Step 4: Add seeds and spread

    Place a towel on a cookie sheet. Then place a splatter screen over towel. Once the paper mixture has been blended into a pulp, pour it back into the bowl. Then mix the wildflower seeds into the recycled paper pulp.

    Have the children use a spoon or their hands to spread the pulp onto the screen. Using your hands or a spoon, spread the pulp as thinly and evenly as possible over the entire screen, pressing lightly to squeeze out any extra water. The towel beneath the screen will also help absorb the extra water that comes out of the paper.

    Easy instructions for make plantable seed paper with kids Easy to make plantable seed paper with kids

    Step 5: Let dry

    Once the pulp has been evenly spread on the screens, leave it to dry. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the pulp and humidity. Our paper took several days to dry completely. Give it time! During the drying process, you’ll need to remove the wet towels under the paper and replace them with dry towels. Once the seed paper was stiff enough to handle without falling apart, I flipped it once to help with the drying time.

    DIY recycled seed paper valentines

    Step 6: Cut into shapes

    When the plantable seed paper is completely dry and stiff, it’s ready to be made into Valentines! Use a cookie cutter as your template or even just a cutout shape of your choosing. We chose a heart (naturally!). Trace your shape onto the seed paper using a marker and then carefully cut them out. You may want to have the children do the tracing and have an adult do the cutting because the paper is quite fragile!

    How to make plantable seed paper valentines with kids from recycled materialsdiy plantable wildflower seed paper tutorial

    Step 7: Share the love!

    Once you have your plantable seed paper cutout into the shape of your choice, that’s it!  Your frugal, earth-friendly valentines are complete and ready to give to friends, neighbors and family members. Let them know that they just need to plant the paper in a sunny spot to grow a beautiful little patch of wildflowers that will brighten their days and help the birds and bees. You could even print off some cute cards with fun phrases on them to attach to the Valentines. Pinterest has some great free printables to use!

    eco-friendly Valentines for kids - diy plantable seed paper

    Plantable seed paper makes a great gift! 

    Plantable seed paper doesn’t only have to be for Valentine’s Day. You can make wildflower seed paper for so many occasions, using any kind of cutout shape, size or color. So it would be great for Earth Day, Mother’s Day, or any special occasion or holiday. These little cutouts make a great take-home favor for birthday parties and bridal/baby showers as well.

    Do you make your own Valentines?
    How do you make holidays more eco-friendly?

    About the author

    Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. Our family loves biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.

    You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
    Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
    Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com
    RWMC posts: Chelsea Furlong

  • CRAFTS, FALL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    How to Make an Autumn Leaf Lantern

    If you’re looking for an easy fall craft to make with kids, you’ve come to the right place! Today, the amazingly crafty mama and teacher Jemma, of Thimble & Twig, is here to show you how to make an autumn leaf lantern with your kids. These autumn leaf lanterns are a fun and easy nature craft to make with kids of any age. They look fantastic on a window sill or as part of a fall decor display. You can even take them with you to light your way on a night hike in the woods! Kids love collecting the leaves and the gluey, messiness of it sticking it all together. They also love taking their own little lantern on a trip outside or hanging it in their garden to light their way at night.

    Fall leaf lantern

    DIY autumn leaf lanterns

    Making an autumn leaf lantern is a relatively easy project to make with kids (particularly older kids). In addition, these lanterns use real leaves found in nature, in your backyard, local park or found on a walk. So not only to do inspire creativity, they encourage kids to get outside and explore! There are a few complicated steps to make these autumn leaf lanterns (plus, the tissue paper is very delicate), so adult assistance is probably required. But, they’re guaranteed to keep little kids busy and excited to use their lantern for night-time exploring!

    autumn leaf lantern

    Leaf collecting with little ones

    The first step in making a leaf lantern is to collect the leaves. Take your little ones on a walk around the neighborhood when the leaves are looking pretty and colorful. Give them each a paper bag to fill with leaves they like. To mix it up, you could assign each kid different color, size or specific tree to collect leaves from. This will help ensure you get a variety of colors, sizes and styles.

    Prep your leaves

    Once you’ve collected all the pretty leaves, you’ll need to get them prepped for crafting. In addition, leaves need to be dry and flat. Lay a couple paper towels on the kitchen table and spread the leaves out on them to dry for a little while (a few hours or a few days). The glue won’t stick if the leaves are wet, so make sure they’re completely dry. If you have some large wrinkly leaves, try flattening them under some heavy books to make them easier to glue!

    fall leaf mobile

    Supplies for making autumn leaf lanterns

    You will need the following supplies to make your leaf lantern. All of these supplies can be found at your local craft store or online.

    • Bamboo circular frame (or you could use a wooden craft or embroidery hoop)
    • White or cream tissue paper
    • Glue or Mod-Podge (the best is the type of glue that is clear when it dries)
    • String
    • Battery operated tea lights
    • Autumn leaves

    fall leaf mobile

    Autumn leaf lantern instructions

    STEP ONE:

    Take your hoop/frame and cut two pieces of string long enough to stretch from one side of the hoop to the other (plus a little extra for tying). Tie the ends of the strings to the hoop to make a cross (X) shape and secure the knots with masking tape. This is the handle of your lantern.

    STEP TWO:

    Take 3 large sheets of tissue paper lay them out flat. Carefully glue your autumn leaves onto one side of the tissue paper. Be very careful, as the tissue paper is very delicate. It will feel strange, but be sure to put the glue on the side of the leaf that is the most colorful. This ensures that the pretty colors shine through the tissue paper. Remember to leave some white tissue paper showing so your light will shine through. Allow the tissue paper to completely dry for at least an hour.

    STEP THREE:

    When your leaf covered tissue paper is fully dry, carefully glue the seams of the tissue paper together so that you have a circular lantern.

    Seams of Autumn Leaf Mobile

    STEP FOUR:

    Cover the rim of the circular frame with glue. Lay the hoop/frame on its side and and carefully line the rim of the from with the white tissue paper, leaving an inch or two at the top. Glue the top of the tissue paper onto the frame, leaving the sides and bottom hanging open. Fold the top down over the hoop, all the way around.

    STEP FIVE:

    Cut the bottom of the tissue paper to the size required and fold it onto itself a few times. Add a layer of glue so that the paper overlaps, creating a bottom to close your lantern. Be sure to fold it several times in order to make a strong base.

    STEP SIX:

    Cut a small piece of cardboard into a circular shape which will be used to line/support the bottom of your lantern. Carefully use a little bit of sticky tape and stick 2-3 battery operated tea lights to the cardboard. Place the piece of cardboard gently into the bottom of the lantern with the tea lights secured to it.

    lantern leaf

    Go on a lantern-lit night hike

    Why not use your autumn leaf lantern to go on a night hike? Kids love adventuring out in the dark when they’re usually inside. It’s so exciting to visit even a familiar place in the dark! Darkness transforms the natural world into a different place. And by helping children to discover the mysteries of the night they might come to enjoy the dark and not be fearful of it. Take your leaf lantern with you on a nighttime walk in the woods. Or venture out to a grassy place to have a sit down and do some star spotting! To really appreciate the stars or the moon on a clear night, go out to an open space with as little man-made light as possible, bring a star constellation chart and see which ones you can spot!

    Fall leaf lantern made from tissue paper and leaves

    * Please note that these lanterns are made from a very light tissue paper and therefore you should NEVER use use real candle tealights with them because it could start a fire. Try not to leave your battery lights on for too long so they do not overheat.Fall leaf lantern - glowing at night

    Additional nature-inspired crafts for kids

    If you are interested in crafts, we’ve got lots more ideas for fun nature-inspired crafts to make with your kids! So try some of these easy ideas from my website, Thimble & Twig and here on Run Wild My Child.

    • Hapa Zome – Flower Printing – Hapa zome is the Japanese term for beating (or tapping really) leaves or flowers with hammers, pounding their natural pigment into cloth.
    • Making Journey Sticks – Incorporate elements of your hikes, adventures and outings into beautiful physical storytelling devices.
    • DIY Moth Wings – These can be made from materials you probably already have in your craft closet and yard. While the moth wings are a perfect project for fall, this tutorial can also be changed and adapted for any season based on what’s available in your location.
    • Woodland Crafts for Kids – There are lots of fun woodland crafts for kids to make from the brimming baskets of treasures that they will inevitably find and collect. This post contains three simple leaf crafts for kids.

    About the author

    I’m Jemma and I live in London, England with my husband and 4 kids. My all-time favorite thing to do is take photos and capture memories of my family. I’m on a mission to ensure parenthood doesn’t rush by so quickly by creating mini family outdoor adventures and hopefully some big adventures too one day! I’m a mum to four and an English teacher to many; my passion for storytelling, adventures and nature crafts is packaged up into my blog http://www.thimbleandtwig.com. You can also find me on Instagram at @thimbleandtwig.

  • CRAFTS, FALL, HOLIDAYS, LESSONS, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, OUTDOORS INSIDE

    Fun & Simple Halloween Activities for Kids

    If your kids are anything like mine, they automatically associate October with Halloween! I’m pretty sure they get their intense love for this holiday from their mama. It’s been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. The costumes, the cold dark nights, the glowing pumpkins! Or maybe it’s just all the candy? Either way, it’s a blast! Today, we’ve got mom and teacher extraordinaire, Brandi Markham here sharing 10 fun and simple Halloween activities for kids! These easy activities are a great way to engage their senses and guaranteed to get your kids in the Halloween spirit.

    10 Simple Halloween Activities for Kids

    The most wonderful time of the year

    The temperature is finally dropping in our neck of the woods and Fall is officially here! Since having children, Fall has easily become my favorite time of year. We love all things Fall – apple orchards, pumpkin patches, Halloween, cooler temperatures, colorful leaves and more. As a mother and a teacher, I love to create fun and simple Halloween activities for my kids to enjoy. Even better…they love it too! Today, I want to share a few fun and simple Halloween activities that you can do with your child, nieces, nephews, grandchildren or even your neighbor’s kids!

    Fun and simple Halloween activities for kids

    What do you think of when you think of Halloween? Spiders and ghosts and witches, oh my! These are some of our favorite spooky things, so of course, we need to include them in some fun Halloween sensory play. Read on if you want to wow your kids and have a little fun!

    HalloweenKidActivitiesGhostHands

    1. Shaving cream ghosts

    Shaving cream ghosts are probably the most simple of these Halloween activities for kids, but one of the most loved. Prep for this activity is super easy. All you need is a can or two of shaving cream, some googly eyes and a tray. I have some cute plastic serving trays that I use for many of these activities.

    For shaving cream ghosts, spray lots of shaving cream in the tray and toss in lots of different googly eyes of different sizes and colors. Have the kids put their hands in the shaving cream and come up with a ghost! The kids love the texture and the messiness of the shaving cream. It’s fun to see what kind of ghosts they create. For extra fun, you can add in little plastic spiders. Or use orange or green food coloring or liquid watercolor to make shaving cream pumpkins or Frankensteins.

    HalloweenKidActivitiesGhostHandsHalloweenKidActivitiesGhostHands

    2. Monster handprints

    Monster handprints are another super simple and fun Halloween activity. For these, you need paper, paint, googly eyes, as well as glitter, glue, and stickers. Have your children make paint handprints on their paper. Then they can add googly eyes and stickers to create their own individual monsters. My kids used triangle stickers to give their monster hands sharp nails. Once the handprints have dried, you can use school glue to make fun designs and add glitter.

    Halloween Kid Activities Monster HandsHalloween Kid Activities Monster HandsHalloween Kid Activities Monster HandsHalloween Kid Activities Monster Hands

    3. Fall leaves tree

    Looking for more of a Fall activity? Use what nature’s provided to make a fall leaves tree. Take your kids outside for a nature walk and collect lots of colorful leaves. Use a large piece of paper to draw a simple tree. Then have your kids use school glue to decorate the tree. Hang it up to keep a little bit of the outdoors indoor! For more fun, you could collect other items like sticks, acorns, and pinecones to make a Fall wreath or collage.

    Halloween Kid Activities Fall LeavesHalloween Kid Activities Fall Leaves

    4. Foaming spiders

    Do you have a little more time on your hands for prep work? You should definitely make some foaming spiders! I found this activity years ago at Fun at Home with Kids. Your kids will love these cute spiders and the fun little surprise inside them!

    To make the spiders, you will need baking soda, water, and food coloring. Mix about 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of water in a bowl (for colored spiders add a little food coloring or liquid watercolor to the water). Mix well until all of the baking soda is damp. Take a handful of the mixture and put some small plastic spiders inside. Then add more of the mixture to cover the spiders and round them out, making the spider’s abdomen. Cut four pipe cleaners in half and stick them in the spider’s abdomen to make eight legs. Then use the rest of the baking soda mixture to form the spider’s head. Once you have made all of your spiders, place them on wax paper and freeze them for a few hours. If you freeze them overnight, you will want to let them thaw slightly before playtime.

    Halloween Activities for Kids Foaming SpidersHalloween Activities Foaming Spiders

    When you’re ready to play with these spiders, add some vinegar and a little bit of dish soap to a shallow dish. Mix it up and carefully add your spiders. The spiders will foam and start to dissolve! Watch as your children get super excited about this and find all the baby spiders!

    Halloween Activities Foaming SpidersHalloween Activities Foaming SpidersHalloween Activities Foaming Spiders

    5. Candy corn sensory play

    Candy corn sensory play is another super simple, but very fun Halloween activity for kids. All you need for this activity is a tray, a few bags of candy corn, some plastic spiders and lots of small dishes, spoons, and scoops. I use the same plastic trays for this activity that we used for the shaving cream ghosts.

    Simply dump candy corn and spiders into a tray and provide lots of scooping dishes and spoons to encourage sensory play. This is an activity that can easily be adapted by changing what you place in the tray (ideas: rubber eyeballs, gummy worms, squishy eyeballs, other Halloween candy, etc.). Encourage your child to sort objects, count objects, practice scooping, use tweezers to pick up objects, and more.

    Halloween Kid Activities Candy Corn PlayHalloween Kid Activities Candy Corn Sensory Play Halloween Kid Activities Candy Corn Sensory Play

    6. Witches stew

    Witches stew is probably my kids’ favorite Halloween activity! This is a very simple idea, but is so fun and creative. For this activity, you first need to boil some spaghetti noodles. Add some orange or green food coloring or liquid watercolor for extra witchy fun. Then, gather up lots of random Halloween items like candy corn, plastic spiders, gooey eyeballs. Basically anything small you can find in the Halloween section at the store. You will also need a tray for your items, spoons, scoops, and bowls. Lastly, you will need some baking soda and vinegar for a little extra added fun. Years ago I came across a super cute witches caldron and we use it for this activity also.

    Halloween Kids Activities Witches Stew

    Once you have all of your witch ingredients, have your kids grab their witch hats and get to work! The kids will love mixing all of the ingredients. The best part is adding the baking soda and vinegar to make the stew really fizz!

    Halloween Kids Activities Witches StewHalloween Kids Activities Witches StewHalloween Kids Activities Witches StewHalloween Kids Activities Witches Stew

    7. Ice ghosts

    Ice ghosts is a fun activity that needs to be prepared ahead of time. To prepare them, simply mix one part water with two parts baking soda to create a damp mixture. Then place a bit into each hole of an ice tray and add googly eyes to each hole. Freeze for an hour or two. For playtime, put the ice ghosts in a shallow dish and give your child a little bowl of vinegar. We used tiny droppers to drop vinegar on the ghosts. The kids loved watching them fizz and slowly dissolve. One of the best parts was dropping the whole ghost into the bowl of vinegar to create tiny little volcanos.

    Halloween Kid Activities Ice GhostsHalloween Kid Activities Ice Ghosts

    8. Spider slime

    Let’s face it, slime is fun all year round and it’s so easy to change it up for any holiday. Spider slime is probably one of my kids and my own favorites for Halloween. To make spider slime, all you need to do is use your favorite slime recipe and add plastic spiders!

    My favorite slime recipe is made using two bottles of school glue (5 0z), about 10 ounces of water and 8 ounces of liquid starch. You can use clear school glue or colored school glue, depending on how you want your slime to look. In a large bowl, pour the two bottles of school glue and then add the water. Slowly add about half of the liquid starch and stir. Continue to slowly add liquid starch until the mixture soaks up the water and looks like a glob of goo. You may not need all of the liquid starch. Use your hands to knead the slime until it is not sticky. Last, add the spiders and get ready to play!

    My kids love stretching out the slime and picking spiders from it, only to put them back in and start over. You can get creative with your slime by adding a little bit of glitter, using different colored glue, adding confetti or other small Halloween items.

    Halloween Kids Activities Spider SlimeHalloween Kids Activities Spider SlimeHalloween Kids Activities Spider Slime

    9. Play-doh pumpkins

    Play-doh pumpkins are super fun and an easy Halloween activity for kids. All you need is orange play-doh, green pipe cleaners, and little beads or pattern blocks. We have done this activity in a few different ways. We have made round pumpkins from the play-doh and we have also made flat pumpkins to decorate. Black beads are a simple tool to use to create the pumpkin faces. Another fun way to practice and play with shapes is to use pattern blocks for your pumpkin face. For extra fun, use a plastic fork to create lines and make your pumpkin look scarier!

    This is such a simple activity that can be adapted in many ways. We have also used different colored play-doh, pipe cleaners and googly eyes to create play-doh monsters. This is one of my son’s favorites. You might even want to use green play-doh to make your own Frankenstein!

    Halloween Kid Activities Play-doh PumpkinsHalloween Kid Activities Play-doh PumpkinsHalloween Kid Activities Play-doh PumpkinsHalloween Kid Activities Play-doh PumpkinsHalloween Kid Activities Play-doh Pumpkins

    10. Wiggly monster eyes

    Finally, our last fun and simple Halloween activity for kids is wiggly monster eyes. These are a hit because not only are they fun to play with, but they are edible! To make jiggly monster eyes you just need jello (your choice of color/flavor), raisins and plastic Easter eggs. Make the jello as directed and then you will pour it into one side of a plastic egg. Drop-in a raisin and place it in the fridge to get firm. When you pop them out of the shell solidified, they look like creepy eyeballs! That’s it! Dump the wiggly monster eyes into a shallow dish and let your kids play!

    Halloween Kid Activities Monster EyesHalloween Kid Activities Monster EyesHalloween Kid Activities Monster EyesHalloween Kid Activities Monster Eyes

    10 Easy Halloween activities for kids

    And there you have it! 10 super fun and easy Halloween activities for kids. These activities are easy to put together and can be adapted and made into your own. Get creative and have fun!

    What Halloween activities are you going to try with your kids this year?

    b

    Brandi
    Maryland
    @brandimarkham

    Hello, I’m Brandi! My husband & I live just outside of Washington, DC with our three littles. They are my favorite people in the world & my biggest inspiration. I am a full-time elementary teacher & a part-time photographer, but mostly I enjoy photography as a hobby. I love chocolate, animals, & nature! Summer is my favorite because we get to spend all of our time outdoors!

    For more from Brandi, check out all her RWMC posts.

  • BOOKS, CRAFTS, FALL, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, OUTDOORS INSIDE

    5 Fantastic Fall Books and Activities for Kids

    Fall is definitely in the air! One of our favorite ways to usher in a new season is to read books about the changing weather and what we can look forward to. We’re always on the lookout for fun books and ways to make outdoor learning exciting, so today’s post is a win-win. We have the amazing Chelsea, Virginia photographer, former teacher, and adventure mom of two, here sharing her family’s 5 favorite fall books and activities for kids. Not only are each of these books beautiful and fun to read, but they’re paired with awesome nature-inspired crafts and activities that are guaranteed to keep your kids entertained, active, and learning!

    fall books and activities for kids

    Favorite fall books and activities for outdoor kids

    Fall is starting to make an appearance here in southeastern Virginia and we couldn’t be more excited! In our house, we love to match the books we’re reading to the current season or approaching holidays. We recently took a trip to our local library to check out almost every book in the fall children’s book section to kick-start fall. Today, I’m sharing some of our favorite fall children’s books and providing a fun family activity to do with each book. Whether you’re a homeschooler, a parent of children not yet in school, or a parent of school-aged kids, these fall books and activities will be sure to enrich your child’s learning while fully embracing the beauty of the season!

    Choosing the books

    In order to choose the best books possible, I used a VERY official and scientific method of measurement. My kids. We checked out a dozen fall nature-inspired books from our local library and read them all. If they asked to read a book again the instant we finished, it passed the test. I kept the ones they wanted to read multiple times and returned the rest! Here are 5 of our favorite fall books and an activity to go with each one!

    Favorite Fall Books and outdoor activities for kids

    Book 1: Because of an Acorn by Adam and Lola M. Schaefer

    Because of an Acorn is a wonderful fall book about how all living things are connected. You’ll love both the story and the illustrations! Children are often amazed that giant oak trees all start as tiny little acorns. The book does a great job of showing how every tree, plant and animal in the forest are connected and tied to each other.

    favorite outdoor fall activities for kidsfall book and activities for kidsnature inspired fall books and outdoor activities

    Activity: Acorn characters

    Once you’re finished reading the book, take a little nature walk to collect some acorns, caps and tiny sticks. While you’re out exploring, you can discuss what kind of trees produce acorns and how to identify them! My kids had fun looking up at the leaves on each tree to see which ones were oaks and then looking around on the ground below to see if any acorns had dropped.

    Once you get home, use your treasures to make little characters! We used tacky glue but I’m sure many different kinds of glue will work. If you have very small children, you may want to have them lay out the character and then leave the gluing part to a grownup! Once your characters are dry, you can draw on eyes if you’d like and then head back out into the woods to create tiny houses for them! You can break this activity up into multiple days or take a whole afternoon for it! The kids will have so much fun creating little families and then using imaginative play to make them come to life. And the best part is all that wonderful fresh fall air you’ll get from the time spent outside!

    making acorn families - fall nature activities making acorn families - fall nature craft for kids making acorn people - fall nature activities for kids making acorn families - fall nature inspired activities for kids and favorite fall books

    Book 2: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Shultz

    It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a childhood classic! Linus, Charlie and the rest of the Peanuts gang await the arrival of the Great Pumpkin on Halloween night. I wasn’t surprised that my kids really loved this one, because they love any Peanuts book! This book’s been around so long that it’s not only a new favorite of theirs, but a classic favorite of mine from childhood. I love being able to share that with them.

    Favorite Fall books for kids and fun outdoor activities

    Activity: Painted rocks

    In the story, one of the Peanuts characters gets rocks instead of treats during trick-or-treating, so we decided to go collect some rocks to paint. Once the boys had found the perfect rocks, we took them home, rinsed them, and dried them. Then we used acrylic paints to decorate them like pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. Once they were dry, we headed to a park nearby to hide the rocks in fun places to be discovered by others! My kids are always excited when they find painted rocks at our park so we decided to keep that ball of fun rolling by placing some of our own there for other kids to enjoy.

    fall activities for kids - pumpkin rock painting

    Book 3: Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins

    Stumpkin is the cutest little book about a pumpkin with no stem that never gets picked to be purchased and brought home. My kids love wordplay and making up words by putting other words together, so they were already hooked by the title. They really loved the illustrations and asked to take extra time on each page to enjoy the pictures. This one was a big hit! stumpkin - 5 fun fall books for kids and creative outdoor crafts and activities

    Activity: Jack-o-lantern volcanoes

    Once you’re finished with Stumpkin, a fun activity to do with the kids is to carve small pumpkins and then make “volcanoes” out of them. If you’ve enjoy doing science/STEM experiments at home, you’ve probably already used baking soda and vinegar for other projects. But have you ever watched the chemical reaction take place inside a jack-o-lantern?! It’s so much fun! The kids will love watching the bubbles come out of all the holes. In addition to the baking soda and vinegar, we also used some dish soap because I had read that it bubbles up more and I do think it worked!

    fall outdoor STEM experiments for kids - erupting pumpkins nature inspired fall outdoor activities for kids how to make pumpkin volcanoes with kids and favorite fall books pumpkin volcanoes and favorite outdoor fall activities for kids how to make erupting pumpkins with kids Best pumpkin volcanoes and fall outdoor science activities for kids making erupting pumpkin volcanoes with kids - baking soda, vinegar and dish soap recipe for erupting pumpkin volcanoes DIY erupting pumpkin volcanoes and other fun nature crafts and activities for kids Making pumpkin volcanoes with kids fall pumpkin activities for kids

    Book 4: Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland

    Fall Leaves is a really gorgeous picture book about the beauty of this magical season. Part poetry and part silent pages, this book showcases just how pretty fall is when the leaves change color and the whole world turns red, orange and yellow. Fall Leaves Book & Activities for Kids

    Activity: Fall leaf art project

    This activity is so much fun and goes perfectly with the beautiful artwork in the Fall Leaves book! It’s also really easy and the kids loved it. Head out on a nature hunt to find different colored fall leaves. Once you’ve collected some, head back home to make your art.

    Fall inspired nature activities and beautiful fall picture books for kids Fall Leaf Art Activities for Kids

    Leaf art supplies:

    Supplies for making leaf art creations with kids fall leaf activities for kids - leaf painting and leaf rubbings

    Once you have the supplies, instruct the children to use the paintbrush to get lots of water and some paint on the brush. Then have them make a “puddle” of water on the bottom of their paper. Use the straw to blow the water upward and out to make the trunk and branches of a tree.

    watercolor leaf tree art projects for kids making nature art with kids - watercolor trees and fall leaves how to make fall leaf art projects for kids

    When they’re finished with the trunk and branches, have them pick their favorite leaves to glue onto the branches. This project is great for building and developing fine motor skills, so feel free to have them create more than one tree!

    best fall books for kids and outdoor activities and art projects easy leaf art for kids Fall book and activities pairing for kids fall art activities for kids - making leaf art

    Book 5: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

    Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn is another beautiful book about the changing seasons. In this book, a young girl takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming autumn season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.

    Goodbye Summer Hello Autumn - Favorite Fall Books for Kids with Outdoor Activities and Crafts

    Activity: Fall leaf art with crayons

    If you’re like us, you have all sorts of old, broken crayons hanging around the house! These projects are a great way to use up some of those crayons. They’re also perfect activities for families who live in areas that don’t have season changes! You don’t need to use any real fall leaves for these projects but can still make some art that celebrates the autumn season. Both of these actives are a throwback to my own childhood and were very nostalgic for me! It was fun doing some activities with the kids that I did when I was a kid!

    Option 1 – melted crayon shaving leaves

    For the first crayon art project, you’ll need:

    Obviously, with that list of supplies, it’s important for an adult to be around to help out with the project! Depending on how old your kids are, you’ll either have them make crayon shavings using whatever tool you have around, or you’ll have them pick the colors and you can do the shavings for them. Put all the shavings in a pile and set aside.

    Next, use construction paper to cut out the trunk and branches of a tree (or several!). You will use it to create a fall scene on the wax paper. You can do one tree with some construction paper grass, multiple trees, whatever you like! Once you have the parts of your scene cut out from construction paper, place them on a sheet of wax paper to begin creating your fall scene.

    After the construction paper parts are in place, have your child take the crayon shavings and sprinkle them wherever they want fall leaves to be. Once everything is where you want it to be, place a second sheet of wax paper on top. Then place the towel on top of everything. Use a hot iron (job for a grownup!) to seal the two pieces of wax paper together. This will also create a beautiful effect with the crayon shavings because it will melt them together! So much fun!

    Melted crayon fall leaf art with kids

    Option 2 – leaf rubbings

    The second fall art activity you could do with crayons is make leaf rubbings! My kids LOVE doing this. It’s such a simple, timeless activity. When the kids see the leaf prints starting to appear, they light up with joy! My kids could do a hundred leaf rubbings and still be excited every time they see the leaf print appearing on the paper.

    If you’ve never done this before, you only need some paper (computer paper works great), crayons, and leaves! Any leaves will do – they don’t have to be fall-colored. Place the leaf underneath the sheet of paper, hold it down carefully, and rub the SIDE part of an unwrapped crayon back and forth on top of the paper. You’ll see the shape of the leaf appearing on the paper!  Leave them on the larger sheets of paper or cut them out. As my kids would say- easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy!

    Fall Leaf Rubbings with kids

    Favorite fall books and activities for kids

    And there you have it! 5 beautiful fall books and activities for kids. Not only will you and the kids love these beautiful books, but the accompanying activities are some that the whole family will enjoy! This should definitely keep your little ones active, inspired, and excited about reading and nature.

    What’s your favorite fall book for kids?

    About the author

    Hi there, I’m Chelsea! I’m a photographer, mother of two busy boys, and sunshine and fresh air addict. We live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can! We spend most of our time exploring the beach, inlets, and nature trails nearby. We love biking, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, building forts, and playing in the sand! During the warm months, you can find us enjoying the Chesapeake Bay almost every night until long after the sun goes down. We’re doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint and always try to leave every trail cleaner than it was when we arrived.

    You can find Chelsea online in the following locations:
    Instagram: @dimples.and.the.blonde
    Client work: @chelsea.lyn.photography
    Website: dimplesandtheblonde.com

    More RWMC posts from Chelsea:

  • CRAFTS, FALL, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    Nature Craft: DIY Moth Wings Tutorial

    Are you ready for the most gorgeous fall nature craft project? I’m so excited to share today’s post from our uber-talented Creative Team member Tiffany Griffin. Tiffany is here with an incredible DIY moth wings tutorial for kids.  This project is simpler than you might expect and guaranteed to make any little kid’s imagination go wild! These gorgeous wings are the perfect addition to any outdoor adventure. They can be made from materials you probably already have in your craft closet and yard. While the subtle moth wings are a perfect project for fall, this DIY nature wing tutorial can also be changed and adapted for any season based on what’s available in your location.

    * This project was inspired by the beautiful flower butterfly wings created by the amazing Johanna Bless of @blessnestlearning. Her full tutorial can be found at woodlarkblog.com.

    DIY nature craft moth wings for kids

    Give your child wings

    There’s something absolutely magical about creating something together with your child that helps foster and inspire their love for nature. If you’re anything like me, you probably love craft projects that get your kids outside and also give them the freedom to be masters of their own creation. It’s hard letting go of control of craft projects, especially when we have a pre-set idea of how the project should turn out.

    However, oftentimes I’ve found that the more freedom and flexibility I give my children to create on their own, the more I’m dazzled by their imagination and impressed with their skills of observation. This project started off as an attempt to make butterfly wings, but took a turn in a different direction, inspired by a moth we found and studied one day. As you work through this project with your kids, I encourage you to give them the reigns and let them design wings of their own choosing.

    DIY moth wing costume tutorial for kids

    Materials

    For this tutorial, anything not found in nature can probably be found lying around your backyard and craft closet. If not – a local craft store should carry everything you need! Some materials are optional for an added touch of make-believe magic. Here are the items you will need for your DIY moth wings:

    • gathered leaves/foilage
    • dried flowers
    • 2 large feathers
    • scissors
    • ribbon/cord/string/elastic for wings
    • 1 roll of clear contact paper
    • piece of foam/driftwood/bark/cardboard (something to secure the wings to – can use anything but try to make it lightweight)
    • hot glue gun
    • faux fur/felt/moss
    • headband
    • pen/permanent marker
    • packing tape

    how to make your own diy butterfly or moth wings

    DIY moth wings instructions

    As I mentioned, these wings are easier to make than I expected. And they turned out to be so incredibly beautiful! My daughter absolutely loves them and is so proud to tell everyone she sees that she helped make them. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on just how we created these beautiful DIY moth wings for kids.

    1. Get outside and gather

    The first thing to do is get outside and gather your materials! We chose to use leaves in various colors (red, yellow, green and brown. Feel free to incorporate whatever you can find in your area, based on the time of year. Fall leaves work great for creating a moth-like wing, but feel free to incorporate bright colored wildflowers for a summer butterfly. We found that the best leaves were ones that were freshly dropped. They stuck to the contact paper best. Dried out crunchy leaves left no room for error if you have to readjust them on your contact paper! Gather quite a few leaves of various shapes, sizes and colors. Remember you need enough to cover two wings!

    contact paper moth wings

    2. Contact paper setup & drawing

    Unroll your contact paper (clear side up). Measure your child to determine how long to make the wings. I recommend sizing from your child’s neck to their knees. Once your desired length is achieved for your child, secure the paper with tape to the table. This will keep the contact paper from moving. Use a pen (or permanent marker) to draw out the shape of one wing starting from the left or right side of your contact paper. I recommend using a ballpoint pen so if you need to re-do your wing – you do not have to start over! The pen rubs right off! Once you’re satisfied with the shape of the wing, cut the shape out using the scissors.

    3. Trace & repeat

    Lay your cut wing on your contact paper facing the opposite direction (mirror) and trace your second wing. Cut out the wing shape with scissors.

    DIY nature wings for kids

    4. Peel & secure

    Remove the taped corners of the contact paper of both wings from the table and flip them over so that the wax side is up. Carefully, pull back the backing (waxy side) of the contact paper from both wings. Don’t throw away the backing yet! You’ll use that in a minute (see Step 6 below). Secure the corners of the wings to the table with tape. Now, your contact paper should be sticky side up and ready for adding leaves and flowers! creating moth wings with leaves

    5. Add embellishments

    Now is the fun part! Place your leaves and flowers on the contact paper inside the wing outline. Make sure to press them down as flat as possible! Have your kids choose patterns that mimic those they find on real butterflies and moths, or let them make-up their own. You can encourage kids to create mirror image wings or two totally separately decorated (and complimentary!) wings. Whatever you choose to do, allow their creativity to shine.

    DIY moth wing costume tutorial

    6. Trace the backing

    Use the backing of the previously cut-out wings to trace another set of wings on the Contact paper. These wings will serve as the top layer to the wings with the embellishments on them. Cut them out and remove backing. Very carefully, place the wing directly on top of your newly decorated wing sealing in your leaves/flowers. Do this with both sides! DIY nature wings for kids

    7. Prep your foam

    If you’re using a foam piece for the center of the wings, consider covering it with some faux fur or moss or something natural-looking. We used a hot glue gun to secure a piece of faux fur to our foam to give it a natural look, like a moth. If you don’t have foam, you could also use a piece of driftwood or bark, a bundle of sticks or a piece of cardboard or wood.

    how to make moth wing costume for kids

    8. Prep the wings

    Using your hot glue gun, run a long line of hot glue down the center seam of each wing and secure to the centerpiece (of foam, wood or what-have-you). Glue each of the wings to the foam and hold securely in place until they cool. Allow them to dry. Next, cut out four 20 inch pieces of string/ribbon/elastic. Flip the (foam) base over and use your glue gun to secure 3-4 inches of string on to the back of the foam on each corner allowing the extra lenth to lay vertical while it dries. This will create two loops for your child’s arms.

    moth wing tutorial nature craft DIY moth wings costume for kids

    9. Make the antennae

    If you want to go above and beyond, you can create some really cool head antennae to go along with your wings. All you need to do is use the hot glue gun to glue two large feathers onto a headband to create awesome moth antennas! This gives your get-up a little something extra!

    contact paper moth wing costume for kidsDIY moth wing costume tutorial

    10. Take your wings for a test flight!

    The last thing to do is tie your DIY moth wings on and watch your little one FLY! Seeing your child love and enjoy their hard work is by far the best part of any craft. Hopefully, this fun project will inspire lots of wonderful conversation and curiosity about our winged friends. Encourage your child to take flight, like the moth. Have them mimic butterfly behaviors and find their favorite foods. Allow their creativity to shine and nurture their love for nature along the way.

    nature craft - contact paper moth wings for kids DIY moth wings for kids - nature craft tutorial

    About the author

    Tiffany is a homeschooling mama of three earthside children and one baby girl that travels among the stars. She is a vintage obsessed, wicker collecting, tree-loving photographer, creator, painter, writer and loves to document her children’s childhood and is passionate about sharing her take on motherhood, raising children outside of the “norm” and in nature.

    You can find more from Tiffany online in the following locations:
    @wild.things.grow

  • CRAFTS, GARDENING, NATURE SCHOOL, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

    How to Make DIY Wildflower Seed Bombs with Kids

    One of our favorite outdoor crafts is to make DIY wildflower seed bombs. Not only are these DIY seed bombs easy enough for kids to make in under an hour, but they’re good for the birds, bees, and butterflies in your area. They only require a few ingredients and have the added benefit of letting kids get their hands really messy! Make these and let your kids “seedbomb” the neighborhood or give them as homemade eco-friendly gifts to teachers, neighbors, family, and friends. Everyone will love watching the seed bombs grow into a beautiful patch of colorful wildflowers.

    Making DIY Wildflower Seed Bombs with Kids

    Guerilla gardening with seed bombs

    Did you know that “seed bombs” originated in New York City in the 1970s? People use to make these tiny “green grenades” of native herb, flower, and vegetable seeds and then “bomb” large vacant lots where it was illegal or impossible to plant. They called it guerilla gardening! It’s definitely caught on and now seed bombs are still the main weapon guerrilla gardeners use to grow flowers in bare spots, creating pockets of beauty and habitats for pollinators. Seed bombs enable seeds to be sown in hard-to-reach places and locations where the gardener is unable to adequately prepare the ground for traditional gardening.

    Bomb responsibly

    I’m sure you already know better, but make sure you bomb responsibly. Do not drop seed bombs on private property or in protected parks. Try to stick with spaces that have been neglected or local public areas that could use a bit of rewilding. You may want to check local ordinances before bombing around your town or neighborhood. Also, make sure that the seeds you use are local and native to your area. You wouldn’t want to introduce any new or invasive species of plants or flowers into your local ecosystem with these seedbombs. 

    how to make diy wildflower seed bombs with kids - earth day craftswhat to put in wildflower seed bombs

    Benefits of wildflowers

    Growing a patch of colorful native wildflowers not only adds beauty and charm to your space, but they provide many benefits to the world around us. Wildflowers are native to the area where they grow, meaning they’re conditioned to thrive there.  They require less water and fertilizer, are less prone to disease and are more tolerant to pests. They also provide critical habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects and wildlife, which is important for ecosystem function and pollination. Wildflowers can also improve soil health, prevent erosion, improve water quality, increase yields and enhance forage conditions for livestock. When choosing seeds to use in your seed bombs, make sure you use wildflowers that are local and native to the area they’ll be planted to avoid introducing invasive species.

    making seed bombs with kidsdiy seed bombs with kids

    Make your own seed bombs with kids

    Wildflower seed bombs are surprisingly easy to make and so fun! They only require a few ingredients and about an hour to make. They are definitely messy though, so be prepared to have a tub of water or a hose somewhere close to rinse your hand. My kids loved this project and the sensory feeling of squishing the clay between their fingers. They also loved gifting their homemade seed bombs to our neighbors and friends. We can’t wait to see patches of wildflowers sprouting up around our area soon!

    earth day project for kidsplanting wildflowers with kids for earth day

    What you need to make seed bombs

    • Air dry clay (we used this clay for the bombs pictured here, but we’ve also tried this one and it works just as well)
    • Potting soil or compost
    • Native/local wildflower seeds
    • Water

    nature craft seed bombshow to make seed bombsmaking wildflower seed bombs with kids

    How to make wildflower seed bombs

    Step 1: Mix the ingredients

    Mix together about 4 parts clay to 1 part potting soil. You don’t have to be exact, but you want more clay than soil so the bombs hold tightly together.

    Add your wildflower seeds to the clay mixture (we also added some sunflower seeds). Be sure to only use seeds that are native to your area and not invasive. Native plants will grow better and support more wildlife than non-native species. Not all of the seeds will sprout, so it’s best to have an assortment of flower species and varieties.

    Step 2: Add water

    Add a little bit of water at a time and squish with your hands until everything is mixed and about the consistency of thick cookie dough. This is definitely a good job for the kids! Make sure not to use too much water or it gets gooey and runny. If you use too much water, add more soil.

    Step 3: Roll into balls

    Once everything is well mixed, roll the clay into balls about the size of a golf ball. Set them on a tray and let them dry completely until hardened. This may take a couple hours or a couple of days, depending on the humidity levels where you live.

    Step 4: Bombs away

    Once dry, package your seed bombs in small envelopes or bags to gift to friends, neighbors, teachers, or family members. They’d make great gifts for Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Teacher Appreciation, or just because.

    earth day crafts for kids: wildflower seed bombsmaking seed bombs with clay

    A few extra tips for making seed bombs

    We made these seed bombs on a pretty chilly day. This led to our clay being very hard to squish/mold initially and made our fingers very cold! We ended up using warm water in our mix, which helped tremendously. So, if your clay is really hard or cold, try warming your water for the mix.

    If storing your seed bombs to gift or use at a later date, just be sure to keep them in a cool, dry, dark location to prevent them from germinating. 

    If you want to package them use as gifts, I found this cute printable label, which I printed on cardstock and attached with washi tape.

    how to make seed bombs with kidsmaking seed balls with kidshow to make diy seed bombsclay based seed bombs for kids

    When to bomb

    The best time to get out there and start slinging your wildflower bombs in the spring. Check your local weather and try to get them out just ahead of some rain and choose a sunny spot. That will give them the best chance of growing. If there’s no rain coming, maybe add some water. Plant your seed balls anywhere in need of some beauty and color. Hopefully, in a few weeks, you’ll have the beginning of a beautiful patch of your own native wildflowers!

     
    diy nature gifts made by kids

    Not interested in getting dirty?

    If you’re not into getting your hands dirty, or perhaps you can’t get your hands on all of the ingredients you need, there’s another option! Seedbombs can also be purchased. Seedles makes a really cute and colorful option. Or you can purchase a large pack of 50 native wildflower seed bombs. 

    earth day gifts and projects for kids

    Have you ever made seed bombs?