After a long winter chickens crave fresh food, just like we do. We love feeding our chickens dandelions and other healthy plants in the spring time. They get so excited when we throw a handful of dandelions in the coop and it seems like they can’t get enough! I thought this chicken boredom buster would be a fun and cute way to feed chickens. It seems to keep them busy for a long time and cures some of the boredom of sitting in the coop!

Are Dandelions Healthy for Chickens?

Yes, dandelions are considered a healthy and nutritious addition to a chicken’s diet. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and chickens often enjoy eating them. **Please make sure you do not give your chickens dandelions that were sprayed with pesticides.**

Here are some health benefits of dandelions for chickens:

• Intestinal Health: Dandelions improve digestion, strengthen intestinal barrier function, and enhance the gut’s microbiome.
• Nutritional Value: Dandelions offer chickens a good source of nutrients, particularly vitamin A, C, and K, as well as minerals like iron, potassium, and zinc.
• Color of Egg Yolks: Dandelions can help contribute to a deeper yellow egg yolk. 

Can You Put Cardboard in a Chicken Coop?

Yes, you can put cardboard in a chicken coop. In fact, many people use cardboard as an inexpensive bedding option. Chickens will not eat cardboard as it is indigestible and not a part of their natural diet. Chickens are more likely to peck at and play with cardboard, potentially using it for nesting or dust bathing, rather than eating it. 

One warning, most modern inks used on cardboard are non-toxic, but it’s always best to use cardboard without any printed designs or colors. Or, use the non-printed side for the activity. 

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies for the Chicken Boredom Buster:

• Cardboard- Either use an Amazon box or use these cardboard sheets
• Pencil
• Marker
• Dandelions
• Clip

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How to Make the Dandelion Pecking Board:

This is super easy to make! You just need to draw a vase on cardboard and poke holes above the vase. We used a sharp pencil to poke holes. 

Then you can poke dandelion stems and leaves through the holes! The leaves are also very nutritious, so don’t forget about those!

We first did the exact same activity many years ago. The intention was to help kids work on their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination by picking dandelions and poking the stems through the holes. I thought this was a nice way to extend the activity and this way, the dandelions don’t go to waste! If you have kids at home, make sure you get them to help! It will benefit them as well as the chickens:)

The chickens took a couple minutes to get used to having the pecking boards in their coop, but LOVED it once they started pecking! It kept them busy for a while and I took the cardboard out when they were finished. 

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I hope you enjoy this chicken boredom buster activity as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

How to Make Rocks Shiny

Totally Adorable Spring Picture Books for Kids

The post Chicken Boredom Buster- Pecking Board appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I recently purchased these stickers for my pressed flower magnetic tile DIY activity! I thought mushrooms and butterflies would be fun variations for the project, but quickly realized these stickers didn’t work well for that idea. They have a matte outline around the sticker, which I didn’t love on the clear magnetic tiles.

However, I absolutely LOVED the stickers and started thinking about new ways to use them. I tested them out on different surfaces and thought they were perfect on air dry clay! These stickers are very thin / flexible and the matte surface blends in perfectly with the color and texture of clay. 

If you love this craft, you might also love our nature pinch pots!

Ready to make a few dishes? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies:

• Air dried clay 
• Rolling pin
• Small bowl
• Knife
• Stickers- I have these mushroom and butterfly stickers. They are a washi style sticker and are very thin and moldable. I would not use a regular sticker because they would stick out too much and wouldn’t blend in as well with the clay. 
• Metallic paint- I used a metallic gold tempera paint for this project and didn’t love it. I needed to apply several coats and it still didn’t cover well. This gold leaf paint is highly recommended for clay crafts and I will be using this in the future. 
• Mod Podge– We used matte for this project.

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Here’s How We Made Our Clay Trinket Dishes:

Step 1: Prepare clay

Prepare your work space and roll the clay into a ball. Air dry clay is pretty sticky when it’s fresh out of the container, which makes it a little difficult to work with. I suggest letting it sit out for about 10 minutes to let it dry up a bit before starting your clay dish!

I covered a wooden cutting board with wax paper to keep the clay from sticking to the surface. 

Step 2: Roll out the clay trinket dish.

Use a rolling pin to flatten the clay. I suggest using a designated rolling pin for crafting projects. Roll clay until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. 

Step 3: Cut out clay dish shape. 

Find a small bowl for your dish shape. Place it on top of the flattened clay to cut out the dish. Then, gently pull the excess clay away from the dish shape. If children are involved in this craft, make sure they are using a blunt knife or help them with this step.

Step 4: Lay clay dish in the bowl. 

Use the same bowl as used in step 3. Place the clay in the bowl and let it dry for about 24 hours. Placing the clay piece in a bowl, will help form a slight dip in your dish. After 24 hours, place the clay dish on a drying rack, to dry the underside of clay. The clay will turn slightly tan while drying, but will be a nice shade of white when completely dried. 

Step 5: Paint

Some people sand the edges to make them perfect at this point, but I skipped that step! I personally like the minor imperfections. Once the dishes are completely dry, use metallic paint to form a fancy rim around the dishes. I think this really elevated the look of the pieces! 

Step 6: Stickers

I played around with different sticker designs on the dishes before peeling and sticking. Once I found designs that I liked, I stuck them on the dishes. Carefully place the stickers on the clay dishes, avoiding lines and ripples in the stickers. 

Step 8: Seal the clay trinket dish.

Use a THIN layer of matte Mod Podge to seal the dish. Do not use a lot of sealer for this particular craft. These stickers are so thin, that they will pucker up a bit when covered with Mod Podge, but they should flattened out when dried! 

I absolutely love how these clay trinket dishes turned out! I tried to pick a favorite, but I just can’t decide. Which one do you like the most?!

Pin it and save it for later!

I hope you try making a clay trinket dish! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more nature craft ideas?! Check out:

Homemade Pencil Case with Nature Prints

DIY Pressed Flower Night Light

The post Clay Trinket Dish appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

You came to the right place if you are looking for a fun spring or summer flower activity for kids! These make a wonderful and unique birthday, Easter, or holiday gift for kids! Make a bunch, stack them up and tie them together with twine for a special gift that any child would love.

Even though I made these for my preschool students, my 8 and 10 year old boys and were both instantly drawn to them! I’m so excited to share these with my little ones at school and see their magnetic tile wildflower garden creations.

These tiles are incredibly durable and the pressed flower stickers have a strong adhesive.  This DIY toy is perfect for little hands!

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies for the DIY Pressed Flower Magnetic Tiles:

• Clear Magnetic Tiles– This activity has been such a big hit that the first set of magnetic tiles that I used is sold out on Amazon and their website! They tend to go back in and out of stock, so you can TAP HERE to see if they are currently available. If they are not in stock, then try the following brands! I have used these as well and they work well for the DIY! This Magna-Tile set comes with 16 tiles and I found its the perfect amount to mix in with our regular colorful set of tiles. Imagsimags also work well and of course Connetix Tiles are gorgeous! If you have a different brand and would like to use the 2 sets together, please double check to make sure they will work!
• Pressed Flower Stickers– The adhesive on this brand are super strong and great for this activity! I also love the butterflies, mushrooms and leaves in this set . I purchased a set with dragonflies and beetles, but it’s not currently available. Here is the same brand with dragonflies and butterflies.
• Light Pad– This is optional, but a fun accessory for any magnetic tile fan!

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Here’s How I Made the Magnetic Tiles:

These are so easy to make! Just peel the flowers and stick them on the magnetic tiles. I placed 3 flowers on each tile and found that looked best. I trimmed the sticker stems to make the flowers fit on the inside flat part of the tile. They looked beautiful!

I mixed up the colors and flower types to make the magnetic tiles look like a wildflower garden when stuck together! Try identifying the flowers with your child. It’s a fun challenge and great way to learn nature identification. 

They looked so beautiful in the sunlight! This presents a great opportunity to learn about shadows! The flower shadows were gorgeous and fun to look at.

We had fun stacking them on our sliding door. The tiles made a pretty sun catcher! They are also fun to arrange on the refrigerator or any metal surface. 

These are also so fun to play with on a light pad! The magnetic tiles are almost like DIY pressed flower specimens. I’ve had this same light pad in my preschool classroom for years and it has proven to be durable and long lasting!

Children will love stacking the tiles on and around the light pad! 

You can mix these in with the rest of your magnetic tiles or create a challenge for your child! Here is challenge idea: Have your child build a house out of your regular magnetic tiles and then create a wildflower garden for the home out of the DIY flower tiles!

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I hope you enjoy this fun pressed flower activity as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

A Simple and Beautiful Nature Craft to Try Today

Flower Petal Art on Rocks

If you are looking for nature identification activities, then try my scavenger hunt ideas! These fun and interactive scavenger hunts will get your child outdoors and excited to learn about nature. 

The post DIY Pressed Flower Magnetic Tiles appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I’m adding to my long list of pressed flower crafts with this fun DIY summer activity! This is such an easy craft that a child could make one, but I know that you will want to make a couple as well! They look beautiful in any room, but we currently have our lamp in our kitchen. This little lamp is the perfect size for our counter and it makes this space look so beautiful!

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies for the Lampshade:

• • Lamp- I used this lamp and like the size and worked well of the craft. Just be aware that this has a USB plug. I think this lamp and this lamp are nice options as well!
  • Mod Podge- I used the matte version for the lampshade. 
  • Pressed flowers– You can always press your own flowers if you have them available in your garden! If you currently don’t have flowers to press, then I suggest purchasing already pressed flowers from Etsy or Amazon. Here is a nice wildflower mix. I love supporting these beautiful pressed flower businesses from Etsy, but these flowers took over a week to arrive at my house. If you need pressed flowers quickly, then I suggest going with Amazon. I’ve used many pressed flowers from Amazon for my crafts and am happy to recommend them as well. I love this set from Amazon. There are a ton of options available! Just type “pressed flowers” in the Etsy or Amazon search bars and a bunch of options will show up. I would suggest staying away from dyed pressed flowers because you don’t want them to bleed on the lampshade. 
  • You also might like this beautiful Wooden Pressed Flower Organizer to keep all of your flowers readily accessible. 

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Here’s How I Made this Pressed Flower Lampshade:

Step 1: Think of a pressed flower design. 

You have a blank slate on this lampshade, so play around with different flower designs before you add Mod Podge. 

Step 2: Add Mod Podge.

Next, add a layer of Mod Podge on the lampshade. 

Step 3: Place pressed flowers on the lampshade. 

Arrange your pressed flowers on the layer of Mod Podge. I like using a tweezer to transfer the flowers from the table to the lampshade. 

Step 4: More Mod Podge and let it dry.

Add a thin layer of Mod Podge over the pressed flowers and let it dry. Thicker flowers may require extra Mod Podge. The drying process might take a few hours!

It looks so beautiful when dried! It was fun to see how the lamp looked as dusk progressed. 

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I hope you enjoy this nature craft as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Handmade Pencil Case with Nature Prints

DIY Binoculars with Pressed Flowers

The post DIY Pressed Flower Lampshade appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

We had these boring clear night lights around our home and I thought they would look so pretty decorated with pressed flowers! They turned out even more beautiful than I could imagine and I instantly ordered more night lights and am making a bunch for gifts! Christmas is only a few short months away and I think these would make the perfect handmade holiday gift! 

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies for the Night Light:

• • Night lights   Just an FYI, Mod Podge is non-flammable and I noticed that these particular night lights don’t get warm or hot. Please exercise caution when altering anything that plugs into an electrical outlet. 
  • Mod Podge- I used the matte version because the covers of my night lights have a frosted finish. You can try the glossy version if your night lights have a glossier finish. The last link that I shared has both types of Mod Podge and a handy brush that I highly recommend. 
  • Pressed flowers– You can always press your own flowers if you have them available in your garden! If you currently don’t have flowers to press, then I suggest purchasing already pressed flowers from Etsy or Amazon. Here is a nice wildflower mix. I love supporting these beautiful pressed flower businesses from Etsy, but these flowers took over a week to arrive at my house. If you need pressed flowers quickly, then I suggest going with Amazon. I’ve used many pressed flowers from Amazon for my crafts and am happy to recommend them as well. I love this set from Amazon. There are a ton of options available! Just type “pressed flowers” in the Etsy or Amazon search bars and a bunch of options will show up. 
  • You also might like this beautiful Wooden Pressed Flower Organizer to keep all of your flowers readily accessible. 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Related: Check out 20+ Beautiful Pressed Flower Crafts

Here’s How I Made these DIY Night Lights:

Step 1: Make a design with pressed flowers

First, play around with the flowers on the night light, without Mod Podge. You can move the flowers around until you find a design you like without committing with glue. We came up with a bunch of different designs, but this is my favorite!

Step 2: Add Mod Podge

Add a thin layer of Mod Podge to your night light. Just an FYI, Mod Podge is non-flammable and I noticed that these particular night lights don’t get warm or hot. Please exercise caution when altering anything that plugs into an electrical outlet. 

Step 3: Place pressed flowers on night light

Arrange your flowers on the Mod Podge. I like using tweezers to transfer pressed flowers from the table to the night light. 

Step 4: More Mod Podge and let it dry

Add a thin layer of Mod Podge over the pressed flowers and let it dry. Thicker flowers may require extra Mod Podge. The drying process might take a few hours!

They look so pretty during the day and night! Which one is your favorite?

I hope you enjoy this nature craft as much as I do!

-Tara

Pin it and save it for later!

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Jar Lantern with Pressed Flowers

DIY Pressed Flower Candles

The post DIY Pressed Flower Night Light appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

We made Easter egg suncatchers similar to these hearts last year! They turned out so pretty, that I wanted to try them for Valentine’s Day. These make the perfect handmade Valentine and are a great alternative to the typical sugary treats that everybody hands out. 

If you are making these for a home decoration, I suggest making a bunch of them and sticking them to a window! They look so pretty as a large group of hearts. 

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies:

• Dried flowers– It’s the middle of winter for us, so I purchased some pressed flowers from ETSY. The large pressed poppy flowers are from this shop and the wildflower mix are from this shop! I love supporting these beautiful pressed flower businesses from ETSY, but these flowers took over a week to arrive at my house. If you need pressed flowers quickly, then I suggest going with Amazon. I’ve used many pressed flowers from Amazon for my crafts and am happy to recommend them as well. I love this set from Amazon. 
• Wax paper
• Towel or ironing board
• Scissors 
• Twine
• Iron
• Heart template-  I drew my own and cut it out. 

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Related: Check out Valentine’s Picture Books for Kids

Step 5:

Once the heart is ironed, cut on the heart line.

This heart craft makes such a gorgeous indoor decoration! You can hang them in the window as a suncatcher or on a shelf. They also look beautiful as garland. 

Save it for Later and Pin It!

I hope you give this pressed flower suncatcher a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

A Simple and Beautiful Way to Decorate Easter Eggs

20+ Pressed Flower Crafts 

The post Pressed Flower Suncatcher appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

Have you ever experimented with sun art paper before? By placing objects on special paper and exposing the paper to sunlight, early photographers created blue images, called cyanotypes or sun prints. It’s such a fun process to observe! I decided to turn these cool pieces of nature art into various types of lanterns and they turned out so pretty!

Supplies for your Sun Art Paper Lantern:

• Sun print paper kit. We used the Tedco brand and purchased it on Amazon. We have the 5×7 pack, but recommend purchasing the 8×10 pack if you plan on making a larger jar lantern. You can always cut the paper if it’s too large.

• Pieces of nature. Look for a wide variety to experiment with!

• Flameless tea light candles

Depending on the type of lantern you want to make, you will need the following supplies in addition to the items listed above.

• Lantern #1- Stapler

• Lantern #2- Jar, twine, scissors, and tape

• Lantern #3- 16 craft popsicle sticks, hot glue gun or tacky glue, pencil, and scissors

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Related: Check out 25+ Summer Activities for Kids

How to Use Sun Art Paper:

Follow the instructions on the package of the particular type of sun print paper that you purchased. Here are basic instructions and a few tips:

Step 1:

Arrange your nature finds on a piece of sun art paper out of the reach of the sun. We set our paper on a clipboard so it was easy to transport back indoors for the fourth step.

Step 2:

Place the acrylic pressing sheet on top to flatten and keep your items in place.

Step 3:

Take your sun paper outside and lay it in direct sunlight for 2-5 minutes. If it’s cloudy, keep it out a bit longer. Clouds are okay, just make sure there are no shadows on your paper. The paper is finished once it turns a very light blue.

Step 4: 

Rinse your sun paper in water for 1-5 minutes.Watch the white turn into blue and the blue turn into white. Magic!

Step 5:

Lay your sun paper flat on an absorbent surface and allow it to dry. I like to press the paper in a book for 10 minutes once completely dry to flatten it out.

How to Make Lantern #1:

This is the easiest lantern to make! Besides making the sun paper art, there is no prep work. Just roll the paper over, staple or tape the ends together, and set it on a flameless tea light candle!

Try making different lantern sizes by rolling the paper length wise and crosswise or using a variety of paper sizes. These are so easy to make, but look just as pretty as the next two lanterns!

How to Make Lantern #2:

The handle on this jar lantern makes it perfect for nature walks!

If you are nervous about using a glass jar, you can also cut off the top of a plastic water bottle to make a shatterproof lantern.

See how to take the label off your jar and make a handle in my last blog post called, Jar Lantern with Pressed Flowers .

Once you complete those 2 steps, tape your piece of sun paper to the lantern and add a flameless tea light candle. You are all set for a nature walk!

How to Make Lantern #3:

This lantern will WOW visitors! It’s so beautiful and with just a little extra work, you will have a true piece of art for your home.

First, glue your craft sticks together to make a square. Repeat this process until you have four squares.

Next, cut out a piece of sun paper according to the size of the square formed with the craft sticks and glue it on the frame. Repeat this process three more times.

Last, glue the sides of the craft stick frames together. I suggest adding a little dab of glue at the top and bottom of each frame or you will have a gluey mess!

Set the lantern on top of a flameless tea light candle and you have a gorgeous summer decoration. You can turn the cube around to show different sides of the lantern!

I hope you enjoyed making these beautiful lanterns and feel inspired to make more throughout the year! Try them during any season by using specific pieces of nature to that time of year. The possibilities are endless with this gorgeous nature craft!

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I hope you try making these sun art paper lanterns! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Preserving Flowers in Resin

Magical Pressed Flower Lanterns

The post 3 Sun Art Paper Lanterns appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

Making a pressed flower lantern is so easy and the results are always gorgeous. The pressed flowers will keep their vibrant color since they are preserved, making this a colorful and beautiful decoration for your home! 

Ready to give it a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies for your Pressed Flower Lantern:

• Jar- Any pasta sauce, juice or jelly jar will work!

• Mod podge- I used the matte variety for the the purple pansies lanterns and it gave the lantern a frosted effect. I used the glossy variety for a colorful wildflower lanterns shown at the end of the post and that gave the lantern a beautiful shinny finish! I suggest the combo pack to try each type and it also comes with foam brushes!

• Foam brush– These are very helpful for spreading Mod Podge on the jar.

• Pressed flowers– If you don’t have any flowers to press or are feeling impatient, you can always find a variety of pressed flowers on Amazon or purchase a bouquet to press at home. Here is a beautiful variety pack that includes pansies on Amazon and here is a beautiful wildflower pack from ETSY! 

• Flameless tea light candle

• Twine or string

• Tweezers- These are helpful for picking up delicate pressed flowers.

• Equal parts cooking oil and baking soda- This mixture will remove stubborn labels or printed expiration dates from jars and leave them sparkling clean.

• You also might like this beautiful Wooden Pressed Flower Organizer to keep all of your flowers readily accessible. 

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How to Press Flowers:

Look for flowers with a single layer of petals and have fun experimenting with different types of flowers! We love pressing pansies and wild violets during spring. Don’t forget to press the leaves!

Once you pick your flowers or buy a bouquet, place them between two pieces of wax paper in a book and close the book. Place a couple more books on top and check back in a week or two. If they are not dried, then let them press for another week and check on them again. Continue this cycle until they are dried. I have a more extensive guide on pressing flowers in 20+ Pressed Flower Crafts. 

How to Remove the Label from your Jar:

Step 1:

Give your jar a hot water bath! Let your jars sit in hot water for about 10 minutes to loosen the glue behind the label. Be careful when handling the hot jar and don’t use boiling water! Take the jars out of the water and peel off as much of the label as you can at this point.

Step 2:

Next, mix equal parts cooking oil and baking soda. I used two tablespoons of each. Rub it on what is left of your label and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Peel off the rest of the label and rub the glue off the jar. I like to fill the jar with more warm/hot water at this point to continue loosening the glue. You can also run the jar under warm water and add a little more baking soda mixture to get the last bits and pieces off.

How to Make the Jar Lantern:

Step 1:

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to a third of your jar with your foam brush. Don’t put too much Mod Podge on your jar at one time or it will dry before you get the chance to apply the pieces of nature.

Step 2:

Gently pick up the pressed pieces of nature with your fingers or tweezers and place them on the Mod Podge. I had to press some of the thicker leaves for about 30 seconds to help them stick to the Mod Podge. Finish your jar and let the Mod Podge dry completely.

Step 3:

After the first layer of Mod Podge is dry, add another layer of Mod Podge over the jar and pressed pieces of nature. This will protect the pieces of nature and keep them from peeling up as they dry.

How to Make the Jar Lantern Handle:

Step 1:

Tie twine around the neck of the jar two times and give it a double knot on one side of the jar. Cut any excess twine.

Step 2:

Take another piece of twine and weave it through the twine on one side of the jar. This can be tricky since the twine is tied tightly around the neck of the jar, but this method worked for all of my jar crafts! Once you wiggle/push the twine through, tie another double knot on that side. Do this same step on the other side of the jar. Again, cut any excess twine.

Your handle is all set. You can take this on an evening nature walk! Make sure you bring it inside when finished because Mod Podge is somewhat water resistant, but not waterproof.

They also make the perfect decoration for a table or shelf. They add a touch of whimsy to any space! Here is another version of our pressed flower lantern. This lantern is made with pressed wildflowers and sealed with the glossy Mod Podge. Which version do you like more!

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I hope you try making a jar lantern! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Butterfly Symmetry Craft

How We Used Story Stones on Earth Day

The post Jar Lantern with Pressed Flowers appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

These tic-tac-toe rocks are so fun to make! You can use special flowers from your yard that you dried yourself or purchase a pack of pressed flowers from Amazon. 

Try making Tic-Tac-Toe rocks for every season by painting simple pictures on the stones. For fall you can make pumpkin and spider stones and for winter try painting snowflakes and simple evergreen tree stones. The possibilities are endless! 

Ready to make a DIY Tic-Tac-Toe game? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• 10 Rocks- Make sure your rocks are a little larger than your pressed pieces of nature. 
• You can also find stones in craft stores, landscape shops,  or Amazon.
• White paint
• Paintbrush
• Pressed Pieces of Nature- You will need 2 sets of game pieces with 5 similar types of nature. We made 1 set with 5 pressed flowers and another set with 5 pressed leaves. This set looks nice and this set does too!
• Mod Podge– Play around with gloss and matte finish to see which you like more. 
• Tweezers– These are helpful for small and delicate petals.
• 4 Sticks- Make sure they are large enough to fit your unique pieces of nature. Our sticks are about 12 inches (30.5cm) long.

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RELATED: Check out 10+ Simple and Beautiful Stone Activities for Kids!

Here’s How We Made This Beautiful Tic-Tac-Toe Game:

Step 1:

Paint your rocks white. Paint one side of the rock and let it dry. Then flip it over and paint the other side of the rock and let it dry.

Step 2:

Put a dab of Mod Podge on the rock and place your pressed piece of nature on the Mod Podge. The Mod Podge does not need to dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 3:

Cover the rock and pressed piece of nature with a coat of Mod Podge. Let the Mod Podge dry.

Step 4:

Repeat this process for all of your rock game pieces and let them dry thoroughly.

Step 5:

Set up you Tic-Tac-Toe grid with the sticks – Lay 2 sticks vertically about 4 inches (10 cm) apart and lay the other 2 sticks horizontally on top of the other sticks about 4 inches (10 cm) apart.

How to Play with the DIY Tic-Tac-Toe Board

1. One person has the flower rocks and the other person has the leaf rocks.
2. Players take turns putting their stones in the empty squares.
3. The first player to get three of 3 of his/her stones in a row (up, down, across, or diagonally) is the winner!

You can make a special bag for your game pieces and play over and over again!

Pin this activity to save it for later!

I hope you give this nature activity a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this activity as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more nature craft ideas?! Check out:

Preserving Flowers in Resin

Magical Pressed Flower Lanterns

The post DIY Tic-Tac-Toe appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

Today we are mixing a couple of my favorite things- flowers and candles! These were really fun to make and I look forward to trying more as our seasons change so I can use flowers from our own yard!

If you are wondering if this craft is suitable for children, I would definitely suggest assisting them with the process. My boys were able to help a bit, but required guidance. Children will need developed fine motor skills to be able to handle the flowers and melted wax at the same time. If they are too young for that step, they can always help collect and press the flowers!

Ready to make a few pressed flower candles?! I bet you won’t be able to stop at just one!  Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Taper candles- white or colorful
• Pressed flowers and leaves– You can either purchase them online or gather flowers and press them yourself. We love making these flowers around Christmas time and this set has the perfect colors for holiday candles! If you are looking for a simple tutorial, check out my post that explains how to press flowers!
• Tea light candles and match or lighter
• Small paintbrushes

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Here’s How We Made The Candles:

Step 1:

Light the tea candle and wait until the it has melted a bit. Gently dip the paintbrush into the melted wax (obviously avoid the flame!) The melted wax will act as a glue and seal the flowers on the candle. The wax dries VERY quickly so you will need to work quickly too!

Step 2:

Set your first flower in place. 

Step 3:

Dip the paintbrush in the candle and gently spread the melted wax on the flower. If you get a clump of wax on your paintbrush, simply set it in the melted wax area of the candle and it will melt away. 

Step 4:

I found it helpful to press down stubborn areas of the flowers and leaves into the soft wax.

You can add just one piece of nature per candle or a bunch! It looks beautiful either way. 

Don’t these candles look beautiful?! They make the perfect handmade gift or decoration for your home.

I love looking at the beautiful details of the flowers and leaves! 

Do you like the flowers or leaves more? I can’t decide! I suggest working with a wide variety of nature pieces to see which ones you like best. If you try this, tag me @littlepinelearners on Instagram! I can’t wait to see your candles!

Pin this activity to save it for later!

I hope you give this pressed flower craft a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this activity as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more pretty nature craft and activity ideas?! Check out:

DIY Pebble Art for Kids (And Adults!)

A Simple Butterfly Symmetry Activity

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