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. 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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. 

Pin it and save it for later!

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.

If your children love getting outdoors and exploring nature, then these nature activities are for you! Just pick one out of the 16 scavenger hunt options, print, cut out and head outdoors! It’s ok if you don’t find all objects, just have fun and explore. 

What’s included in this Nature Hunt Printable Packet?!

There are 16 nature hunts to choose from and they are great for all seasons and interests. The nature hunts included are: Insects, Spooky Things (great Halloween scavenger hunt), Forest, Get Outside! (general nature items), Snowy Day, Garden, Spring Flowers, Summer Flowers, Tide Pool, Lake, Pond, Leaves, Seeds, Mushrooms (all edible varieties), Clouds and Animal Tracks.

All 16 nature hunt printables come in color and black & white. The circular nature hunt pieces only come in color, for a total of 60+ pages!

Here is an up close look at a few of the nature hunt printables. This Spooky Scavenger Hunt is great for Halloween and fall!

I love this Snowy Day Scavenger Hunt for the Winter Solstice or any beautiful snowy day!

We loved using the ruler handle for the Spring Flower hunt! It was fun to measure the flowers!

Pictured below is one of the circular nature hunt pieces. These are great to use indoors on a rainy day or hide them in your backyard or schoolyard for a different scavenger hunt experience!

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How to Make Your Nature Hunt Printables:

These nature activities are very easy to prepare and use! These should be printed on cardstock to make a sturdier magnifying glass. I also suggest laminating to use them over and over again. You can also cross off items you find with a dry erase marker on laminated scavenger sheets!

I use my laminator at home with thick lamination pouches, which makes them mostly waterproof. The lamination at school will probably be too thin to make them waterproof, but will help with durability!

If laminating, I suggest to print on cardstock, cut out the magnifying glass, run the cut out magnifying glass through the laminator, and cut out one more time. This method will help with water resistance. I highly recommend laminating printables for the Snowy Day hunt or any other hunt that is near water. 

Please Note!

Many of the images are the same in this packet as my Nature Scavenger Hunt Printables Packet. A handful of them are completely new, some of them are the same but have a few different objects to search for, and a couple (animal tracks & clouds) are exactly the same. I believe there is enough variability for students to love both sets and they also compliment each other nicely! Also, the ruler and shape of scavenger hunts add fun new elements. Check out my scavenger hunt bundle by clicking here!

Supplies:

• Nature Hunt Printables available on TPT 
• Cardstock or printer paper- I recommend cardstock for a more durable work mat. 
• Laminator machine
• Scissors

Now that you have all of your supplies, it’s time to get outside and start exploring!

I hope you try these nature hunt printables! I promise, your little learners will love it as much as my boys and preschoolers.

∼Tara

Looking for more fun printables for kids?! Check out:

4 Ways to Use Story Stones in the Classroom

Color Activities for Kids with See-Through Lenses

The post Nature Hunt Printables- Indoor or Outdoor appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

These scavenger hunts are so easy to make and so fun to use! The best part about the magnifying glass, is that it extends the amount of time children spend outdoors searching for items! I guarantee this will be the most engaged your child has ever been with a scavenger hunt. The magnifying glass helps children focus their attention on the objects right in front of them and they love getting an extra close look, through the magnifying glass. 

You can also use the printable without a real magnifying glass. The cut out by itself is a great focal point for imaginative play and learning! Either way, these are fun and engaging leave no trace activities for kids.

What’s included in this Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable Packet?!

There are 18 scavenger hunt printables included in this packet. The scavenger hunts include: general nature, signs of spring, signs of summer, signs of fall, signs of winter, summer flower, spring flower, garden, leaf, seed, insect, color, gratitude, tally mark, cloud, mushroom, animal tracks, and alphabet. Seventeen of the eighteen scavenger hunt printables come in both black & white and color options and one comes in just black & white, for a total of 35 pages!

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Find the Printable for this Activity on TPT or Etsy! 

How to Make the Magnifying Glass?

The magnifying glass is easy to make! Laminate the cardstock and cut out the lens part of the printable.

Last, tape the edges of the credit card sized magnifying glass to the back of the printable! The magnifying glasses are made of plastic and durable.

Below, you can see how well the magnifying glass works! It’s even more fun to use outside in nature. 

Here’s a Couple of ways to use your Nature Scavenger Hunt Printables:

This example shows the printable with a real magnifying glass and clothespins are used to check off items found. Start with clothespins at the top and bottom of the printable and move them to the side as you find items.

This example does not have a real magnifying glass and a dry erase marker is used to cross off pictures of items found. The dry erase marks can be easily erased when finished. Try sticking one velcro circle on the scavenger hunt and other velcro circle on the dry erase marker. This is a great way to keep your supplies all in one spot. When the marker is not in use, just stick it right to the velcro on the scavenger hunt

Here’s a Peak at all of the Scavenger Hunts!

Before we look at the scavenger hunts, I want you to think about a few things. I did not add instructions because I want children to use it in a way that works best for them! To keep the scavenger hunts fresh and fun, try the clothespins one day and dry erase markers on another. Use a real magnifying glass for one scavenger hunt and go without it for a different one. Children will like to use these sheets in different ways and that’s ok!

A few of the scavenger hunts, like mushrooms and clouds, have scientific names. These can be difficult to pronounce and I wouldn’t expect a child to be able to read or remember all of them. That’s also ok! This is all about exposure and having fun.

If you aren’t having any luck finding specific items on the list, try searching for the colors of the items. For example, you can look for the colors of leaves on the leaf scavenger hunt instead of the particular leaves! Make this work for you. 

Now lets get to the scavenger hunts! These scavenger hunts are perfect for seasonal activities! Check out the spring, summer, fall and winter scavenger hunt printables. 

Here are a couple of scavenger hunts that are great for any time of year! For the tally mark scavenger hunt, use a dry erase marker to make tally marks on the laminated printable. This is great for reinforcing early math skills while being outdoors!

The animal track and mushroom printables are fun for adventurous little explorers! Try looking for animal tracks in mud or snow! And remember, don’t touch or eat mushrooms because they could be poinsonous.

These scavenger hunts are fun to try right in your own backyard! Children love spending time in the garden and really enjoy looking for insects and seeds. 

I love these three scavenger hunts! The alphabet scavenger hunt can be used in a couple of different ways: Children can either clip a clothespin on the alphabet letter after they find something in nature that starts with that letter or write the word next to the corresponding letter. For example, if a child finds an apple, they would write “apple” next to the “Aa.” I find an ultra fine dry erase marker works best in these small writing spaces. 

The gratitude scavenger hunt is fun to try around Thanksgiving or Valentine’s Day. And the color scavenger hunt is fun for children of all ages!

The alphabet and color scavenger hunt printables can be used indoors on a rainy day!

Here’s what you’ll need to make these nature scavenger hunt printables!

Supplies:

• Nature Scavenger Hunt Printables available on TPT or Etsy
• Cardstock or printer paper- I recommend cardstock for a more durable work mat. 
• Laminator machine
• Scissors
• Credit Card Sized Magnifying Glass
• Dry Erase Markers  or Clothes pins(I like mini clothes pins for this activity, but regular sized will work too!)
• Velcro Dots– These are completely optional! They are great to stick on the scavenger hunt printable and dry erase marker to keep all of your objects together. When the marker is not in use, just stick it right to the velcro on the scavenger hunt.

Now that you have all of your supplies, it’s time to get outside and start exploring!

These are great for every season, even winter! The snow looked beautiful magnified through the lenses. We could have looked at it for hours!

We preferred to go without the magnifying glass for the cloud hunt. The clouds looked really neat framed in the magnifying glass!

Pin this to save it for later!

I hope you try these nature scavenger hunt printables! I promise, your little learners will love it as much as my boys and preschoolers.

∼Tara

Looking for more fun printables for kids?! Check out:

4 Ways to Use Story Stones in the Classroom

Color Activities for Kids with See-Through Lenses

The post Nature Scavenger Hunt Printables appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

If these look familiar that’s because we made beautiful Christmas bookmarks using the similar supplies. I slightly switched up the process for making these dried flower bookmarks and liked this way just a little more! I cut the bookmarks to size first instead of towards the end of the process. Both ways will work, but this helped with placement of the pieces of nature.

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

Supplies:

• • Wax paper
  • Towel or ironing board
  • Iron
  • Scissors or portable paper trimmer
  • 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. 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Related: Check out this adorable 20+ Beautiful Pressed Flower Crafts

Here’s How I Made these DIY Wax Paper Lanterns:

Step 1:

First, fold a piece of wax paper in half and cut them to the size you would like. The entire piece of wax paper, unfolded, was 7.5 inches by 8 inches. Please experiment with different sized pieces of wax paper and use the size that works best for you!

This portable trimmer isn’t necessary, but makes cutting straight lines much easier. 

Step 2:

Unfold the piece of wax paper and place dried flowers on one side of the crease.

Step 3:

Fold your piece of wax paper over the dried flowers. 

Step 4:

As soon as your iron hits the wax paper, it will fuse together! It’s a neat process to observe. I quickly ran the iron over the wax paper several times, then I flipped it over and did the same thing on that side. 

There may be air bubbles around thicker flowers. That’s ok, it’s impossible to iron all of the air bubbles out. In my experience, since the flowers are already pressed and dried, they are preserved and will keep their vibrant color. 

Step 5:

Now trim your bookmark if necessary. 

I absolutely love how these turned out! They look so pretty when you hold them near a window. We actually made beautiful suncatchers with the same material!

These make a beautiful handmade gift for any holiday or occasion! We plan on handing these out for Valentine’s Day. I think a bookmark and a sweet book make a great gift for a friend! This would make a great birthday or Mother’s Day gift as well!

Pin it and save it for later!

I hope you try to make your dried flower bookmark! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Pressed Flower Suncatchers

DIY Pressed Flower Candles

The post Pressed and Dried Flower Bookmarks appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

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

Supplies:

• Dried Lavender
• Glue
• Cardboard- Try to find cardboard to repurpose, but try these sheets if you don’t have any. 
• Heart shaped cookie cutter to trace
• Exacto knife– These are very sharp and for adult use only! Cardboard is difficult to cut with regular scissors, so I highly recommend getting an exacto knife. 
• Tape- I tried this biodegradable tape and really liked it!
• Twine or string

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Related: Check out Valentine’s Picture Books for Kids

Let your hearts completely dry. Attach the hearts to string with tape and hang in your home! They look so pretty and make the room smell amazing!

You could also keep the hearts loose and write a Valentine message on the center of the hearts. These would make cute handmade Valentines!

The post DIY Heart Garland 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. 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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!

Pin it and save it for later!

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. 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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!

Pin it and save it for later!

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.

We’re getting resourceful today and using some of those toilet paper rolls we have been saving! Reusing objects always makes crafting more rewarding and it’s fun to see everyday items transform into something useful. Kids will love helping with this process, but enjoy using their binoculars even more!

Ready to make this DIY binoculars craft? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• 2 Paper Towel Rolls
• Washi Tape or Marker
• Single-Hole Puncher
• Twine or String about 18-20 inches (45-51 cm) long
• Craft Bond Tacky Glue
• 45-50 Straight sticks, about 3.5 inches (9 cm) and about 1/8 inch (.5 cm) thick. Test out one stick on your roll first. Make sure the stick sits under the washi tape line so it doesn’t poke your child’s eyes.
• 6 medium sized rubber bands and 1larger rubber band

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

RELATED: Use These Binoculars with the Sticky Scavenger Hunt

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

Step 1:

Put a washi tape border on one end of both paper rolls. Not only does this look nice, but will also protect your eyes from the sticks. If you don’t have washi tape, try drawing a border with marker! We used weeping willow sticks from a tree in our backyard.

Step 2:

Snap sticks by hand to the size you need. You can try scissors if your sticks are thin enough. Make them long enough to fit right under the decorative tape to the other end of the paper roll. Once you have one stick measured out to the correct length, snap the rest the same size.

Step 3:

Punch one hole under the washi tape on each of the binoculars. Take one end of your twine and thread it through the hole you made. Tie a knot to secure the thread to the paper roll. Use the same piece of twine and repeat with the other binocular.

Step 4:

Put glue on about 1/3 of your paper roll and place sticks on the binoculars. Press each stick on the glue for about 10 seconds. This part can be a little tricky and will require helping hands.  If one or two sticks fall off during this process, just put it back in its spot and press the stick for 10 more seconds. I found it helpful to cradle the part of the binocular with drying sticks in my hand to keep them in place. Repeat this process until the entire binocular is covered with sticks.

Step 5:

Put three rubber bands around each binocular to keep them in place while drying.

Step 6:

Once the binoculars are completely dry, take the rubber bands off and glue a stick in the middle of the binoculars to connect them. This stick can be just as long or a bit shorter than the other sticks. Place a larger rubber band around the binoculars to keep them in place while they dry.

Don’t they look great when completed?! 

They are perfect to take outside during any season, but we LOVE them for winter bird watching!

Want to make more nature binoculars? Try stone or pressed flower binoculars! If you have extra time, try painting the sticks to make colorful binoculars. We love our pressed flower binoculars pictured below.

Pin this activity to save it for later!

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

∼Tara

Looking for more nature craft ideas?! Check out:

Homemade Pencil Case with Nature Prints

How to Decorate Pumpkins with Pieces of Nature

The post DIY Binoculars Craft with Real Sticks 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.

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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

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