We love summer vacation in our home! We have fun going on adventures, attending fairs, swimming at the pool, and hanging out with friends. Even with all of that excitement, we still have “boring” and “lazy” days. Those days are wonderful in many ways, but sometimes we just need to shake things up a bit to get the kids playing and engaged in activities again AND outdoors! 

Why try hanging basket activities? 

Here are a few reasons why I love this idea:

1. The containers are durable and easy to clean! You can easily clean any bubble or chalk reside. They are made of strong plastic and can take a beating. It’s ok if kids throw the toys back in, the baskets can take it!
2. You can keep them in the same predictable spot or you can move them around your yard to keep kids guessing and searching for them. Kids will enjoy the challenge of finding the “basket activity of the day!” If you have dinosaur figures, you could place the basket in an area of the yard with a lot of plants to mimic their natural surrounding. If you place books inside the hanging basket, put it in the garden or somewhere you would like to read books with your kids. The options are endless!
3. Try rotating toys in and out of the baskets to keep them fun and exciting for your kids. Your kids might be getting bored of their car collection, but try bringing them outdoors and they can create race lanes with sticks or rocks! If you change their typical play environment, the toys feel new to kids. 
4. They are easy to take off the hook to put in the garage or in the house if rain is predicted. You could keep plastic toys outside, but I would bring the other play options indoors during inclement weather. 

Here’s Our Outdoor Activities Set Up:

The idea here is to breathe new life into those old everyday activities or try a new activity in an outdoor setting! Try filling your hanging planters with these fun activities:

1. Books

There’s nothing better than reading a book outside on a nice day. Fill a hanging planter with a few old favorites or surprise your little one with new books!

2. Bubbles

I love these hanging planters as storage for bubbles because you can spray a hose inside the basket when it gets sticky from bubble residue. There are also drainage holes and a removable base so you don’t need to get messy when dumping out the water, it will simply drain out the bottom. It’s the perfect size for multiple bubble bottles for a party!

3. Chalk

For the same reason I like this for bubbles, I also love it for chalk! We all know that chalk can get messy, so it’s super simple to spray a hose in the hanging planter and let the water drain out the bottom. This doesn’t need to be placed near concrete, kids can color on large rocks, mulch or sticks!

4. Learning Material

I added some nature identification books to the hanging planter to inspire outdoor exploration, but you could put worksheets or even craft supplies in a planter!

5. Games

Add a few small games to inspire outdoor time on a beautiful summer day. Put a blanket and a couple of outdoor pillows near the hanging planter to create an inviting space to play!

6. Toys

I have always loved bringing toys outside for my kids! Brining toys outdoors into a new environment, invites kids to play with their toys in new and different ways. Here you can see the DIY Magnetic Tiles that I made, but you can try any toy! I particularly love the magnetic tiles because they stick right on the metal stand!

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

Supplies for the Chicken Boredom Buster:

• Shepherd Hooks– There are tall and short hooks, so make sure you get the size that will work best for the height of your child. When purchasing, make sure to consider that the planters will hang down from the top height of the hook . This 48 inch set of hooks would work well for young children. We have 35 inch hooks and much taller hooks. The planters hang a couple inches from the ground with the 35 in hooks. 
• Hanging Planters– We used these hanging baskets. Again, there are different sizes so make sure you get the size that works for your needs!
• Books– Check out this list of picture books that are great for spring and summer. Consider the size of the books and hanging planters to make sure they will fit. 
• Toys– We added these DIY magnetic tiles! They are perfect because the magnets stick right on the hooks! Different toy figures would be fun too. This dinosaur set or a simple car set would be perfect in an outdoor setting.
• Chalk 
• Bubbles
• Small games- We like placing card games in the planters. 

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What would you add to the planters? Let me know on Instagram. 

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I hope you enjoy these outdoor activities in hanging planters as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Wasp Nest Decoy

More than 30 Press Flower Crafts

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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

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Here is my fall version of my viral pressed flower magnetic tiles! I loved that DIY so much that I had to recreate it for fall and I *think* I like these even more than the flowers! The leaf stickers that I found are so realistic and stunning. These tiles are incredibly durable and the pressed leaf stickers have a strong adhesive.  This DIY toy is perfect for little hands!

These make a wonderful and unique birthday or holiday gift for kids! They would be perfect to add to a fall equinox gift basket. Make a bunch of these magnetic tiles and place them in a basket along with fall books and other fun fall gifts, and give it to a special child in your life!

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

Supplies for the DIY Leaf Activity for Kids:

• 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! 
• Pressed Leaf Stickers– The adhesive on these brands are super strong and great for this activity!  This set of leaf stickers offers larger leaves and allows for one leaf per tile. 
• Light Pad– This is optional, but a fun accessory for any magnetic tile fan! You can see this in action on my Pressed Flower Magnetic Tile Post. 
• Flameless Tea Lights– I started adding these lights to my magnetic tile section of my classroom and they are a big hit! 

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Here’s How I Made the Magnetic Tiles:

These are so easy to make! Just peel the leaves and stick them on the magnetic tiles. You can combine the small and large leaf stickers or place just one sticker on each tile. It’s up to you how you want to decorate them!

How to Play with these Leafy Magnetic Tiles!

Try identifying the leaves with your child. It’s a fun challenge and great way to learn nature identification. The perfect leaf activity for kids!

They looked so beautiful in the sunlight! This presented a great opportunity to learn about shadows! The leaf shadows are gorgeous and fun to look at.

We also 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 leaf specimens. I’ve had this same light pad in my early childhood classroom for years and it has proven to be durable and long lasting! I guarantee the children will love stacking the tiles on and around the light pad!

We also loved making fall castles! My kindergarteners loved making up stories about the king and queen that lived inside the leafy castle. This fall activity offers kids the great opportunity to work on their language skills through storytelling! 

There are so many ways to play with these magnetic tiles! Perhaps the best way is to place them with other loose parts toys and let children come up with their own activities! The sky is the limit with these. 

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Here is a magnetic tile castle with flameless tea lights! So pretty. 

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I hope you enjoy this leaf activity as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Stunning Leaf Lanterns

Leaf Sensory Writing Tray

The post A Leaf Activity for Kids 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.

Making this bird feeder is a great way to teach children about caring for nature and how to identify local birds that stick around during the colder months! In Wisconsin, we see Black-Capped Chickadees, American Crows, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Morning Doves, and many more birds during the colder months!

We made heart bird valentines last winter and thought these cute ghosts would be fun for Halloween!

Ready to make a DIY bird feeder?! Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies:

• Cardboard– Grab these if you don’t have any cardboard to reuse.
• Cookie Cutter Shapes -Optional: We did not use cookie cutters for our bird feeders. This is an option for people that don’t want to freehand their shapes!
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Clothespins
• Bird Food- I tried multicolored bird food at first and it did not work out. I highly suggest using black and white birdseed for this activity. We used safflower seeds and black oil sunflower seeds
• Peanut Butter or try PEANUT FREE Sunbutter

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RELATED: Check out 50+ Nature-Inspired Fall Picture Books

Here’s How We Made This DIY Bird Feeder:

Step 1:

First decide on a shape for your bird feeder. You could make bats, pumpkins, cats or any other fun Halloween design! I quickly drew a simple ghost design. 

Step 2:

Trace your cookie cutter or drawing onto cardboard. 

Step 3:

Cut out your shape. 

Step 4:

Glue the clothespins to the back of your cardboard shapes. We used a hot glue gun, but I think Elmer’s glue would work just fine. The clothespins make the perfect perch for the birds!

Step 5:

Now hold on to the clothespin and spread peanut butter onto your cardboard shape. Make sure you spread a thick even layer, so the birdseed will stick in the next step. Don’t forget the edges! We stuck our sunflower seed eyes and nose on right away. 

If you can’t use peanut butter due to allergies, try PEANUT FREE Sunbutter.

Step 6:

Decorate your bird feeders! 

The easiest way to decorate the bird feeder, is to hold on to the clothespin and press the peanut butter side into the birdseed. The clothespins are not only functional, but help make this a low-mess activity!

Here is another way to decorate your bird feeder! Decorate the edge of the the ghost with the black sunflower seeds and sprinkle the middle with the safflower seeds! This is great for building fine motor skills and practicing hand-eye coordination. This way is a bit more challenging and messy;) 

We had fun searching for spots around our yard to clip our bird feeders! In the winter, we chose evergreen trees, but we found thick sturdy stems of flowers worked well this time around. They looked beautiful clipped on to the sunflowers and mums!

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I hope you give this DIY bid feeder a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more nature activity ideas?! Check out:

Stunning Leaf Lantern

A Simple Mummy Rock Nature Craft

The post DIY Ghost Bird Feeder for Kids appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

It’s super easy to make your own crayons out of old, broken crayons. If you have a large project, you might want to consider buying bulk crayons, but I like to reuse old ones we have around the house and classroom. My boys loved helping with the process and were so excited to test them out!

Ready to make some crayon shapes? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Crayons– Melt old crayon pieces or buy new crayons for large projects
• Silicone molds- We used these molds: large pine tree, small pine tree, pine cone, mushroom, and stars (I don’t have a link for the stars, but there are many options on Amazon)
• Container for soaking crayons
• Paper towel
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet

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

Here’s How We Made These Nature Crayon Shapes:

Step 1:

First you need to peel off the labels on the crayons. We soaked our crayons in soapy warm for about 20 minutes. If they the labels don’t fall off, let them soak longer. I found the labels on washable and generic crayons were more difficult to peel off. 

Step 2: 

Peel off all of the labels and let the crayons dry. 

Step 3:

Place a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet to protect it from melted crayons. Brake the crayons into pieces that are small enough to fit inside the molds. I suggest trying different crayon color combinations! You can’t go wrong and it’s fun to see how they turn out. 

Step 4:

Place the molds in the oven. I set my oven for 225 degrees Fahrenheit and baked the crayons for about 20 minutes. The time will vary depending upon the size of the molds and the amount of crayons that are inside the molds. You might need to add more crayons during the melting process, so keep and eye on the crayon level as it melts. Remove the baking sheet from the oven once the crayons are completely melted into a liquid. 

Be very careful when taking the baking sheet out of the oven because the silicone molds and wax will be very hot! I placed the entire baking sheet on a cooling rack, but you can also place it on the stove top. 

Step 5:

Pop the crayons out of the mold once they are completely cooled down and they are ready to use! 

We added little white dots to our mushrooms! First make your mushroom crayons and let them completely dry. Then melt a white crayon and add little white dots with a Q-tip!

It doesn’t need to be perfect! 

We loved making these and it’s so tough to figure out our favorite crayon shape! Which one is your favorite?!

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

∼Tara

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

DIY Pebble Art

Easy Porcupine Nature Craft

The post Nature Crayon Shapes appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

This is our first dandelion craft of the season! It was so easy to set up and my son had so much fun making this crown! Make a headband style crown or try a larger more realistic crown like our Stunning Nature Crown. Either style will turn out adorable and the cardboard frame can be save for more nature crowns!

Ready to make one or two? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Strip of cardboard- We used extra poster board and used the white side. 
• Scissors or crafting knife (for adult use only)
• Sharpened pencil
• Tape

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RELATED: Check out 25+ Nature-Inspired Summer Activities for Kids

Here’s How We Made This Dandelion Crown:

Step 1:

First, cut strips of cardboard. Wrap a piece of string around your child’s head to see how long you need the strip to be. Make sure you add an inch or two of cardboard so you can staple the ends together. Our strip was about 24 inches long by 1.5 inches thick. You can cut thinner strips if you don’t want to see as much of the cardboard. 

Step 2:

Poke holes in your dandelion crown frame with a sharp pencil. Make sure the holes are large enough to fit a dandelion stem.

Step 3:

Staple the ends together. 

Step 4:

Cut the excess piece of cardboard strip so the dandelion stems can poke through a single layer of cardboard. 

Step 5:

Head outside and pick dandelions for your crown. As you can see, we have a TON of dandelions in our yard! Don’t worry, we saved plenty for the bees. I suggest doing this activity only if you have an abundance of dandelions:) 

We searched for large dandelions to poke through our dandelion crown. 

Depending upon a couple factors, you can keep your dandelions loose during this step. If your holes are too big, your dandelion stems will fall out. We found it helpful to hold the crown parallel to the ground, as pictured below.

You can also tape the stems as you go. The dandelions won’t budge with this method! 

These crowns are so cute when complete! My son was known as Prince Dandelion for the day:) We are holding on to the cardboard crown frame for summer wildflowers!

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

∼Tara

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

Rainbow Flower Threading Board

A Simple Butterfly Symmetry Activity

The post Easy Dandelion Crown appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I love nature crafting year round for different holidays. I struggle thinking of ideas for Thanksgiving, but I LOVE this one! This is a nice alternative to gluing the feathers around the turkey body.

This is an eco-friendly leaf turkey craft that can be a permanent craft or used as a reusable leaf threading board. Just take out the leaves when you are finished and save it for another day! I promise, this one will keep kids busy and entertained for a while. This will become a fall tradition that you and your family look forward to each fall. 

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

Supplies:

• • Leaves
  • Markers
  • Sharpened pencil to poke holes in the cardboard.
  • Cardboard– These cardboard sheets are a convenient option if you don’t have any to reuse. 
  • Tape

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Related: Check out Turkey Rock Craft for Kids

Here’s How to Make This Leaf Turkey:

Step 1:

There isn’t much to the prep work for this one! First draw a simple turkey body outline on your piece of cardboard. Then poke holes around the turkey’s body. I used a sharp pencil to poke the holes. We didn’t end up using all of these holes because many of our leaves were on the bigger side. 

Step 2:

Now it’s time to head outside and collect leaves. We found a wide variety of leaf colors in our backyard which made for a beautiful rainbow turkey! One thing that I love about this leaf turkey, is that it will look differently depending upon the leaves available to the crafter. 

Once you have your leaves, start poking the stems through the holes on your board. This is great for working on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination!

Step 3:

You will notice that the leaves will move around as you add more. We decided to tape the stems to the back of the board to keep the leaves in place. 

You can skip this step if you don’t want the leaves to stay on the board.

I love how this leaf turkey looks when finished! The leaves really do look like colorful feathers! These leaves will curl up as they dry, so I will be placing heavy books on this picture for a week or so to keep them flat. This is the perfect decoration for Thanksgiving day! Don’t you agree?! I hope you give this a try!

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I hope you give this sweet leaf turkey a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love them as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more fall ideas?! Check out:

How to Preserve Fall Leaves with Beeswax

20+ Outdoor Nature Walk Checklists and Scavenger Hunt Printables

The post Leaf Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I saw a beautiful post circulating on Facebook with sticks that look like dancing people. Have you seen it yet? It’s such a simple idea, but so imaginative and such a fun project! I was instantly inspired to make a craft that recreates this photo and couldn’t wait to try it with my boys!

Ready to give this stick craft a try!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies:

• • A variety of flowers
  • Cardboard– These cardboard sheets are a convenient option if you don’t have any to reuse. 
  • A sharp pencil to poke holes for the flowers
  • Tape

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RELATED: Check out Stick and Stone Constellations

Here’s How to Make this Stick Craft:

Step One:

Head outside and search for sticks that look like people. This craft is great because sticks are available anytime of year!

We searched the ground for sticks and found a ton of fallen branches! We have looked for stick people before for our Stick Man activity, but loved this idea of searching for dancing stick people. Once you find a stick. you might need to pick off a couple of little sticks to make your person. They can be hard to find at first and then all of a sudden, they seem to be everywhere! We even found stick animals!

My boys couldn’t resist playing with the stick people. Our sticks were pretty thin and fragile, so they had to be gentle with their dancing pieces of nature. 

Step 2:

Now that you have a collection of stick people, grab a piece of cardboard. We used a long piece of white poster board to make the sticks stand out. You can tape your stick people right on the cardboard. 

Step 3:

We decided to add flower heads to our stick people, so I poked holes right above the sticks to thread the flower stems through. My boys taped the stems to the back of the piece of cardboard. 

This stick craft turned out so cute! My boys had fun mimicking the sticks and are now constantly searching for more dancing sticks to add to their collection. This is such a simple and fun way to connect children with nature and get them outside!

I love this stick craft so much that we might need to find a bigger piece of poster board to show off our dancing nature collection!

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I hope you give this simple stick craft a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this one.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Adorable Bat Nature Craft

Sticky Scavenger Hunt

The post Dancing Nature Craft for Kids appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I try a lot of nature activities with my boys, but only share my biggest hits here! Our favorite activities are usually easy to prep, fun to play and create with, and can be reused multiple times. This activity checks all of those boxes!

We brought it along during our last nature walk and my boys continued to play with it when we got home. They loved using the box to practice counting, organizing and sorting, and now it’s displayed on their dresser. There are a few holes empty, so they are already talking about getting outside and finishing their box tomorrow!

 Ready to make a one!? Here’s what you’ll need..

Supplies:

• A cardboard box
• Scissors
• Sharp Pencil
• Pieces of nature
• Twine

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RELATED: Cardboard Nature Display

Here’s How to Make the Nature Poke Box:

Step 1:

If you plan on taking it on nature walks, I suggest putting some kind of handle on your box. I created twine handles and secured them by tying a knot on the inside of the box. The random piece of string you see there is from the knot on the other side. The string was a little longer over there. 

Also, I suggest cutting out the inside flaps, so you only have one layer to poke through. I did not do this, so we had issues poking nature pieces through a few of the holes. 

Step 2:

You can skip this step if you would like, but the box I had was a bit of a mess. I decided to add a piece of white card stock to clean up the top of the box. I placed the card stock on the top of the box and creased it for cutting lines. 

Now glue the card stock to the box top and poke holes with a sharp pencil. 

It’s time to head outside and search for the perfect pieces of nature to display! The colors are starting to change in Wisconsin, so we found some beautiful leaves to display. 

The handles were perfect for carrying! The boys were so proud of their portable display and it got a lot of compliments from people walking past us!

This is the perfect activity for building fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. 

The next time your kids need a little nudge to get outside, give this activity a try! They will love building their very own nature display. 

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I hope you give this simple nature activity a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this one.

∼Tara

Need more nature crafts ideas?! Check out:

Nature Collection Journal

Easy Porcupine Nature Craft

The post Nature Poke Box appeared first on Little Pine Learners.