We are almost a week away from Christmas and still going strong with the holiday crafts! These look pretty as a wall hanging decoration, tree ornament or gift topper. So many possible uses for this simple craft! 

You don’t need your own pressed flowers and leaves, you can find many places on the internet to purchase them! I usually grab them from Amazon because the delivery is typically the quickest. You can also find pressed flowers and leaves on ETSY, but the shipping time might be a bit longer. I linked the exact kits that we used below. 

Ready to make one (or ten)? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Pine Needles
• Air Dry Clay- This 2.5 lb container makes about 18 ornaments. 
• Christmas Cookie Cutters- We used this kit, but this kit also looks great and there are more design options! 
• Pressed Flower and Pressed Leaves- The flower kit included tweezers which is very helpful for picking up the flowers and leaves.
• Straw for poking a hole
• Twine or metal ornament hooks
• Mod Podge– I suggest using this starter kit to see which type you prefer. Glossy is a shiny finish and matte is a flat finish. We used matte for this craft.

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RELATED: Check out Pine Needle Keepsake Ornament

Here’s How we Made these Nature Ornaments:

Step 1:

Roll out the clay. Kids will love to help with this step!

Step 2:

Choose cookie cutter designs and cut out your ornaments! We chose ornament shapes, but you could try any holiday shape!

Step 3:

Poke a hole with a straw for a hanging spot. We used a metal straw for this craft, but a plastic straw will work too. 

Step 4:

Organize the flowers and leaves on the ornaments and make sure you like the arrangement before gluing it all in place. As I stated above, use the tweezers for handling the pieces of nature!

Step 5:

Make sure you push the flowers and leaves into the clay with gentle pressure. This will help them stay in place when you apply the Mod Podge.

Once your ornaments are finished, put a layer of Mod Podge over the flowers and leaves. This will help them stay in place. I used a cookie rack to help the ornaments dry quicker but this isn’t necessary.

I have found that the ornaments dry in about 48 hours, but the drying time on the box is 2-3 days.

My boys instantly loved this activity and wanted to make multiple ornaments! They are pretty addictive to make and each ornament turned out unique and beautiful. You don’t have to stick to the red and green color scheme. We chose those colors because they looked pretty and festive! I think colorful flowers would look beautiful as well!

Which designs are your favorites?!

Pin this nature Christmas ornament to save it for later!

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

∼Tara

Looking for more pine activity ideas?! Check out:

DIY Wax Paper Lantern

A Simple and Adorable Holiday Wreath for Kids

The post Nature Christmas Ornaments appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

Here is a little helpful hint before we get started! Prep the air-dry clay before using it. When the clay first comes out of the container it’s pretty sticky and can be difficult to work with. Open the lid to your air-dry clay for about 30 minutes before you use it. This will dry it out just a bit, making it easier to handle. 

Ready to make an air dry clay dish? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Pine Needles
• Wax Paper
• Rolling Pin
• Circular Tupperware Container- about 4-5 inches in diameter
• Butter Knife
• Air Dry Clay
• Matte Mod Podge
• Sticker gems– If you want to turn your tree into a Christmas tree!

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RELATED: Check out Pine Tree Jar Lanterns

Here’s How We Made Our Clay Dish:

Step 1:

Place a sheet of wax paper on your work surface. Evenly roll the clay with a rolling pin about ¼ inch thick.

Step 2:

Using your Tupperware container as a guide, cut out a circle of your clay. Use a dull butter knife to cut out your shape.

Step 3:

Pinch up the edges of the circular clay piece to form a functional tray. Smooth out any fingernail or fingerprint marks.

Step 4:

Place pine needles along the border of the tray, near the pinched edge. Gently press one or two pine needles at a time into the clay. This will help them stay in place when you apply Mod Podge. Don’t place too many pine needles in one area, or they will not stick to the clay.

Step 5:

Put a layer of Mod Podge over the pine needles. This will seal the pine needles and prevent them from falling out. During this step, gently press the pine needles into the clay one more time! Let the clay dry. Follow the directions on your air-dry clay container to see how long your particular clay will take to dry.

Step 6:

After your clay trays are dried, you can choose to add gem stickers if you want to make them a bit more festive. For this tray, we added clusters of red gem stickers to mimic winterberries. This will look like a beautiful wreath when you are all finished!

We took a different approach for this tray. Instead of using a Tupperware lid as a shape guide, we used a large evergreen tree cookie cutter. Then we added pine needles. Mod Podge, and gem stickers!

Do you like these tree dishes plain or with gem stickers?

If these look familiar, that’s because we made a similar dish a couple of years ago! Click on the photo below to learn more about the craft and the type of evergreen we used.

Pin it to save it for later!

I hope you make a clay dish! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this craft as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more Christmas activity ideas?! Check out:

Irresistible DIY Reindeer Ornament

Handmade Nature and Cardboard Ornament

The post Air Dry Clay Dish for the Holidays appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

This beeswax craft was 100%  inspired by a gorgeous post on the Facebook group Wildschooling. I saw a beautiful photo of these beeswax decorations and knew I had to try it for myself! I headed straight to Amazon and searched for cute silicone molds to test out. My boys absolutely LOVED making these with me and were so proud of their beeswax creations!

Ready to make a beeswax decoration or two? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies for the Beeswax Craft:

• Beeswax– I like this brand of yellow pellets. 
• Mini Crock pot– I have a mini crock pot designated for beeswax crafts! We use beeswax quite a bit, so when we are done using it I just let it harden in the Crock Pot and save it for another day. This seems to be the perfect size for all of my beeswax crafts. I don’t suggest using one that is bigger because you will need to use A LOT of beeswax to fill it up. I purchased my Crock Pot at a second hand store, but it is also available on Amazon. If you don’t want to invest in a Crock Pot, many people use a double boiler for this craft. 
• Something to help pour the beeswax. We designated a metal measuring cup for beeswax activities.
• Hangers or string
• Silicone molds, here are a few that I purchase- Crescent moon and wolf, pinecones, snowflakes, forest animals and mushrooms (These are REALLY small, but a few of them worked) We are waiting on this sun/moon mold! The fun thing about molds is you can choose whatever figures you want depending upon the time of year and your interests. 

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RELATED: Check out Rolled Beeswax Candles That Kids Will Love!

Here’s How We Made Our Beeswax Craft:

First melt your beeswax. I like using a Crock Pot for this craft because it’s safer than on the stovetop and I feel more comfortable with my boys helping!

Step 2:

Once your beeswax is melted, ladle the liquid into the molds. Be careful, the beeswax is very warm! My boys are comfortable working with beeswax because we use it so often and I’m always right there with them.

Don’t worry if you spill beeswax on your silicone tray because you can easily pick it off after it dries. Remember to toss it back in your Crock Pot! It will melt back with the rest of the beeswax the next time you use it. 

Step 3:

Let your beeswax dry for about 3-5 minutes. Just enough that it changes colors and the top layer is dry. Then gently poke your hanger or string through the beeswax about halfway into the mold. Don’t poke it through to the other side!

Step 4: 

Let the beeswax dry for another 30 minutes or so. At this point, you should be able to pop them out and flip them over to dry a bit longer. The forest animal and mushroom molds required a little trimming with scissors. The molds are so small that the wax overflows. I just cut off the excess beeswax and they looked great! 

I’m trying to decide what to do with these beautiful beeswax decorations now that they are all complete! My boys love playing with them and hanging them on our Christmas tree, but that won’t be around for much longer! We might collect small branches from our yard, put them in a mason jar, and hang them on the branches. 

Or we are thinking about hanging them on twine to make a pretty garland! I might wrap fairy lights around the garland because light brings out the beautiful detail in the decorations! Just remember, don’t put them near a fireplace or anywhere hot because they will melt. 

Pin this activity to save it for later!

I hope you try this beeswax craft soon! I promise, your little nature lovers will love this beeswax craft as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more nature activity ideas?! Check out:

DIY Bowls Made Out of Beeswax

How to Preserve Fall Leaves With Beeswax

The post An Incredibly Easy Beeswax Craft appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

I love red truck decor during the holidays! This classic decoration has such a sweet vintage feel and makes me think of the fun tradition of bringing home a Christmas tree. This clay Christmas ornament captures this feeling so well and the addition of the photo makes this the most precious Christmas keepsake!

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

Supplies:

• Pine branch
• Air Dry Clay
• Truck cookie cutter- I have this truck cookie cutter, but I’ve noticed it goes in and out of stock pretty often. I don’t own this truck cookie cutter and it’s about one inch smaller, but I think it would work!
• Picture of child
• Straw
• Twine

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

RELATED: Check out Pine Needle Keepsake Ornament 

Here’s How We Made Our Clay Christmas Ornament:

Step 1:

Roll out the clay and make the truck shape. My boys love helping with this step! 

Step 2:

Make a hole in your truck by poking a straw through the clay near the top of the window part of the ornament.  

Step 3: 

Let the clay dry. The ornament will take about two days to dry and then it will be ready to paint. We painted the entire truck red and gave them each about two coats of paint. 

Once the red paint if dry, paint black tires on the clay. Depending upon the age of your child, you might want to complete this step yourself. We also used two coats of paint for this step. 

Step 4:

Now grab a pine branch from outside or your own Christmas tree. I had to tie it together because the branches were pretty wide. I think it looks cute like this!

Step 5:

Tape the branch to the back of your ornament. I tried glue, but had no luck with it! You could also add another hole with a straw to the ornament and tie the branch to the ornament. 

Step 6: 

Flip the photo over and glue it in the driver’s window section of the ornament! I used a glue stick and made sure to glue the corners well to them from curling. 

Now add some string for hanging on the tree and you are all set! You can keep the string long as pictured below or cut it down a bit. 

We ended up cutting the string, but I think it looks cute either way!

My boys couldn’t stop holding them! They love them so much:)

These are the perfect gift to hand out to grandparents on Christmas day or add them to your own tree! They are a bit fragile, so make sure to wrap your clay Christmas ornament in tissue paper and find a firm branch to hang it on! 

Pin this activity to save it for later!

I hope you make a red truck clay Christmas ornament! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Looking for more Christmas activity ideas?! Check out:

How to Make an Ice Lantern

A Simple and Adorable Holiday Wreath for Kids

The post Red Truck Clay Christmas Ornament appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

This is an easy DIY reindeer ornament that kids can actually make! It just requires a little prep work from an adult and kids can put all of the pieces together to make their own adorable reindeer ornament. When they are all finished, children can hang them on the tree or pass them out as cute handmade Christmas gifts to family or friends!

Ready to make a DIY Reindeer Ornament?! Here’s what you’ll need-

Supplies:

• • Cardboard
  • Googly eyes– You can draw the eyes with black marker if you don’t have any!
  • Red paint
  • String
  • Sticks- Head outside to collect these!
  • Tacky Glue 
  • Scissors
  • Black marker
  • Paper puncher

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

Related: Check out Jingle Bell Holiday Hiking Stick

Here’s How to Make this DIY Reindeer Ornament:

Step 1:

First make your loop to hang on the tree. Paper punch a hole and tie a sting loop through the hole. Now you can work around this as your center. 

Step 2:

Glue the ears to the back of the ornament. I used tacky glue for this craft because it’s a bit stronger than typical glue and dries quicker. Elmer’s glue would work too, it will just take a little longer to dry. 

Step 3:

Stick your googly eyes on the ornament. If you don’t have googly eyes, you can just draw the eyes with black marker. It will look just as cute! We already have a set of them, so I figure we might as well use them. 

Step 4:

Now paint your child’s finger and give your reindeer ornament a cute reindeer nose. I love the pop or red! And the little fingerprint lines in the paint make this unique and special for each child. 

Step 5:

Last step! Head outside to collect the sticks before you start the ornament making process. Any activity that gets my kids outdoors this time of year, I am all about!

Glue the stick antlers on the back of the ornament. You know I have to include nature in all of my crafts, so I thought the sticks were the perfect addition to this cute nature activity for kids!

After the paint and glue is dry, draw a simple mouth for the reindeer. And there you have it!

Don’t they look absolutely adorable?! They make the perfect holiday gift for a family member or sweet ornament for your own tree. I love that these are low waste and include reused cardboard! Save your boxes and try making a couple soon!

Pin it and save it for later!

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

∼Tara

Need more simple nature craft ideas?! Check out:

Pine Tree Jar Lantern

Pick a Pine Tree Nature Craft

The post Irresistible DIY Reindeer Ornament appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

We are a week away from Thanksgiving, so we’re already thinking about setting up our Christmas tree! Each year, we make special ornaments to decorate our tree. Last year we made these pretty pine needle ornaments, this year we are trying these beautiful see through nature ornaments!

Ready to make a few nature ornaments?! Here’s what you’ll need–

Supplies:

• • Cardboard
  • Clear Contact Paper
  • Tape
  • Xacto Knife
  • Pressed pieces of nature– We love that set and have used it for a bunch of nature crafts! You could also use pine needles or other seasonal pieces of nature that are available in your yard!
  • Scissors
  • Paper Punch
  • Twine
  • 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+ Pressed Flower Crafts

Here’s How I Made These Nature Ornaments:

Step 1:

Cut out the cardboard borders. I traced two different sized circular Tupperware containers to make my borders. You could make different shapes too! I think ovals, diamonds, or simple triangle shaped trees would also be beautiful!

Step 2: 

Cut out your contact paper circles. Here’s a simple hack: I placed a cardboard border under the contact paper sheet as a guide for tracing my circles. You will need two circles per ornament. 

Step 3:

Set up your ornament making station. I set out the cardboard borders, pieces of nature, and contact paper- sticky side up.

Step 4:

Now it’s time to decorate! My boys loved getting creative and decorating their pieces of contact paper. Each nature ornament turned out unique and beautiful.

Step 5:

Once the pieces of nature are on the sticky side of the contact paper, seal the pieces of nature with another piece of contact paper. This time, place it sticky side down. As you can see, the circles might not match up perfectly, but that’s ok! Any imperfections here will be hidden behind the ornament. 

Step 6:

Tape the contact paper circles to the border. This will be the backside of the ornament. 

Step 7:

Last, paper punch a hole in the ornaments and tie a string loop through the hole. All finished! Don’t these nature ornaments look beautiful?

These ornaments make the perfect holiday gift, keepsake, and/or decoration! If you use the pressed pieces of nature from the kit that I linked above, the vibrant colors will last forever.

I love how the sunlight shines through them! They look like sun catcher ornaments. Turn the Christmas tree lights on at night and they look just as gorgeous in the magical glow.

Pin it and save it for later!

I hope you make a couple nature ornaments this holiday season! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.

∼Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

3 Nature Christmas Cards to Make With Kids

Winter Solstice Hiking Stick

The post Homemade Cardboard and Nature Ornaments appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

This air dry clay ornament is so fun to make for children of all ages! The dark green against the white clay looks so beautiful and each ornament is guaranteed to turn out unique in it’s own way! My boys loved making these ornaments so much, that they couldn’t stop at just one, so we’ll use the extras for family gifts and gift wrapping tags. I even made a couple! Give it a try and you will be hooked too!

Ready to make one (or ten)? Here’s what you’ll need….

Supplies:

• Pine Needles
• Air Dry Clay
• Christmas Cookie Cutters
• Straw
• Twine
• Mod Podge– I suggest using this starter kit to see which type you prefer. Glossy is a shiny finish and matte is a flat finish. I use my fingers to apply the Mod Podge so I can control it better. I don’t want any pine needles to brush off with the sponge brush.

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

RELATED: Check out Pine Needle Sweep {A Fine Motor Christmas Activity}

Here’s What We Did:

Step 1:

Roll out the clay. My six year old helped me with this step. In fact, my kids helped me with each step!

Step 2:

Choose cookie cutter designs and cut out your ornaments! We chose Christmas trees and stars.

Step 3:

Just grab some pine needles from outside or from your Christmas tree and you’re all set to start decorating. My boys instantly loved this activity and wanted to make multiple ornaments!

Make sure you push the pine needles into the clay with gentle pressure. This will help them stay in place when you apply the Mod Podge.

Once your ornaments are finished, put a layer of Mod Podge over the pine needles. This will help them stay in place. I used a cookie rack to help the ornaments dry quicker but this isn’t necessary.

I have found that the ornaments dry in about 48 hours, but the drying time on the box is 2-3 days.

This is one of those activities that is totally doable for kids of all ages and will turn out beautiful every time! And of course those pine needles make your home smell so good!

I also love this ornament because it makes taking down that beautiful Christmas tree a little easier.

It can be difficult taking down your Christmas tree after spending a month in your home. You shared many memories around that tree and taking it down can be a little sad for everyone. This ornament helps that tree live on! You can pull out these ornaments year after year and part of that tree is right there with you again!

Looking for Christmas gift ideas?! Click on the photos below for links and descriptions of gifts on each list. 

Pin this air dry clay ornament to save it for later!

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

∼Tara

Looking for more pine activity ideas?! Check out:

A Simple and Adorable Holiday Wreath for Kids

Pine Needle Sensory Writing Tray

The post Pine Needle Keepsake Ornament appeared first on Little Pine Learners.