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

The post Outdoor Activities in Hanging Planters appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

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 love the idea of making a special gift for children during the holiday season! This is a gift that little ones won’t see coming and will be completely surprised when opening the them! These will be a wonderful addition to any holiday toy collection and will be so fun to bring out year after year. These holiday magnetic tiles will become a special and cherished holiday toy in your home or classroom! 

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! 
• Holiday Themed Stickers– This is a nice set of stickers for this activity! This sticker set comes with one set of opaque stickers and the exact same set of matte/translucent stickers. I was a little confused when I first opened the set, so thought I’d mention it here! 
• 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! The kids like building towers and adding tea lights to the different levels of their buildings. 

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RELATED: HOW TO MAKE ICE LANTERS

Here’s How I Made the Holiday Magnetic Tiles:

These are so easy to make! Just peel the stickers and place them on the magnetic tiles. Again, make sure you are peeling the matte/translucent stickers. The opaque stickers definitely do not look as pretty on the tiles!

The poinsettia stickers in this set are GORGEOUS and look pretty when you place a couple of them together on the same magnetic tile! Make sure you cut off any excess sticker that hangs off the side of the tile. 

I absolutely love the Santa and the Merry Christmas tiles! They are so cute and perfect for the holiday season.

These are so pretty when you play with them near a window! The light shines throw them and make beautiful sun catchers. 

If you like these, you might also like my pressed flower magnetic tiles and leafy magnetic tiles! 

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I hope you enjoy this Holiday DIY activity as much as I do!

-Tara

Need more Holiday ideas?! Check out:

Make Your Own Wax Paper Bookmark

Air Dry Clay Dish for the Holidays

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

I just LOVE fall and all of the fun DIY decorations that come along with this cozy season! This project makes you want to pour some hot apple cider, put on your favorite fall movie and get crafting!

If you tried to make my leafy magnetic tiles, then you can use your stickers and add a few to pumpkins! I personally think these stickers look stunning on white pumpkins and the colors really pop. I like placing the colorful pumpkins around my decorated white pumpkins! They look so nice together. 

For this activity, I used small pumpkins and other squash varieties because the stickers are on the smaller side. They fit perfectly and it’s fun to make a pretty pattern or design with the stickers! 

This is a great project for both little ones and adults. It’s not messy, doesn’t require knives for carving and easy to complete!

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

Supplies for this easy white pumpkin design:

• Pressed Leaf Stickers– One packet comes with 2 sheets of stickers. I would say 1 packet would be enough for 3-5 small pumpkins. But of course, it depends on the amount of stickers you want to place on your pumpkins. 
• Pumpkins- Head to your local grocery store or pumpkin farm and grab some pumpkins! I prefer small white pumpkins for this activity, but any color or size will work. 

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Here’s How I Made Them:

These are so easy to make! Just peel the leaves and stick them right on the pumpkins. You can add one sticker per pumpkin or more for a fun design. It’s up to you how you want to decorate them!

I love these stickers because they look just like real leaves and the set comes with a beautiful variety of leaf types and colors. 

They are also easy to peel off and move to another spot if you don’t like the sticker placement on the pumpkin! Just keep moving them around until you are happy with your design. 

On some pumpkins, we when for a minimalist approach with just a few stickers. I think this looks so beautiful and the perfect neutral tone fall decoration!

And other pumpkins, we came up with more of a mandala type pattern and had fun coming up with different designs. You can’t go wrong with these stickers!

Like mentioned early, they make a beautiful home decoration! These would also make a thoughtful handmade gift for a friend or family member this holiday season. You could set them out as a decoration for Thanksgiving dinner and then pass them out as guests leave! 

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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 Easy White Pumpkin Design appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

You might remember my glow-in-the-dark mummy hiking stick from years ago. This is a fun variation of that super simple Halloween craft. These pumpkins are easy for little ones to make and also fun for adults!

I love that these are a no carve design. I’m always a little nervous when my boys are holding sharp knives, for obvious reasons;) We try to do most of our pumpkin decorations without a knife and this is the perfect design!

Let’s get to it-

Supplies:

• Glow-in-the-dark tape– We used the half inch tape for the small pumpkins and a mix of the half inch tape and one inch tape for the larger one!
• Glow-in-the-dark googly eyes– We used the the mixed small sized googly eyes for the small pumpkins and the two inch googly eyes for the large pumpkin!
• Scissors
• Pumpkin-Head to your nearest grocery store or take a trip to the pumpkin farm! Grab different colors and sizes. 

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RELATED: Check out these GLOW-IN-THE-DARK MUMMY ROCKS

How to Make this Simple Mummy Pumpkin:

Step 1:

Cut strips of tape and wrap them around the pumpkin. Since this tape isn’t super flexible, I decided it was easier to cut the tape into strips instead of wrapping the a long piece of tape around the pumpkin multiple times. 

The length of your tape strips will depend on the size of your pumpkin. My tape strips wrapped a little more than half way around the pumpkin. This worked best for me!

I cut about 10-12 tape strips per pumpkin. Wrap the tape in a cross cross design to make it look more realistic! 

The beauty of this mummy pumpkin is you really can’t mess it up! Keep adding strips of tape until you are happy with the look of the pumpkin.

I only added a couple strips of tape to the back to complete the mummy look. The back of our pumpkin won’t be visible, so I decided to save tape and only add a couple pieces. 

Add a couple googly eyes and you are all done. The eyeballs also glow in the dark! 

Here is our larger pumpkin! We used the a mix of the half inch tape and one inch thick tape for this one. I would choose the inch tape if I had to pick one. It takes up more space on the pumpkin, so you can use less. We also used the two inch glow in the dark googly eyes!

This tape is waterproof and has already survived several storms, so these pumpkins can be displayed indoors or outdoors! As you can see in the photo below, the pumpkins are dripping wet and the tape isn’t budging. We have our pumpkins on our front steps and they look perfect!

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

∼Tara

Need more fall ideas?! Check out:

50 Beautiful Fall Nature-Inspired Books for Kids

Stunning Leaf Lanterns

The post No Carve Mummy Pumpkin appeared first on Little Pine Learners.

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! 

This post contains Affiliate links for your convenience.

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.

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What is a wasp nest decoy?

The idea behind hanging a wasp nest decoy on your house or in your yard is that wasps that are checking out the area will see it and avoid building nests in the area, thinking that another wasp colony has already established itself there. Decoys could discourage wasps by simulating the look of an enemy hive in size, shape, and color. 

4 Pack Wasp Nest Decoy Hanging Wasp Deterrent for Wasps, Hornets, and Yellow Jackets

$11.95

These look beautiful during the day and night!

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05/27/2026 08:02 am GMT

Where should you hang them?

Hang your decoys at the edge of your home or garage from the rooftop, or near garbage cans where sugary food can attract wasps. We also hung them in our garden area and places where our kids play in our yard. 

What are the best wasp nest decoys?

We have these decoys and love them! They are great because they look like a pretty yard decoration during the day and make a beautiful lantern at night. We added these flameless tealight candles to the wasp nest decoys and they fit perfectly! I was able to slide the candles through the top opening and they laid nicely at the bottom of the decoy. The candle might tip to one side at the bottom, but can be tapped to avoid this issue. Here are a couple of photos to see how the candle fit in the decoy. 

Battery Operated Tea Lights Candles

$7.39

Place one if your wasp nest decoy for a beautiful lantern!

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05/27/2026 12:02 pm GMT

Check them out during the day and at night! These decoys make a functional and beautiful yard decoration!

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I hope you give these decoys a try!

Need a couple of summer craft ideas?! Check out:

3 Sun Art Paper Lanterns

Pressed Flower Pencil Cases

The post Wasp Nest Decoy Lantern 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?!

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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.

It’s no secret that I LOVE evergreen crafts! I made these lamps for my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas this year and I wanted to wait to see how they would hold up before I shared it with you all! As you can see in the photos, they still look beautiful months later. The shade of green has lightened just a bit, but still looks very green and tree-like!

I shared one in my Instagram stories about a month ago and many of you wanted to know how to make it, so here is my tutorial. I think you will find that these are extremely easy to make. Sometimes adding just a little detail to something makes all the difference in the world! 

With Father’s Day right around the corner, the gem-less version would make a great handmade gift for dad, grandpa or any other special guy in your life! 

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 own this lamp and this lamp and they are nice options as well!
  • Mod Podge- I used the matte version for the lampshade.
  • Mod Podge brushes 
  • Evergreen pieces- I picked some cedar branches from my yard!
  • Gemstone Stickers– Try adding these stickers if you want to turn your tree into a Christmas tree!

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Related: Evergreen Lanterns

Here’s How I Made this Tree Lampshade:

Step 1: Gather evergreen pieces.

Head outdoors and collect some branches for your lampshade! I picked different sizes and shapes so I could place them on my lampshade to see which one fits and looks best. These little branches are from our cedar tree. 

Step 2: Trim your evergreen pieces. 

I trimmed the bottom part of the pieces to make them look more tree-like.

Step 3: Add Mod Podge.

Next, add a layer of Mod Podge on the lampshade. I suggest covering the entire side with Mod Podge because even though I used matte, it still looks a bit shiny when dried. 

Step 4: Place evergreen piece on the lampshade. 

Arrange your evergreen piece on the layer of Mod Podge. Make sure it is centered and straight!

Step 5: More Mod Podge and let it dry.

Add a liberal layer of Mod Podge over the evergreen piece. The cedar piece is pretty thick and heavy, so it requires quite a bit of Mod Podge. The evergreen piece might pop up throughout the drying process, so you will probably need to check back on it to make sure it’s pressed down against the lampshade.  The drying process might take a few hours!

I even laid a pair of scissors on the piece of cedar to make sure it dried flat. 

It looked so pretty when finished! I have pictures below of the tree lamp in different settings. The first two pictures show the lampshade with the gem stickers and the third photo shows the lampshade without the gem stickers. 

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

-Tara

Need more simple nature ideas?! Check out:

Make Your Own Bookmark with Wax Paper

Evergreen Clay Dishes

The post DIY Tree Lampshade 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. 

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