Nature Walk & Craft Project

Explore the outdoors with your little one(s) and collect natural materials to make cute critters! Not only will you a foster a connection with nature, your kids can also exercise their imaginations and creativity. There is so much you can find outside: nuts, rocks, sticks, leaves, petals, and more.

Chipper Playfully Teaches: Earth and Space Science, Creative Arts and Fine Motor Skills.

Adventure into the great outdoors with young children and use the natural materials as craft supplies for creating creatures from the children’s imagination or animals identified on the walks.

Collect with a Partner

Timing: One Hour
Explore and collect: 15 minutes
Craft Time: 30 minutes
Extra 15 minutes: Travel time and padding because projects with young children will always take longer than you plan!

What you need:

• Reusable tote to carry found treasures

• Cardboard bases from recycled boxes and scrap paper and materials for accessorizing crafts

• Glue and string

• A partner or chaperone

• Imagination

Create a crocodile!

Chippers Tips:

• Explain the rules of staying together “You can play, but don’t stray!” and the project

• Check off that everyone has their tote for collecting items. While exploring, be it in the backyard of a school facility, house, childcare center, or beyond the yard, keep children on track by talking about what they might find; the colors, shapes, texture and more.

• Assist young children with glue or glue gun and string assembly.

• Welcome conversation while exploring. What do you see, hear, smell and feel?

Get bit by nature…creatively!

Upon returning, sit down and talk about the items in the bag and what can be made; a butterfly from leaves, a nature cake, a boat from sticks, a car from rocks and bark. Welcome the conversation and encourage the creativity!

Image from WildlifeFun4Kids