PreK and up Nature Space Nature play and art

How to Make Forest Freeplay Happen

I’m someone who loves to be outside. In fact, as soon as the Finger Lakes weather is warm enough, we spend more time outdoors than in. Being in the woods gives me the added benefits of natural shade which is about five to ten degrees cooler than the open air. I just love that. The breezes in the woods and sounds from the leaves and wild life are so relaxing. But even with years of experience with recreation, I need to gear up and grab my backpack. 

Gear them up for fun in the woods

Today, I’m going to share our family’s nature explorer packs and explain how you can make your own. Nature explorer packs are a fantastic way to get children excited about their time outside. The packs encourage exploration and appreciation of nature. Nature packs are hands-on science in your own backyard. 

DIY NATURE EXPLORER PACK:

First, you will need a backpack. Any old pack will do. Once you have the pack, fill it with nature-related goodness! I am going to share some of the items that we carry in our explorer packs. I don’t want you to think that I make my children carry all of these things at the same time. Instead, I rotate items to keep life interesting. I pick and choose which items to put in their nature explorer packs depending on the season, their interests, and what we are learning about that week. Also, be sure to include a ziplock baggie so your little naturalist can collect specimens to bring home for crafts and further exploration!

Every little naturalist needs binoculars! My children have these Tasco binoculars. I like that these binoculars are small, lightweight, and durable. I also like that the eyepiece has a rubber rim because all moms know that kids run around with these on their face until they crash into something, am I right? My kids have had these for at least two years now and they have held up very well over time.

A photo of Hope and Jack using their binoculars to see baby herons!

My children love this Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Happy Giddy Bug House. It usually resides on our deck during the summertime. After dinner outside, the kids will run around in the backyard trying to catch dragonflies and moths in this bug house, so that they can then study their behavior. We’ve also brought this bug house and butterfly nets on hikes.

They caught something!

This Melissa and Doug Happy Giddy Bug Net provides endless entertainment for children. My kids use it to catch butterflies, dragonflies, and moths. They also use it to catch frogs, toads, and minnows!

Once you catch all those critters, you need to study them! Children love to explore their environment and this magnifying glass allows them to do just that. It’s affordable and perfect for little hands. My children love to examine bugs and dirt up close and personal. 

My little poppies each have a Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. They have had them for over a year and the cameras have held up very well, especially considering the fact they have been dropped countless times. The cameras are easy to use and provide hours of entertainment for children. My kids love to take their cameras on hikes, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.

Every budding naturalist needs a journal. This small, hardcover journal is filled with blank pages and is perfect for note-taking, sketches, and other observation. Even though this notebook is heavier than a soft-covered journal, I like the hardcover because it holds up better over time.

Brandon is obsessed with this military compass, which we received as a gift. I know very little about compasses, folks, so I’m not going to tell you very much about this except to say that my son adores it and there is no way this thing will break any time soon!

Fun with Nature: Take Along Guide by Mel Boring, Diane Burns, and Leslie Dendy This Fun with Nature: Take Along Guide is a fantastic resource for children. This book is a compilation of six popular nature books: Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies; Frogs, Toads, and Turtles; Snakes, Salamanders, and Lizards; Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks; Tracks, Scats, and Signs; and Trees, Leaves, and Bark.This book contains a little bit of information about a lot of different topics and is the perfect way to introduce your young naturalist to the wonders of nature. This book is a bit heavy so it might be better suited for a parent’s backpack if the child is very young.

Let's get started- Providing a place to play and hideout

Dens, forts, and tree houses, are a place where children can have unstructured play and let their imagination soar. They learn how to use natural materials to build their own special place, often working as a team with siblings or friends.

It is a safe place where kids can make their own rules and decisions without adult interference. Educators say this helps children become more self confident and gain self esteem.

Forts are childrens’ little havens. They also learn how nature is a wonderful place for natural play.

Making a cubby or fort with older kids

Backyards and woodlands are havens for children’s creative play and imaginative adventures and the humble cubby house is often the central hub of these activities. So here’s how to create a cubby or play house for a woodland setting that could easily fit into any backyard.

I recently had lots of fun building a couple of bush cubby houses, one was for my friend’s two young boys who absolutely love being outside and the other was for their local kindergarten. The best thing is that they’re really easy to make and provide hours of fun for the kids.

So I thought that as a birthday present for the boys I would build them a bush cubby house that was camouflaged so that they could sit and watch the friendly visitors while being a little hidden. After all, cubby houses are a great place for children to have fun playing together, role-playing or planning to conquer their neighborhood or even the world.

Building Outdoor Forts With Kids

We are big fort builders over here. Even since I was little, scrap wood from our parents' projects spurred lots of conversation and a majority as to how to use them. I love a good old fort and there is nothing better than building an outdoor shelter with the kids. We are lucky to have several forests that have lots and lots of good branch stashes for fort building. We regularly truck out to the forest to play at an existing fort or build an entirely new one.

I love that fort building combines so many awesome things. Engineering, designing, planning, physics, math, collaboration, safety skills etc. The list really goes on. Plus, all the imaginative play that follows is worth the sweat it takes to build a fort from scratch. We have spent so many days building forts and playing in them for hours upon end. I love to pack some warm golden milk in thermoses and enjoy a warming beverage with the kids when we're done constructing our new shelter.

Our Tips for Building Outdoor Forts

I am by no means an expert fort builder. Rather I'm just a mom who thinks forts are super cool and I like to build them with my kids. So here are MY tips, not the definitive guide on fort building :)

1. Location, location, location. 

Well, that’s what they say about finding a home and it applies to dens as well. We needed to avoid swampy and wet ground, slopes and had to find a clearing where we could construct a den without damaging any live trees and plants.

We began scouting the woods for the perfect spot. It took a little bit but we finally found it! A tree had fallen into a sturdy Y-shaped tree forming what would be the main spine – or frame – for the den. It was also an area where there were fallen branches and lots of sticks on the forest floor which we could use for the den’s structure. Soon my boys were determined to build the most amazing den ever. Of course, another requirement was to have good trees for climbing and swinging nearby. It took us quite a few expeditions into the woods to slowly put the frame together. 

1. Start Small

If you're new to outdoor fort building, start small. Build a small stick fort for stuffed animals, a shelter for fairies or even a dinosaur hideout just for practice. Our favorite kind of fort is one where we simply lean large branches against a tree trunk. There isn't a ton of space, but a few small children can certainly fit. 

 I love that fort building combines so many awesome things. Engineering, designing, planning, physics, math, collaboration, safety skills etc. The list really goes on. Plus, all the imaginative play that follows is worth the sweat it takes to build a fort from scratch. We have spent so many days building forts and playing in them for hours upon end. I love to pack some warm golden milk in thermoses and enjoy a warming beverage with the kids when we're done constructing our new shelter.

3. Supplies

This is probably the hardest part about fort building a fort. Finding enough of the correctly sized branches can be a challenge. We actually start collections and sometimes it takes up to a year to collect all the pieces before we have enough to actually start a fort. The best time to gather supplies is after a windstorm! We also take "those perfect" branches that we find on hikes with us so we can add them to our fort stash. Our car was a roving fort supply machine.

4. Fort Inspiration

My favorite fort book, while rather antiquated, is this gem calledShelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters. Some of the shelters are rather complicated but I love how detailed the book is and how many fort designs it covers!Here’s how you can make one yourself. Use the following sites to help you decide which design works for you.

• The Woodland Trust has two PDF guides you can download with instructions.

• The Eden Project describes the stuff you need for a den.

• Learn here the den commandments from the Forestry Commission.

• Watch a video with den building tips by the National Trust.

• Read the Guardian newspaper’s instructions on building a den.

• A how to den guide from Forest Holidays.
  
  

The National Trust and other sites offer den building activities if you’re looking for a place where your kids can go wild outdoors. My two had previously had some practice runs in how to build a den during their wildwood weekend.

Our fort will be an ongoing project during the spring and summer vacation  – especially as they want to customize it with cones and other natural décor. A picnic is planned too. And they’ve already invited friends to visit them there this weekend. Yes, dens are a great place for kids to be unplugged and just enjoy the woods.

My favorite part of building was the camouflage layer

Personally I quite liked the look of the framework and I would have been happy to stop there to enjoy the beauty of the creation, but this wasn’t my art installation or cubby house! And besides, the boys were champing at the bit to get stuck into the fun bit for them – camouflaging and the creation of their new hiding space!

Essentially the plan is to cover the frame and make it look like one big bush! Any tree branches, sticks or hardwood prunings that you or your neighbors might have will be great. We made sure that we intertwined the branches as we added them to strengthen it and stop it from blowing off in the wind. For us the advantage of being on a bush block meant that we had a good supply of fallen branches and unwanted shrubs to use.

Pathway

The boys were keen to have a pathway to get to the cubby from the lawn, so with some spare edging we created the entrance path by digging a slight trench for the edging and then bringing the soil back against the edging. Alternatively you could use some relatively straight branches. Road-testing the new pathway

Let the fun times begin……

Success … now we’re off to conquer the world!

My work was now done and the boys’ fun was just starting. After adding more branches, within no time the boys were sitting down together, planning the interior, planning future extensions and I’m sure I heard them planning something about world domination!

So what do children learn from den building?

Den building out in the woods is loose parts play with natural elements, giving children a chance to connect with nature and enjoy the textures of the wood and bark. It’s gross motor play, involving their whole bodies and allowing them to exert lots of energy in lifting and carrying the wood, and running from place to place to collect more and explore the environment.

It takes lots of planning and coordination to lift and place large branches, and allows children to work on their engineering skills as they work out the best way to form a strong structure that will hold up well and allow them to get inside.

Fort building helps children learn to work together, building their team work and social skills. It’s not so easy or fun to build a den all alone! And since it’s a joint venture, there is no winning or losing and everyone feels equally as proud of the end product.

Making a den or fort also gives children a way to combine their creativity with outdoor play. Great for energetic children who are less keen on sit down crafts. How to design the den, how to decorate it? There are lots of ways for children to add a touch of personality and make it their own.

Of course, this activity is perfect for imaginary play too. Once the den is built it can become a house, a hidden hide away, a cave, a fortress or whatever their heart desires.It’s a simple and timeless no frills activity, with lots to enjoy and learn! Make them in your local woods, in the garden, or inside the home with other materials.

Why is it important 

The famous naturalist, researcher and author E. O. Wilson said that it is a “fundamental trait of human nature” for children to want a hideaway. They are magical places where kids are not only inspired by nature but allow them to dream and make up their own worlds.

Another renowned US educator, David Sobel, wrote Children’s Secret Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens and Bush houses in Middle Childhood to explain that: “In these secret places, children develop and control environments of their own and enjoy freedom from the rules of the adult world. Children’s Special Places enters these hidden worlds, reveals their importance to children’s development and emotional health, and shows educators, parents, and other adults how they can foster a bond between young people and nature that is important to maturation.”

Dens, or forts, or tree houses, are a place where children can have unstructured play and let their imagination soar. They learn how to use natural materials to build their own special place, often working as a team with siblings or friends.

It is a safe place where kids can make their own rules and decisions without adult interference. Educators say this helps children become more self confident and gain self esteem.

Dens are childrens’ little havens. They also learn how nature is a wonderful place for natural play.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, agrees that children need a place to just play in the woods. “If kids don’t have some kind of connection to nature that is hands-on and independent, then they are probably not going to develop the love of nature and vote for parks and the preservation of endangered species,” he says. “Unless you know something you are unlikely to love it.”

There’s some research to back up this intuition. One 2010 study in the journal Children, Youth and Environments found that among people who ended up dedicated to nature and conservation, most had a childhood filled with unstructured play in nature, some of which “was not environmentally sensitive by adult standards; rather, it included manipulation of the environment through war games, fort building, role playing of stories in popular children’s adventure books and movies, and the like.” It’s imperative to the future of our forests which sustain us.

As for my family:

Since the last days of winter, the kids have been spending hours in their den. Sometimes they call it their little fort. I think they have another name for it but they won’t reveal it to me!

Then this week Theo told me they wanted to go there when it was dark. Perhaps even have dinner there on their own? he asked. Personally feeling that these secret dens or forts are something special to have in one’s childhood, I agreed. I remember as a child wishing that I had a treehouse all to myself.

I was only allowed there to bring them their tray of hot dogs and fruit. Soon they were back asking for more. They each ate three hot dogs in their den! I was asked to leave as soon as I brought them their food. I stood nearby and could just see their light behind the trees.

I’m happy that they now have an outdoor special place as often in the past we’ve had to make temporary forts indoors with blankets, cushions and chairs. It’s wonderful for their imagination and desire for nature play.

More Play Spaces

•  Play fort with twinkling lights

• Balloons and ball pit

• Turn a Playhouse into a Winter Grotto

• 35 Creative Playrooms and Play Spaces for Kids

Pallet Playhouse

This pallet playhouse would be a good playhouse if you are looking for something a little more permanent.

Hula Hoop Hideouts

This backyard fort is perfect if you’ve got a few hula hoops and some spare fabric laying around.

 Treehouse Fort Ideas

For most of these, you may need to head to Home Depot to pick up supplies. However, it’s important to remember that building tree houses does not have to be difficult!

The creators of these houses have given specific instructions on how to get the job done. Whether you just want an easy-to-build platform or a full tree houses with a climbing wall option, there are plenty to choose from.

Platform Treehouse with Rock Climbing Wall

Looking for a treehouse with a rock wall? This one, shown on Repurpose and Recycle, is a simple platform and you can add on a slide!

 Classic Treehouse with Swing Set and Sandbox

If you are looking for some ideas that have wooden swing sets, this one is great! The house is simple and can have a sandbox underneath.

Photo Credit: Ana White

Treehouse Lookout

The perfect place to watch over the backyard.

Photo Credit: StylesDesigns

Backyard Castle

This one is a dream for imaginative play. It may not be a beginner’s project, but with some time and a detailed plan, you can create the backyard fort of your princess’s dreams!

Mid Century Play Fort

Mid-century is very trendy and has been for awhile now! If your home tends to follow that trend, this playhouse would be a cohesive extension of the rest of your home!

Platform Treehouse with Sheet Tent

Installing a low-level platform like this gives you so many different options for add-ons. A slide? Rock climbing wall? Both could easily be added!

Photo Credit: Repurpose and Upcycle

Small Tree Platform

While this may be on the smaller side of play areas, it gives young ones a great vantage point of the yard! Perfect for imagining that they are a super secret spy on lookout.

The older kids may enjoy some cool outside science experiments for their playspace

100 Interesting Natural Science Experiments

To match that I have 100 Nature Crafts

Under 4 Nature Space, Nature play and art

Building a Forest Playspace That your Littles will Love

In a woodland setting there are many nature made opportunities for developing gross motor skills. everywhere that I have ever lived has had great green spaces to enjoy. But I have to tell you the Finger Lake area in New York was a great place to grow up.

The possibility to climb trees, roll down slopes, running and hiding in the trees, creating makeshift swings and shelters, and even jumping off of trees and logs.  All of these things aid their gross motor skill development. Gross motor play, including running, rolling, swinging and climbing, is essential for increasing children’s confidence, improved self-esteem, releasing stress and frustration and aiding with socialization from being able to take part in other children’s games.

1. Pick a spot that looks inviting and versatile
for play options. 

Something that shouts, ‘explore me’! Think of your child’s interests, heroes, influences, things they love, etc. They should influence your vision and choices along the way. But you also want it to remain safe to the wildlife as well. Watch them use and play in the space the way it is naturally, so you don’t alter or move something that they enjoy.

2. Clear the space as needed.

Removing tripping hazards, prickly thorn bushes and sharp rocks will help to encourage play and keep everyone safe.  Be aware of who may already live in that space.  For example, If there was an active birds nest, I wouldn’t touch this space.

3. Invite your expert explorers to check out the area. 

Watch them investigate the area. What are they drawn to? How do they use the space?

4. (After watching your little experts in the area) fix, change or add, where needed. 

You don’t want to eliminate all challenges, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a few things here and there to help the kids to enjoy the space.  For example, I added a step stone when I noticed my littlest explorer struggling to climb up in to the ‘entrance’.

5. Define the space.

Logs, branches and rocks work well as ‘walls’ and wood chips are excellent for ‘floors’. Old windows and mirrors are fun too once the glass is removed.

6. Add multi purpose open-ended materials. 
Pots, pans and kitchen utensils are great. Bowls, cups, rocks, natural wood blocks, scoops etc.

7. Make it creative and adventurous. 
You are setting up an ‘invitation to play’ (as you would in the classroom if you’re an educator, Just on a larger scale and likely a little messier) A telephone, a clock, a small table and even a sink -makes the area feel like ‘home’.  I also love to add items that sparkle and shine. Items that look like they aren’t typically meant for play. Special, interesting and unique – just like the little people who will be enjoying them.

8. Keep the area safe for wildlife and your kids. 

Watch for new hazards as the area changes through the seasons.  Wasp nests, thorn bushes, broken branches etc.

9. Follow your child’s lead.
If you created a space to be a ‘house’ and they have decided that it’s a ‘diner’ – go with it! Add a cash register, menus and a take-out window. Kids have the greatest ideas, and it will be fun to watch the area grow and evolve. It can be a nature science lab, wildlife hospital, home or cabin, school, gym, animal food factory, fire or ranger station, train, or automotive repair business, ecology/save the planet bureau and more.

10. Play with them! 
Get your hands dirty. Eat the mud cakes! As a mother of 5 (ages 13-1) one thing that I know for sure is that time flies and there will be a point (*sniff sniff*) where they won’t ask you to sit and play anymore!  Enjoy these moments!

Planning an Outdoor play area
for Little's

Not everyone has woods for their children to play in everyday, so here's some information on building a fabulous yard. Designing a children's outdoor play space doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, I'm trying to make a real effort on the blog to include easier, natural activities.

Also, if you live in an urban environment with no backyard, a lot of these can be found/done at your local park or community garden! Here are ten things that can make a child's outdoor play space all that more special:

1. A SECRET PLACE

Kids need somewhere they can breathe, be alone and feel free. What makes a place secret? Make it their size, construct "walls" and have it in a slightly obscured location. Whether it's a clubhouse or just a sheet draped over some tree limbs, the main idea is to prompt them to create a world of their own. Boys like calling it a club or hide out.

This is one of my favorite things ever. I would even wear olive and brown colors as camouflage. Our family’s rule was if it isn’t nailed down then we could use it. I liked cheese cloth dyed in mud. My mom kept my secret she would leave it under my pillow.

via Magic Onions

More Great Ideas:

The Five Minute Fort via My Crafty Spot

Make a Live Willow Den 

Giant Nest (ambitious, but had to include because it is amazing!)

2. A WATER FEATURE

Where there is water, there is fun. Enough said.

Homemade Water Wall via Happy Hooligans

More Great Ideas:

Nature Soup via Meri Cherry

10 DIY Sprinklers (I couldn't pick just one) via Fantastic Fun and Learning

How to Make a Giant Outdoor Water Bed via My Frugal Adventures

Easy Waterplayby the Picklebums

3. MUD GLORIOUS MUD

Whether it's mud pies or just digging for rocks, kids need to get dirty! I know that our mud kitchen was my daughter's favorite part of our outdoor play area this past summer. And if you really want to pair this activity down just give the kids some dirt and a bowl - trust me they will find their own wild materials.

Designing an Outdoor Mud Pie Kitchen

More Muddy Ideas:

Make Mud Paint! via Learn Play Imagine

The Great Dinosaur Stomp via My Small Potatoes

30+ Ideas for Kids to Play in the Dirt via Hands On As We Grow

Mud Kitchen Essentials (this is a wonderful, comprehensive post) via abc does

4. SOMETHING TO CLIMB ON

As parents of all young children know, climbing is a natural instinct. Trees, stumps, rocks - they all present an opportunity for our kids to test their limits and go higher!

via Little Eco Footprints

More Great Ideas:

Don't feel like installing, cutting or building anything? Have them go climb a tree!

Tire Climbing Tower via Blessings Overflowing

DIY Slackline via Pail and Pipe

Triple Wide Climbing Ladder (Buy it here)

5. SOMETHING TO GROW

For us, gardening is one of the fundamentals, and plays a unique role in our daughter's outdoor space! It may seem daunting, but there are some really easy ways to set up a growing area.

via Keep it Simple Sister

More Great Ideas:

Create a Sensory Garden via DIY gardening

You Grow Girl (My favorite resource for container gardening!)

Make a Fairy With Your Kids via See Jamie Blog

Designing a Sensory Garden via Gardening Know How

Make a Raised Bed in a Kiddie Pool via Southern Plate (with this one, I would put down a liner between the pool and the garden so the plastic chemicals don't leach into the food.

6. A PLACE TO CREATE

I always feel so much more creative when I'm outside. It is such a bonus to have an area where the kids can write, make art, music and even put on plays for each other. It doesn't matter if it is as simple as making mandalas on the ground with natural items, art and nature just go together!

More Great Ideas:

20 Amazing Outdoor Music Stations via My Nearest and Dearest

Make an Outdoor Puppet Theater via Koko Designs

Giant Outdoor Weaving Station via Seasonal Gnome

Paint Filled Eggs on Canvas via Growing a Jeweled Rose

7. SOMETHING TO SWING ON

I'll never forgot the rope swing in my grandparents' yard. It was such a simple design, but whenever any of my siblings or cousins mention those years, that swing is always in the picture. Swinging is blissful and every child deserve a chance to feel the wind against their face as they propel themselves towards the sky.

via sk8swing

More Great Ideas:

7 Dollar DIY Rope Swing via Budget Blonde

Skateboard Swing via Little Bit Funky

Kid's Backyard Tire Swing via Popular Mechanics

Airplane Swing Tutorial via Whitney's Workshop

8. OPEN-ENDED MATERIALS

Spontaneous, unorganized play is the foundation of a child's time spent outside. In the spirit of the adventure playground movement, I like to have loose items and material available for my daughter to create with. They have no set "purpose" except for her to imagine, build and create with.

Loose Parts Play via In The Playroom

More Great Ideas:

Loose Parts Play via Inside Outside Indiana

Theory of Loose Parts via Let the Children Play

Handy Idea for Storing Loose Parts for Play via Let the Children Play

Homemade Tree Blocks via An Everyday Story

9. SOMETHING THEY CHOOSE

I've definitely been guilty of getting caught up in my own ideas and forgetting to ask my daughter what she really wants. Making sure our kids have a stake in the project can connect them to their space. Some things I'm trying to ask her are:

What's your favorite thing to do outside?

Do you like this here?

What color should we paint this?

Do you want to name your clubhouse?

Is there anything special you want to bring outside from your room?

Are we missing anything?

A-Frame Playhouse

This fort structure is simple and modern. While it is one of the more permanent, involved structures on this list, it is on the easy side of that group.

Photo credit: At Home With Ashley

Sail Boat Sandbox

This one is great for imaginative play – especially if you are looking for a pirate ship play area. If you want, you can leave the sand out, but it adds another layer of fun if you keep it in!

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Tips for Exploring Nature with Kids

July 6, 2013

 It’s important for children to be encouraged to connect with nature, but what if you are a little timid when it comes to exploring the outdoors? Whether you identify yourself as an “indoors” person or you just don’t know where to start, here are a few things you can do to make the transition a little easier. 

1. Start small and stay in your comfort zone. You don’t have to go trekking out into the unknown to explore nature because there’s plenty to be discovered in your own backyard! Encourage kids to take a closer look at the familiar. You might be surprised at what you find. Would you like to attract even more wildlife to your backyard? Here are a few ways you can create a wildlife-friendly backyard. 

2. Ask questions. Children are naturally curious, and you might even find yourself bombarded with questions. But if they need a little prompting, try asking a few of your own. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers! Keep a list and discover the answers together at a later time. 

3.  Record your observations. Take a camera, a nature journal, or both! Even young kids can benefit from creating a nature journal. They can use it for leaf and bark rubbings or they can draw what they see and dictate as you write. This would also be a great way to keep track of any questions that arise. A camera is another great way to keep track of what you find. Take pictures of plants, animals, and insects you’d like to identify and look them up together. 

4. Invest in the right books. Even field guides can seem overwhelming if your family is just beginning to explore nature, so you should look for the ones aimed at beginners.  For instance, most bird field guides are organized taxonomically. This means that the birds are grouped together by order and family. To identify the bird you have to know what type you are looking at and then flip to that section. For beginners, that can be tough. That’s why I like the Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds field guide. This book is organized by the color of the bird which makes it incredibly easy to use. Need more book suggestions? Be sure to check out these great series of books for exploring nature.

5. Reach out to others. Ask your friends, family and neighbors for advice and tips. Maybe they’ve discovered a great place that would make an awesome field trip, or maybe they are expert birders that wouldn’t mind sharing a few tips. You could even start a family-oriented nature club and trade off on activities based on interests and specialties. 

The important thing is that you get out there and have fun, even if you have to take small steps!

We’ve gathered 10 inspiring posts from around the web that are sure to get your kids playing and learning outside. 

1. Make a nature study kit from recyclables! This kit would be great to take on any educational outdoor adventure. 

2. Take a trip outside to collect items for a seasonal nature study observation table. 

3. While you’re out there, gather a few more materials to make a beautiful toad home. 

4. Take your kids fishing. Even young children can enjoy this activity, but if you’re worried, here’s 10 tips for fishing with kids.

5. Go on a newt-study adventure.   There’s a lot of interesting things to learn about the Red Spotted Newt. 

6. Take your kids camping! There’s plenty to discover and do, and plenty of memories to be made. 

7. Go on lots of nature walks. Here’s 5 tips for making nature walks enjoyable. 

8. Have fun learning about firefly science. There’s so much to learn about these nocturnal creatures. 

9. Climb a tree. The benefits of climbing trees are many, and you never know what you might discover once you’re up there!

10. Don’t let the rain stop you! Here are 10 ideas to get you outside on a rainy day. 

Tree Crafts for Kids

Learning how to preserve leaves is just one tree craft for kids.

There's no better way to connect with nature than to get up close and personal with a tree -- and the tree crafts for kids found on the following pages are a great way to get started.

You'll find a variety of different techniques for learning about trees and creating fun and interesting crafts from bark, leaves, and wood. Whether you're starting a wood collection or making a trivet, crafting a book cover or learning the meaning of "leaf skeleton," the crafts described on the following pages are enjoyable for kids of all ages.

Bark Casting

Bark casting is a way to capture an impression of tree bark. A "casting" is something that's set (or "cast") into a mold. In this craft, the mold is made from clay. Bark casing is a great way to record and compare the bark patterns of different trees.

What You'll Need:

• Modeling clay

• Rolling pin

• Self-hardening clay

Step 1: Roll out a piece of modeling clay into a flat sheet.

Step 2: Press the clay onto a tree trunk -- press hard enough for the bark to create an impression in the clay.

Step 3: Carefully peel the clay off the tree, keeping the molded texture intact.

Step 4: To make a permanent cast of the tree bark, roll out a piece of self-hardening clay. Flatten it into a sheet the same size as the modeling clay impression you made.

Step 5: Place it on top of the modeling clay, and gently press it onto the ridges so that it captures all the textures but does not erase them.

Step 6: Gently lift off the clay and let it dry for two or three days. Do this for several types of trees, and compare the different textures.

Did you know that tree leaves have skeletons? Keep reading to learn a fun craft you can do with leaf skeletons.

Leaf Skeleton

Leaf skeletons are fun to make for collections or for decorations.

Creating a collection of leaf skeletons is a fun craft for kids of all ages. A leaf's skeleton has nothing to do with bones, of course; it's simply the leaf's framework -- the veins and ridges that run through the leaf.

Leaf skeletons also look great when glued to brown paper and used as a cover for a nature book or tree manual. Try the following method to get to the leaf skeleton:

What You'll Need:

• Tree leaves

• Newspaper

• Old shoe brush

• Brown paper

• Craft glue

Step 1: Collect fresh tree leaves.

Step 2: Place an entire newspaper on a table and put the leaf on top of it.

Step 3: Pound with an old shoe brush. Don't pound so hard that you tear the leaf -- just enough to wear away the soft green material between the leaf veins.

Step 4: Allow the skeleton to dry. Then mount it in a scrapbook or use it for a book-cover decoration.

While you're collecting leaves, you might look for fallen limbs too. It's a great way to start a wood collection. Keep reading to learn more.

Wood Collection

Learn about the beauty of wood by creating a special wood collection. Every type of tree has a distinctive pattern to its wood, and collecting many different types of wood will show you just how varied and special each one is.

Begin by collecting wood in a nearby forest or woodlands. Use only fallen branches, and choose solid branches that are about two to three inches in diameter. Check the leaves remaining on the branch -- that will help you to determine the kind of tree the branch came from.

What You'll Need:

• Saw

• Brush

• Varnish

• Branches or scraps of wood from lumber store

• Sturdy vise

• Sandpaper

Step 1: Ask an adult to saw off a six-inch length of the branches you find. Allow the wood to dry for about two weeks.

Step 2: You also can ask at the lumber store for small scraps of wood from trees that may not grow in your area. Try to get scraps about two inches square and six inches long.

Step 3: Put your branch or wood scrap upright in a sturdy vise. Ask an adult to help you make a two-inch deep lengthwise cut down the middle. Make a second cut crosswise until your saw meets the base of the first cut. Remove the piece of wood.

Step 4: Sand the cut surface until smooth, then ask an adult to help you varnish it. This will beautifully highlight both the lengthwise grain and the cross-grain.

For an interesting decoration, try preserving leaves. Find out how to get started on the next page.

Preserving Leaves

Preserving leaves gives them a beautiful bronze color.

Preserving leaves from your trees or shrubs is an easy and fun way to make beautiful decorations for your home. The preserved leaves turn a bronze color and look very pretty arranged in a vase.

Be sure to ask an adult's permission before you cut any branches from trees or shrubs. You also might use the branches that are cut off when pruning the shrubs in your yard.

What You'll Need:

• Branch cut from a leafy shrub

• Jar or bucket

• Glycerin (available at drug, farm, and garden stores)

Step 1: With an adult's help, mix a solution of one part glycerin and two parts hot water. The amount you mix up depends on how many branches you want to preserve, but you should make enough to cover the bottom of your jar or bucket several inches deep.

Step 2: Cut branches about 18 inches long. Trees or shrubs with firm, waxy leaves work the best.

Step 3: Carefully crush the cut ends of the branches with a hammer, peel away the bark, and stand the branches in the glycerin mixture.

Step 4: Let them sit about three weeks. The branches will absorb the glycerin slowly through the miniature pipelines in their stems. The leaves will turn a bronze color and feel slightly greasy when preservation is complete. Wipe off the ends of the branches, and arrange in a pretty vase.

Another interesting craft that uses leaves is a leaf batik. Keep reading to learn how to create this centuries-old craft.

Leaf Batik

Creating a leaf batik takes a few steps, but the result is well worth the effort.

Create a leaf batik and use it for a decorative and interesting wall hanging in your room. Batik is a centuries-old craft that uses wax and dye to create patterns on fabric. The shapes of leaves inspire batik designs in this project.

This is a great craft for kids and adults to work on together. There are more steps to this craft than with some others; a few of the steps are best left to grown-ups, but kids will have fun working on the craft too.

What You'll Need:

• Leaves

• Green crayons

• Cans

• Pan

• Water

• Old paint brushes

• Fabric

• Cold water dye (in two colors that can mix)

• Paraffin wax

• Newspaper

• An iron

Step 1: Gather several leaves with interesting shapes.

Step 2: Use a green crayon to trace the shape of the leaves onto a piece of fabric.

Step 3: With help from an adult, put some peeled, broken green crayons in a can. Then put the can in a pan of boiling water to melt the crayons. Never melt wax or crayons directly on a stove burner. They can catch fire.

Step 4: Using an old paintbrush, spread melted crayon into the leaf shape on your fabric. Coat it completely; then give it time to dry.

Step 5: Mix a light-colored cold-water dye with water, according to the instructions on the package.

Step 6: Crumple your fabric and dip it in the dye. Allow it to dry.

Step 7: Melt paraffin wax in a can in boiling water. Paint branch shapes or any other shapes you like with the paraffin onto the fabric.

Step 8: Crumple your fabric and dip it into a darker dye. Allow it to dry.

Step 9: Roll your fabric hard in your hands to break up the wax and peel off as much as you can.

Step 10: Place the fabric between several sheets of newspaper and ask an adult to help you iron it. The iron will melt the wax, which will be absorbed by the newspaper. Replace the newspaper often, until most of the wax is gone.

What can you do with a small twigs and sticks? Find out on the next page.

Terrific Twig Trivet

A twig trivet is a unique gift that you can make yourself.

If you want to make a special gift, a terrific twig trivet is a great choice. It's a functional gift -- it helps to protect the table from hot pans or dishes -- and it will be especially appreciated because you made it yourself.

You'll need an adult's help to use the pruning shears or craft knife, but the rest of the project is easily accomplished by most kids. Get started by gathering a lot of sticks and twigs.

What You'll Need:

• Lots of sticks, about 1/4 inch in diameter

• Corrugated cardboard

• Natural jute, 4-ply, #72 (optional)

• Pruning shears or sharp craft knife

• Ruler

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Waxed paper

• Craft stick

• Tacky glue

Step 1: Ask an adult to help you use pruning shears (or a sharp craft knife) to cut the sticks into three-inch lengths. Use sticks that are as straight as possible. You will need about 25 to 30 pieces.

You'll need lots of twigs and a pair of pruning shears.

Step 2: Measure and cut a piece of cardboard into a 6-inch square.

Cut a piece of cardboard into a 6-inch square

Step 3: Place the cardboard square onto waxed paper. Scoop glue from bottle with the craft stick and spread glue in a thick layer over entire cardboard surface.

Step 4: Lay the sticks in a parquet pattern (see photograph, below). Place the sticks as close to each other as possible. Let glue dry completely.

Lay the sticks in a parquet pattern.

Step 5: Squeeze a thick line of glue around the outside edge of the trivet. Starting in the center of a side, place the jute in the glue and press firmly to the edge of the trivet.

Glue the jute around the edges.

When you reach the beginning of the jute, overlap the ends slightly. Let the glue dry.

Ready for a walk in the woods? Gather some leaves while you're there. Keep reading to learn a fun craft that uses leaves.

Leaf People

Plan an outdoor expedition to collect leaves.

Plan a family excursion into the woods and gather the materials for creating leaf people. Collecting the natural materials you'll need for this craft is just as much fun as making the leaf people. Once you're in the great outdoors, see how many different leaves and other natural items you can locate.

And don't stop with just making leaf people -- you can expand the activity to create all sorts of things with the natural items. Make buildings, animals, cars -- the possibilities are endless.

What You'll Need:

• Leaves, twigs, flowers, and other outdoor items

• Construction paper

• Craft glue

• Crayons

• Markers

• Paint

• Paintbrushes

Step 1: Glue a leaf on a piece of paper with the stem pointing to the top of the paper.

Step 2: Using crayons, markers, and paints, turn the leaf into a person. You can draw a head at the top of the stem and use the leaf as the body.

Step 3: Glue on small twigs, flower petals, blades of grass, acorn caps, seed helicopters, and other items you collected outdoors to dress up your leaf people.

Creating leaf people is a great way to remember your family outing.

Step 4: Use the markers, crayons, and paint to add more details to your people.

EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES

Make a tiny forest for Earth Day.

Earth Day activities for kids help us celebrate Earth Day -- a special observance on April 22 each year. It was created to inspire us to show our appreciation of the planet Earth and to fight against pollution.

Most people are reminded on Earth Day of the importance of being environmentally conscious -- which means we should take care of our planet by not wasting its resources -- as well as work for clean air, clean lakes and rivers, and live in harmony with the other animals with whom we share our space on this Earth.

In this article you'll find different ways to celebrate Earth Day as you show your support for our planet. 

You will love these amazing activities!

Building a Shady Spot forLittles
Nature Play

Childhood is full of imagination and play and what better background for that play than an outdoor playhouse? Most of us have made indoor forts for ourselves or our children – likely with pillows, blankets, chairs, and other indoor furniture. Why not bring that fun outdoors? We all should spend more time outdoors!

Treehouses and forts are enough to make every family member spend more of their time in the sun and the fresh air.

Backyard forts can range from a a few sticks and a blanket to a carefully crafted wooden castle. Both have the ability to provide hours of outdoor fun and high-quality pretend play.

If you are just looking for something to throw together this afternoon, there are so many creative ways to do so! If you are interested in adding a more permanent structure to your backyard, there are a wide range of skills required for different projects – something for everyone.

If you have a tree in your backyard that is perfect for a treehouse, creative builders have come up with a wide assortment of plans and ideas to choose from. All you have to do is start! Below we have a few lists that include simple and cheap backyard forts, treehouses, and some more involved backyard forts that may require a little time.

Decide how much time and money you are able to commit and take your pick from these backyard forts for kids!

 Cheap DIY Backyard Forts

Fort building does not have to be expensive or time-intensive. Outdoors spaces can be temporary and still provide a lot of fun. Cardboard boxes are perfect for creating a cardboard box clubhouse, but check out the list below! There are so many cheap, DIY ideas to choose from.

No-Sew Tent

This no-sew tent is something that you can throw together fairly quickly once you have all of the materials. Grab the PVC pipe and curtains and you are ready for a sleeping bag and fun.

Photo Credit: RaisingWhasians

5-minute Backyard Teepee

A bedsheet, bamboo stakes, clothespins, and a small rope are all you will need for this kid’s fort.

Photo Credit: Mamma Papa Bubba

Plastic Tablecloth Pavilion

This is a cheap and easy fort! It uses plastic tablecloths and yard edging. You may have one or the other already sitting in your garage!

Photo Credit: Ikatbag

Curtain DIY Playhouse

This fun playhouse only requires you to build three walls. You can add in a curtain for the fourth. That way, you can have privacy if you like, but can also let in some natural light when you don’t!

Keep It Simple

Clean Rachel Wolf

Bring the spirit of an indoor blanket fort outside with this easy-to-make version from Clean Rachel Wolf. After all, the less time you spend setting it up, the more time the kids will have to play.

How to Nurture a Young Child's Imagination

Imagination is propelled by a child’s play instinct. It can be enhanced and nurtured by providing opportunities to problem solve, explore, experiment and discover. Creative children view the world as having endless possibilities and adventures.

Childhood should be a time of magical play, when a child’s imagination has no limits.

Encourage children to explore and experiment, leading them to become the future’s great thinkers.

My grandson really wanted an expensive Star Wars' lightsaber. He asked to work to earn money but still didn't have enough to buy the toy. Nathan loves duck tape. He found some paper towel rolls and taped together a lightsaber, then painted it. He saved money, built his self-esteem, and made his own unique toy.

Ways to Nurture Imagination:

• Ask questions, probe.

• Provide a variety of opportunities for observing, exploring and expanding thought processes.

• Encourage play and experimenting with new ideas, new adventures.

• Do things differently. Encourage children to think about how they can do something better.

• Give a child time to generate ideas.

• Deprive a child of something and let them create a replacement.

• Don’t judge or evaluate. Encourage the process of creativity rather than asking for a particular outcome or product.

Stick Fun Down at the Farm

Encourage Creativity:

• Turn off the TV and electronic games.

• Tolerate Messes. Let a child play in the dirt. A block of wood can become a bulldozer, sticks can become a secret fort.

• Let Your Child Lead. Take a walk and let your child led the way inventing games or making up songs or movements.

• Listen to Your Child. Answer their many questions.

• Encourage Imaginary Play. Preschoolers don’t care what they look like to others or how smelly their costume has become. Let them enjoy pretending.

Make up Stories in the Car, on a Walk, while Reading Books:

• Begin a story, then ask: “Where do you think the story should go next?”

• Let your child be the star of the story.

• Let children choose a word and begin a story making up things about the words. Continue the story by asking: What happens next, how, when, where, who, why?

 3 Questions to Enhance Creativity:

• What would happen if?

• Is there a better way?

• What do you think?

Benefits of Creative Play:

• Ability to problem solve

• Higher self-esteem,confidence and self-fulfillment

• Better able to cope with challenges and difficult situations

• Becoming creators and innovators

How many times has a child discarded the new toy in a box – to play with the box? Your child will want more and more toys if they don’t know how to use their imagination to build on what they have. They will trade their imagination for things someone else thought of - instead of developing their own creativity.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand,
while imagination embraces the entire world,
and all there ever will be to know and understand."
~ Albert Einstein

Related Posts:

Back to Basics – Play Outside

Play House - Build a Home

Why Craft? Why Art?

Loose Parts

A new name for good old fashioned nature play

Loose parts are excellent at drawing out a child's imagination as they inspire children to practice creative thinking in sorting out how to incorporate the part into play. You can gather an assortment of manmade objects such as bedsheets, canvas, pulleys, rope, buckets, milk crates, pots and pans. And natural objects like pebbles, seeds, sticks, stones, water. Then just sit back and watch the ideas flow: Pebbles + cardboard tubes = a marble run or rain stick; Branches + fabric= a little house for little people or animals.

The Australian group, Playground Ideas, has created a DIY guide for creating your loose parts playground. The excellent guide includes a wide range of tips from assessing your site for safety to budgeting for and obtaining your loose parts.

Using natural loose parts for play

Posted by Casey Little Lifelong learners

If you have been shopping for toys for outside play lately, you might have learned that open-ended toys are incredible tools for supporting independent, creative play in your home…but there are many great options that are more affordable too.

My favorite place to find affordable loose parts? Outside! There’s something pretty magical about natural loose parts and the best part – they’re FREE and can be used for lots of fun invitations or for some open-ended play. Before we get stuck into some of my favorite loose parts, let’s explore why loose parts are so beneficial for play!

What’s the benefit of natural loose parts for Littles?

The term ‘loose parts’ was first used in 1971 by an architect named Simon Nicholson. He described loose parts as ‘variables’ in an environment that could be moved around and tinkered with. He didn’t believe that creativity was something that only few people could posses, rather creativity was something that was possible for anyone especially when they had access to ‘variables’ that could be manipulated!

“In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness, creativity and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.”

Nicholson, 1971

To put it simply, loose parts are found or collected objects or materials that can be removed, manipulated and adapted during play. They are materials that can be used in just about any way and there are no rules or expectations about how they can or should be used. The only limit is your child’s imagination!

I talk a lot about our children being little scientists. They’re constantly exploring and investigating to make sense of the world around them…and they do this as they play! When we can provide our children with materials that are open-ended (meaning it’s up to them how they engage with the material!), we’ll be nurturing their curiosity and providing them with opportunities to connect prior knowledge as they explore and create new knowledge…and that is pretty magical!

In her article titled ‘To be successful – let them play!” Sally Hurwitz (2002) stated that “Play for children is creative, spontaneous, unpredictable, and absolutely fun…it’s an important medium for young children’s learning and significant contributor to the child’s cognitive, physical, emotional and social development.”

Loose parts are a wonderful way to allow our children to be totally in control of their play. When our children have access to loose parts, there are no rules, no expectations. They can simply explore!

Some of my favorite natural loose parts for open-ended play include:

• Leaves

• Flowers

• Shells

• Sticks

• Grass

• Pinecones

• Gumnuts

• Sand

• Dirt

• Feathers

• Seeds and seed pods

• Rocks and pebbles

• Wood cookies and offcuts

Simple invitations to inspire your play!

One of my favorite ways to use natural loose parts in our play is to start with a nature walk! We grab a basket and head outside to collect natural treasures either in our own backyard or somewhere new like a playground or even the beach!

We look for interesting textures and colors and add them to our basket.

When we get home, we can use them with a batch of natural play dough! Below is a picture of my toddler using some gumnuts to print into some natural coloured play dough. This was a great way to strengthen the muscles in his fingers and hands!

We also love using natural loose parts in our small world play. Below is an invitation we created using some fallen leaves from our front yard, a few branches and some big creepy crawly toys.

We have a collection of natural loose parts available for our children to use for their own small world play in our playroom as well – below is an example of how our toddler used some insect toys with some natural wooden cookies. This is the beauty of natural loose parts – they can become anything and there’s no right or wrong way for your child to play!

Bird seed makes a wonderful sensory base for children to explore! Simply pour it into a tub and add some wooden bowls and scoops and you’ve created an exciting sensory experience that your little learner is sure to love! Not only will they be exploring simple mathematical concepts such as full and empty, they’ll also be developing their fine motor skills as they scoop and pour the seeds from bowl to bowl.

You might even like to use your natural loose parts to explore numbers and shapes! Below are some 2D Shape Cards from our Nature Play Pack which we used with some little pebbles.

Perhaps you could create an investigation table with some natural loose parts and a magnifying glass? This would be a great way to support your child’s oral language and vocabulary as they explore their loose parts up close!

There’s no denying that natural loose parts are a wonderful addition to any play space! I truly hope this blog post has given you some fun and easy ideas to bring more natural loose parts into your play with your little learners.

How to Make Waldorf-Inspired Nature Blocks

Autumn, DIY Toys, Seasonal, Spring, Technology & Engineering, Wooden Toys

Would you like to add a touch of nature to your playroom? Here is our DIY tutorial on how to make a set of Waldorf-inspired nature blocks that are great for imaginative play with animals!

Nature patterns with loose parts

Jessica Hug 

Autumn’s the time when natural loose parts are easy to find in your outdoor area, garden or local park. Take buckets or bags and fill them with conkers, acorns, beech nuts, the last flowers, colored leaves, pinecones or pebbles. Allow plenty of time for finding and gathering as children discover shape, size, texture and color. While they make patterns with the loose parts they’ve found, they’ll be sorting, counting, designing and discovering symmetry. It’s art and science all at once.

Before you begin this activity: Your children may be familiar with the concept of patterns. But if not, spend time with them understanding patterns.

• Discuss: what is a pattern?

• Talk about repeated sequences.

• Identify patterns.

• Show them some examples of patterns.

Materials needed: buckets or containers, natural loose parts

Instructions:

Provide each child with a bucket, bag or container. Let children roam your outdoor area and collect lots of natural loose parts. Encourage children to collect several of each item to make patterns with.

1. Allow plenty of time for gathering, as children discover shape, color, size and texture. You can turn this part into an on-the-go nature class if you like, talking about the seasonal changes and why leaves turn colors and trees drop their nuts and fruits.

2. Find a space for each child to make their patterns, ideally outdoors on a flat surface such as a lawn, paved area or under a tree. Children are best off spaced out, so they can work undisturbed. If you don’t have outdoor space, working on the floor or a table will do.

3. Then let the children get started with making patterns using the loose parts they’ve found. Some children will immediately have an idea of a design, while others may need a little encouragement. If necessary, give some starting pointers to help them begin, e.g. “Perhaps you could start in the middle and work your way out” or “Maybe you could start with your acorns and leaves making a pattern”, etc. Remember that some of the designs may be very simple, while others are more elaborate. Avoid interfering too much or arranging the objects yourself. After all, this should be discovery learning, and it’s the process not the result that matters!

4. Admire their work, and if possible, save for parents to have a look or take photos for children to bring home or display in your setting.

5. Repeat this activity, and you’ll see children’s ideas expand, patterns becoming more complex and intricate.

Wooden blocks are wonderful learning toys for kids.  Wooden blocks can come in all different shapes and sizes and can be very easily homemade.  My 3 year old absolutely loves playing with blocks right now, so we decided to make him some wooden blocks for outdoors. Here is how we made our wooden blocks:

1. Find/Scavenge/Steal (um … never mind the last one) an old cut down tree or old logs or branches.

2. Allow to dry for awhile.  I really don’t know how long is needed.  I quickly realized my husband was delaying the cutting process – so I am not sure how long he held me off for unnecessarily.

3. Cut the branches/tree/logs into 2 or 3 inch pieces.  This can be down with a handsaw (if you have hours and hours – oh right – you have kids too – so …) a chainsaw is much faster.  I am afraid of chainsaws, so my hubby did this step.  I really should get braver – I just think how often I cut myself with a kitchen knife ….

4. Sand the edges (optional).  I intended on doing this, but the edges were really not too rough.  No real risk of splinters or cuts.  We started and I think did 2.

5. Wax (optional).  You can put a natural beeswax on your blocks to seal them, if you are so inclined.And then let the learning begin!  Within the first day our wooden blocks were:

Castles

Towers

Trees

Stepping stones

sorted by size

A Bridge

I commented on how the bridge looked a bit like an animal, and my creative Madeline turned it into a frog:

What to do with nature blocks?

1. When we play with nature blocks, we like to build forest-inspired scenes for our animals (over time, we collected a few of very realistic-looking Schleich animals: here you can see the bear, the fox and the raccoon). They seem to belong in this surrounding like nowhere else.

3. Simply stacking the blocks the way children like to do with any blocks is fun too!

4. And, of course, these blocks will complement any nature sensory bin!

What nature-inspired toys are you going to make this fall? 

How to encourage them to explore

I use loose parts play or tinkering in the trees. They get to collect natures treasures while they are exploring the area.

Loose parts are play objects and materials that are open-ended, manipulative, moveable, and non-dictated. This means that children can use the materials in a variety of ways and there is no suggested way or “story” behind these materials. Loose parts allow children to act upon their environment the way that they want, rather than their imaginations and creativity being predetermined by the materials.

Examples of loose parts are items such as tires, logs, sticks, fabric, rope, and rocks. Loose parts can either be synthetic materials or materials that are commonly found in a natural outdoor environment. Loose parts spark children’s curiosity, which then leads to exploration and discovery. For example, if a child is provided with rope, tarp, and wooden pieces, she will become curious about what the materials are and how to use them. She will then begin to explore the materials in different ways through her imagination and creativity. This leads to discovering that the materials can do many things. This process of curiosity, exploration, and discovery is ultimately what leads to play and learning.

Where Can I Find Loose Parts?

You can find loose parts in many places, and they are often free!

• Parks, forests, and natural spaces

• Thrift stores

• Yard sales

• Hardware stores

• Fabric stores

• Local dairy suppliers

• Grocery stores

• Your own recycling bin

To support children in loving play again, it is important that we create environments and include materials that are fun, engaging, and challenging. If an environment or an object is too easy, children will view it as boring. To reintroduce adventure and free play to your children, consider using loose parts. When loose parts are paired with the outdoors, it will lift children’s spirits, make them love playing again, and ultimately make them happier and healthier.

Nature Based Loose Parts!

My favorite! Between going on walks with your children to find these treasures to watching how children reconnect with nature, nothing beats this. (Not to mention FREE!)

Pinecones and sweet gum balls picked up from walk.

Wood cookies cut from fallen tree branches.

Sticks and rocks found on a walk in the woods. They are great for setting up Small World Play sets and  nature crafts.

Leaves and wildflowers found on the ground fallen from the trees can be scattered on a peice of contact paper sticky side up. Then seal the collage with another sheet of contact paper sticky side down. Then cut them into bookmarks, suncatchers, placemats, garland across a window or a wall hanging.  

List of Nature Based Loose Parts

• Acorns

• Sticks

• Dirt

• Dried Flowers

• Rocks

• Leaves

• Seeds

• Sand

• Pinecones

• Wood Cookies

• Wood Chips

• Moss

• Shells

• Pods

• Logs

• Peach Pits

• Feathers

• Squash

• Sweet Gum Ball

• Anise Stars

• Cinnamon Sticks

• Nutmeg

Explorations: Nature Based Loose Parts

Leaf Collage

Home Creations

Mortar and Pestle Collages on clear contact paper

Investigating and Sketching on Light Table

Nature Crafts for Kids

1. Stunning Nature Crown – Little Pine Learners

2. A fun flower craft for Spring– Thimble and Twig

3. Nature Hunt Cardboard Hearts – Learning and Exploring Through Play

Make a Magic Wand with A Stick – Little Fish Blog

1. DIY Binoculars with Pressed Flowers – Little Pine Learners

2. Fairy Nature Wings– Megan Zeni

1. DIY nature craft construction set – The Craft Train

2. Art Class at Home: Painted Flower Pots – Giggles and Nap Time

3. Nature art bugs – The Craft Train

1. Stick Pyramid Craft for Kids – Non Toy Gifts

2. Ice Cream Cone Bird Feeder – Easy Bird Seed Ornaments You Can Make – Natural Beach Living

3. Shake Painted Rock Snails Craft – Kids Craft Room

1. Nature Weaving – Learning and Exploring Through Play

2. Nature Tree Craft – Crafts on the Sea

3. Stick and Leaf Butterfly Craft – Artsy Craftsy Mom

1. Sun Catchers from Nature – The Gingerbread House

2. Gelatine Flower Suncatcher Nature Craft for kids – Thimble and Twig

3. Easy, Pretty, Preschooler Fairy Houses – Pink Stripey Socks

1. Nature Art Stick and String Sculpture for Kids – Emma Owl

2. Butterfly Nature Craft– Crafts on the Sea

3. Easy Spray Bottle Nature Art for Kids – East TN Family

1. Dandelion craft for kids – Little Pine Learners

2. Mother Nature’s Paintbrushes – Mas and Pas

3. Fancy Stick Crown– Mama Miss

1. Homemade Nature Suncatcher Wind Chimes for Kids to Make – Hands On As We Grow

2. Bookmark Craft for Kids Using Pressed Flowers and Leaves – Buggy and Buddy

3. Magical Pressed Flower Lanterns– Little Pine Learners

1. Making Sun Print Nature Art with Kids – Run Wild My Child

2. Stick Raft Building Craft – Kids Craft Room

3. Nature Inspired Self Portraits – The Resourceful Mama

To accomplish this, you can show them use loose parts play or tinkering in the trees.

Loose parts are play objects and materials that are open-ended, manipulative, moveable, and non-dictated. This means that children can use the materials in a variety of ways and there is no suggested way or “story” behind these materials. Loose parts allow children to act upon their environment the way that they want, rather than their imaginations and creativity being predetermined by the materials.

Examples of loose parts are items such as tires, logs, sticks, fabric, rope, and rocks. Loose parts can either be synthetic materials or materials that are commonly found in a natural outdoor environment. Loose parts spark children’s curiosity, which then leads to exploration and discovery. For example, if a child is provided with rope, tarp, and wooden pieces, she will become curious about what the materials are and how to use them. She will then begin to explore the materials in different ways through her imagination and creativity. This leads to discovering that the materials can do many things. This process of curiosity, exploration, and discovery is ultimately what leads to play and learning.

Where Can I Find Loose Parts?

You can find loose parts in many places, and they are often free!

• Parks, forests, and natural spaces

• Thrift stores

• Yard sales

• Hardware stores

• Fabric stores

• Local dairy suppliers

• Grocery stores

• Your own recycling bin

To support children in loving play again, it is important that we create environments and include materials that are fun, engaging, and challenging. If an environment or an object is too easy, children will view it as boring. To reintroduce adventure and free play to your children, consider using loose parts. When loose parts are paired with the outdoors, it will lift children’s spirits, make them love playing again, and ultimately make them happier and healthier.

Nature Based Loose Parts!

My favorite! Between going on walks with your children to find these treasures to watching how children reconnect with nature, nothing beats this. (Not to mention FREE!)

Pinecones and sweet gum balls picked up from walk.

Wood cookies cut from fallen tree branches.

Sticks and rocks found on a walk in the woods.

Seashells donated from a girl who went to the ocean.

Dried wild flowers found in the field can be turned into sachets or saved in a clear sensory jar.

Dehydrated oranges and grapefruit can be hung on a tree for the wildlife to eat. Or you can make them into a window garland or suncatcher.

Leaves and flowers found on the ground fallen from the trees can be scattered across a layer of contact paper sticy side up. Then sealed by another layer on top. Cut them into bookmarks, suncatchers, placemats, garland across a window or a wall hanging.  

Dried sunflower makes for several loose parts within.

List of Nature Based Loose Parts

• Acorns

• Sticks

• Dirt

• Dried Flowers

• Rocks

• Leaves

• Seeds

• Sand

• Pinecones

• Wood Cookies

• Wood Chips

• Moss

• Shells

• Pods

• Logs

• Peach Pits

• Feathers

• Squash

• Sweet Gum Ball

• Anise Stars

• Cinnamon Sticks

• Nutmeg

Explorations: Nature Based Loose Parts

Leaf Collage

Home Creations

Mortar and Pestle Collages

Investigating and Sketching on Light Table

Number Invitation

In "Art"

30+ Beautiful Nature Crafts for Kids

1. Stunning Nature Crown – Little Pine Learners

2. A fun flower craft for Spring– Thimble and Twig

3. Nature Hunt Cardboard Hearts – Learning and Exploring Through Play

Make a Magic Wand with A Stick – Little Fish Blog

1. DIY Binoculars with Pressed Flowers – Little Pine Learners

2. Fairy Nature Wings– Megan Zeni

1. DIY nature craft construction set – The Craft Train

2. Art Class at Home: Painted Flower Pots – Giggles and Nap Time

3. Nature art bugs – The Craft Train

1. Stick Pyramid Craft for Kids – Non Toy Gifts

2. Ice Cream Cone Bird Feeder – Easy Bird Seed Ornaments You Can Make – Natural Beach Living

3. Shake Painted Rock Snails Craft – Kids Craft Room

1. Nature Weaving – Learning and Exploring Through Play

2. Nature Tree Craft – Crafts on the Sea

3. Stick and Leaf Butterfly Craft – Artsy Craftsy Mom

1. Sun Catchers from Nature – The Gingerbread House

2. Gelatine Flower Suncatcher Nature Craft for kids – Thimble and Twig

3. Easy, Pretty, Preschooler Fairy Houses – Pink Stripey Socks

1. Nature Art Stick and String Sculpture for Kids – Emma Owl

2. Butterfly Nature Craft– Crafts on the Sea

3. Easy Spray Bottle Nature Art for Kids – East TN Family

1. Dandelion craft for kids – Little Pine Learners

2. Mother Nature’s Paintbrushes – Mas and Pas

3. Fancy Stick Crown– Mama Miss

1. Homemade Nature Suncatcher Wind Chimes for Kids to Make – Hands On As We Grow

2. Bookmark Craft for Kids Using Pressed Flowers and Leaves – Buggy and Buddy

3. Magical Pressed Flower Lanterns– Little Pine Learners

1. Making Sun Print Nature Art with Kids – Run Wild My Child

2. Stick Raft Building Craft – Kids Craft Room

3. Nature Inspired Self Portraits – The Resourceful Mama

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Nature Sensory Bottles

Posted by Casey

Sensory Play is an important part of early childhood development. Not only does it help to develop a solid foundation of scientific knowledge, it’s also a great way to get your little learners involved in exploring the world around them.

Today I’m sharing some of my favourite nature sensory bottles! You can make many of these at home with your little learners using items from your yard or as you take your afternoon family walk!

In order to make these bottles, you will need to collect some clear plastic bottles. I love the plastic VOSS bottles which you can occasionally find at Woolworths, but any clear bottle is great. You can also buy these sensory bottles from The Creative Toy Shop.

Babies especially love to explore anything and everything with their mouths, but this can be stressful and dangerous when the items are quite small. Placing these tiny items into a bottle means that babies can safely explore natural loose parts too!

The next part is the fun part! Head outside with a basket in hand and go on a nature walk with your Little Learner. You could simply explore your own backyard but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could also go to your local park, beach or forest.

Encourage your little learner to find items to place inside the bottles. You might collect different shaped and coloured leaves, small pebbles, shells, sand, dirt, sticks, feathers, flowers – anything that your little learner finds exciting!

When you get home, you can add the items to your bottles. Depending on the age of your little learners, they can help with this process too. Even little ones around 1 year of age will love to help you put the nature treasures into the bottles.

You might like to make different themed nature sensory bottles depending on how many items you find. Having a bottle filled with different sized pebbles and stones will make a delightful sound when your little learner shakes it! One of our favourite bottles is our ocean bottle. Inside there are different shells, driftwood and coral from our holidays to the beach! It’s a wonderful way to keep little treasures found on special occasions.

But you land lovers can collect most anything in your area and you can learn about the treasures that are native in your neck of the woods. Your little scientist can keep display their finds on display.

If you collected some flowers, you can add water to your bottle as well. That will keep the flowers looking fresh for longer. I’ve found it usually keeps our flowers nice for a few days at least. Add some greenery for the most beautiful floral sensory bottle!

My toddler’s Great Grandparents have a lot of wildlife at their house, so we have quite the collection of feathers. We put them inside a bottle so that our little learners can safely explore them.

As you can see, these bottles are absolutely beautiful and are a fantastic way for your little learners to explore nature. They also provide an excellent opportunity to develop oral language skills as you talk about the different nature treasures you find and how they look, feel and smell.

    Natural materials that can be used for sensory bottles.

Seashells found on the beach when we went to the ocean.

Dried wild flowers found in the field can be turned into sachets or saved in a clear sensory jar.

Dehydrated oranges and grapefruit can be hung on a tree for the wildlife to eat. Or you can make them into a window garland or suncatcher.

Leaves and flowers found on the ground fallen from the trees can be scattered across a layer of contact paper sticy side up. Then sealed by another layer on top sticky side down. Cut them into bookmarks, suncatchers, placemats, garland across a window or a wall hanging.  

If you like these ideas, and you would like to explore more, below are some of my many outdoor play posts.

Activities with leaves

Inspiration for a low cost outdoor playspace

Ideas for encouraging children to enjoy their natural environment

Water Gun activities

Build a Fairy Garden

 Ideas for playing outside in the Spring

Ideas for playing outside in the rain

Ideas for playing outside in the dark

Ideas for playing in the snow

Children connecting with Nature (discussing the findings of a 3 year study into how connected to nature the UK’s children are)

Loose Parts

Why mud Play is good for children

Finding the alphabet in nature

Every educator creates learning opportunities in different ways - there is room in your program for simple and not so simple experiences, intentional and incidental moments - and that includes incorporating nature play into your day to day activities.

Creating with Nature's
Loose Parts

Let them help be a part of the whole process of collecting and assembling
and then investigating nature inside your home

Nature Sensory Bottles

These were a real treat in our house. Simply choose which sense you’re going to activate and fill small clear jars with either flowers (sight), herbs (smell), grains (hearing) or anything that will surprise your little one! I used empty spice jars or plastic jars from Dollar Tree. The grains were a big hit as they made lovely gentle sounds, which she preferred over loud, synthetic commercial ones. I used smaller spice jars when the kids were babies. Fill bottles with water and your natural treasures and tighten the cap securely.

Laminated leaves & Flowers

Simply trim the stem off a few flowers as tight as you can to the bud then run them through the laminator (or press them in a heavy book for a few days then use clear contact paper folded over the flowers. I cut all my sheets to the same size to make it easier for children to sort through. She really enjoyed studying each little bud and leaf.

The girls made theirs into a suncatcher garland& loved exploring the flowers with magnifying glasses and comparing the flowers and leaves. Beautiful right? I love spring crafts because they bring so much color into our home.

Baby Nature Blocks

Hope was a happy baby who loves simple games like that (as do most babies. Blinking lights and flashy toys are really not necessary!)

But sometimes mama just wants to get crafty and make a new toy for baby. I did that today with a grocery store bouquet of flowers and some upcycled baby food containers!

How to Make Baby Nature Blocks

First off, this is going to be the easiest toy to make! I barely need to make a “how to” section on this post. But I know how much some of you like details, so here goes:

Supplies:

Flowers (I used a grocery store bouquet) or other nature

Baby food containers (Gerber’s plastic ones work well)

After the food containers were empty and had been washed, I just placed a few flowers and leaves inside of them and snapped the lid back on. That’s it. The hardest part of this whole activity is having flowers on hand.

The next step was introducing them to baby. He was soooo happy! He knocked over every tower I made, threw them across his mat, investigated them from all angles, banged them together, etc.

These blocks are so inviting! The way the light shone through them, the vibrant colors of the flowers, and the way the petals gently swished as he shook them made them extra intriguing for our little guy <3 

I know some of you will ask how long these blocks keep for. The truth is I don’t know. We just made them yesterday, so I’ll test them out and update you all later.

Sound Blocks

Sound blocks can be made with the same process. The eight sound blocks I made were filled with nature, rice, beans, pasta, birdseed, shells, pea gravel, beads, and colored gems. You could use any materials you have on hand though that you feel would make a neat noise when shaken. I think next I’d like to make one with bells inside!

 Nature Sticky Mural

Nature is art, and you can also create your own custom art with elements from nature! I can Teach my Child has a lovely idea for an outdoor mural where toddlers can stick leaves, petals and whole flowers in any pattern of their choice. You’ll need contact paper for this activity, which you can stick to a wall or solid gate outside. Hand the children the materials and let them create art!

Nature Collage

Collages are among the easiest craft projects for toddlers and preschoolers, and this one from Kids Activities Blog is no different! However, what’s special here is that you use only natural elements to make the collage! They have used contact paper to make the collage do double duty as a sun catcher, but you can just use a sheet of thick paper or card stock as well. Use fresh flowers or dried ones – they’ll all look pretty!

 Nature Sensory Bag

Sensory bags are a great way for babies to explore and learn to focus their attention. This sensory bag from Hands On as We Grow also doubles as a sun catcher – just stick it on window! Gather the materials by doing a scavenger hunt or a nature walk and use double bags especially if you’re dealing with over-excited toddlers or babies! You can focus on using different textures here, so it’s more fun to squish and move around!

 Scent Jars

This is an excellent sensory activity for toddlers and preschoolers and helps them learn about different scents. Mamas Happy Hive has used lavender, lemon and basil, but you can use any scent of your choice. Just use clean, dry glass jars, add a piece of lime or a spring of lavender along with the associated essential oil. Hand the jars to your child and let him sniff and guess!

DIY Rainstick

Sensory bottles are a great option for babies and toddlers, and we love this one from Rhythms of Play! The best part is that you can make it with things lying in and around your house. Get a transparent plastic bottle so kids can see all the components even while they’re shaking and playing with their rainstick. With the rains coming soon, let them get used to the sound of falling raindrops!

 Nature Soup

Who doesn’t love water play? We bet your little one does and that’s why she’ll love this nature soup activity from Meri Cherry! This is basically a water based sensory activity, where you create a ‘soup’ with all kinds of elements – lemons, leaves, flowers, twigs and more! Put it all into a large plastic tub with colored water, and then hand them utensils and brushes to swish everything through. Let them stir, sieve and pour to their heart’s content!

Dry herbs and Flowers from your walks and adventures
Hand drying, the oldest method, is also the easiest and most effective method for drying anything: leaves, flowers or herbs. Hang drying is also good for drying large quantities. You can tie and hang dry flowers in a closet, attic, dry cellar, garage, outdoor shed, or anywhere that is dry, warm and out of strong sunlight. Use for wall hangings from a stick or small branch or display in a vase.

Make placemats to spread your love of nature

It could become an ideal gift for any occasion. Older children will manage this easily on their own but younger children will need help from an adult with the lamination process. It takes a week or so to dry the flowers, so you'll also need to plan to set them aside and be patient.

If you would like a little inspiration to help you get started adding nature to your invitations to play or setups then this is the blog for you.  Most use very simple materials ...it's just how they combine and present them. You can do that too!

Ready to take a look? Let's do it!

Nature Play Invitations 

Libby set out simple paintbrushes out of sticks and leaves and then set up this invitation to paint using the colors of the Aboriginal flag. 

A feast for the senses! Libby set up this amazing looking potion making invitation - look at those colours and textures straight from the garden!

In this tabletop invitation Libby introduced bowls and spoons sourced from the op shop (thrift shop) and combined them with a few natural items to invite the children to direct their own play.

A creative idea from Linda and a fun way to add 'trees' to small world play! There are so many other ways children might also choose to use them in their play!

Sue-Ellen used her mud kitchen and scraps from her vegetable garden to create this play prompt. I wonder what they are cooking up and talking about?

Dawn set up this simple invite to play using smooth stones and some wood cookie counters. Easy to modify for different ages with a little forward planning.

Amanda added natural items to her playdough prompt. I like that the playdough has not had colour added to it - this helps the children to see nature and the patterns they make as they roll and press into the dough. They start with a blank canvas to make their own!

Deb also set up this natural playdough invitation to create using a selection of greenery and other items from nature. A great way for little hands to experiment with imprints, texture, patterns and colour!

A different way to incorporate nature into active learning experiences. Sonya set up this sketching invitation using plants as the models.  Another activity that is easy to modify for older and younger age groups!

Mery made this simple nature play setup offering a separate space for each child to create with and make their own... they look so inviting and ready for investigation! I can see a few bugs hidden in there too!

This idea from Jackie is so simple but looks so inviting and depending on ages the children will use the stones in different ways on their sand 'canvas'.

Nitixa used gumnuts, seed pods and earthy colours in this NAIDOC week painting invitation.

Amanda set up loose parts transient art play prompt using a mix of natural items. The children have their own 'canvas' space to create within.

The addition of some plants and wooden pieces makes this bug investigation table by Amy so much more interesting and enticing to investigate! 

Janelle shared with us this photo of a setup idea for a shared event  - a table to explore playdough and natural elements - something for all of the senses here. Impressive! 

Jessica introduced a collection of natural items for this nature based hair dressing prompt. I recognise these printable sheets from the wonderful Mother Natured!

Shell tracing and matching shared by Amanda. Simple but interesting!

Leah set up this colourful flower and leaf investigation table. I love the addition of the billy teapot! I wonder what potions and bowls they will create?!

Another inviting yet simple way to setup playdough and nature items to prompt mark making and creativity - this display was from Amanda.

Belinda set up an outdoor cutting practice basket - an easy idea providing a challenge for little fine motor muscles and coordination! 

This nature weaving invitation by Amanda looks like a fun way to explore textures, colour, creativity and smell ! 

Mud play is always fun and doesn't need to involve time consuming invitations to play -Brooke created this muddy truck wash activity for outside and it certainly looks like a hit!. 

Natasha set up an invitation to make a compost bottle. So many opportunities for learning through active , hands on investigation and discovery here.

Tania set up this natural creative play prompt. Building, stacking, balancing, sequencing, problem solving....fun!

Amanda introduced this nature painting invitation using colours mixed from nature and twig brushes.

Brooke made these clever nature sensory bags using items the children collected on a walk. These can be a great way to introduce different textures to sensory sensitive children who might be unsure about touching new textures and natural items.

What an interesting ocean themed tray invitation from Sylvana - seashells and sea creatures. 

Amanda set up a great dinosaur small world using rocks in a circular tray. For added fun she made some volcanoes using bicarb and the children exploded them with red vinegar! 

Kaylene turned a water play boat into a fairy garden for the children to explore and play with in different ways.

We did something similar in the backyard with a herby fairy garden using old wheelbarrows.

Michelle added rocks and shells to her water play (along with some play fish so they could go fishing!) 

Linda set up this simple flower sketching prompt. 

Amanda set up this beautiful flower invitation to play using colours from nature and a circular tray. 

Lisa introduced a simple but interesting number exploration invite to play and count using natural items. 

Lisa also set up this inviting fine motor name writing prompt using a sand box and name cards. 

Selina added some scales and pumpkins to make this simple weighing invitation to play. Many opportunities for playful learning here!

Amanda shared this snipping and fine motor invitation using playdough, rosemary and leaves.

Carissa set up a build a flower prompt using old flowers - you could ask parents to donate flowers when they have finished with them or go on a walk around the neighbourhood together to see what treasures you can find!. 

A simple water colour flower painting prompt from Amanda. Those bowls add such a lovely visual perspective to this invitation and every masterpiece will be unique according to the child's own expression of creativity and how they see the flowers before them. 

Deb used cloud dough and some natural items as a textured provocation idea. This invitation would work well with my sensory moon sand recipe too. Find it here.

Michelle added some magnifying glasses to create this invitation to explore and investigate.

Sharon presented colourful flowers and herbs in a different way by freezing them - the perfect sensory invitation for a hot day! 

Feeling inspired now to set up your own invitations to play incorporating elements from nature? 

Play, Craft & Learn with FloraLittle Bits: The Ultimate Guide

 
Earlier this week I shared with you . But are you wondering what to do with your new found treasures?

No worries, I have over 120 ideas for you. As part of a series called the Ultimate Guide to 50 Craft Materials, I’m sharing with you how you can play, create and learn using leaves, flowers, sticks, seed pods and bark. 

Danya Banya’s Ultimate Guide to Crafting with Flora.

1. Nature Art by Danya Banya

2. Learning With Leaves by Laughing Kids Learn

3. Painted Sticks by Be A Fun Mum

4. Flower Stencil Spray Painting by Learn with Play at Home

5. Painting Seed Pods by Mother Natured

6. Leaf Art by A Little Learning for Two

7. Using Nature as Your Canvas by Mother Natured

8. Painted Leaves by A Little Learning for Two

9. Painting on Seed Pods by Danya Banya

10. Paint Leaves by Be A Fun Mum

 You can paint with flowers, leaves and sticks instead of a brush

11. Painting with Nature (and a Peg) by Danya Banya

12. Poppy Seed Pod Painting by Happy Whimsical Hearts

13. Painting with Leaves by The Eyes of a Boy

14. It’s Flower Paint by Happy Whimsical Hearts

15. Painting With (and On) Sticks by Danya Banya

 You can create jewelery any parent would be proud of

16. DIY Nature Bracelet by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

17. Nature Crowns by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

18. Threading Leaves by A Little Learning for Two

19. Nature Bracelet Making by Paint on the Ceiling

20. Floral Wreath by Be A Fun Mum

 You can make an awesome collage

21. Tree Collage by Danya Banya

22. Colour With Nature by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

23. Flower Fairy Cards by Just for Daisy

24. Nature Faces by Happy Hooligans

25. Leaf Art by Be A Fun Mum

26. Invitation to Play With Nature by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

27. Nature’s Glitter by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

28. Fun with Leaves by My Little Bookcase

You can laminate, cover them with clear contact paper, press or laminate flowers and leaves to preserve and examine them

29. Nature on the Light Table by Racheous – Lovable Learning

30. Leafy Inspiration by Hinterland Mama

31. Contacted Leaves by Laughing Kids Learn

32. Wax Paper Flower Hangings by A Little Learning For Two

33. Hammer Pressed Flower Prints by Hinterland Mama

34. DIY Flower Press by Just for Daisy

 You can make Martha-Stewart-esque home decorations

35. Gum Tree Organisers by Happy Whimsical Hearts

36. Hole Punched Nature Candle Holders by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

37. Tree Jewellery by Hinterland Mama

38. Magnetic Tree by A Little Learning for Two

39. Creating with Flowers, Leaves & Twigs by Creative Play Central

40. Nature Fridge Magnets by Hinterland Mama

41. Jingle Sticks by Danya Banya (post coming soon)

42. Christmas Nature Garland by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

43. Outdoor Fairy Tree by A Little Learning For Two

44. Nature Spider Web by Wildlife Fun 4 Kids

45. Sticks by Hinterland Mama

46. Simple Lanterns by Red Ted Art

47. Nature mobile by Danya Banya

 You can make dolls, houses, boats etc – great for roleplay

48. Bush Critters by The Craft Train

49. Seed Pod Boats by One Perfect Day

50. Stick People by Danya Banya

51. Stick Raft by A Little Learning for Two

52. Pebble Fairy House by Be A Fun Mum

53. Seed Pod Cradles by Hinterland Mama

54. Fairy Garden by The Craft Train

55. Gumnut Babies by My Little Bookcase

56. Natural Fairy House by Be A Fun Mum

57. Fairy Furniture by Hinterland Mama

58. Playing with Seed Pods by Hinterland Mama

 You can add natural materials to play dough or clay 

59. Play Snow by Danya Banya

60. Making an Impression by The Inspired Treehouse

61. Exploring Clay with Preschoolers by One Perfect Day

62. Garden Treasures Play Dough by Octavia and Vicky

63. Fall Sensory Bin by Wildflower Ramblings

64. Play Dough Garden Centre by The Imagination Tree

65. Sensory Florist Fun by Mummy Musings and Mayhem

66. A Play Dough Nature Walk by How Wee Learn

 You can make learning fun!

Flora can be used in all sorts of ways to play and learn about art, maths, science, language, colour, categorisation, the environment, team work…

67. Leaf Matching by A Little Learning for Two

68. Numbers and Natural Materials by Learn with Play at Home

69. Flower Experiment by Ladybug’s Spots

70. Number Recognition Play by Danya Banya

71. Introducing Adjectives by My Little Bookcase

72. Patrick Dougherty Inspired Sculpture Art by Artchoo!

73. Floating Art by Learn with Play at Home

74. Counting and Grouping with Sticks by Learn with Play at Home

75. Colour Changing Roses by Octavia and Vicky

76. Why Leaves Change Colour by How Wee Learn

77. Leaf Scramble by The Inspired Treehouse

78. Rainbow Leaves by Be A Fun Mum

79. Drawing Nature by Hinterland Mama

80. Leaf Categorisation by The Inspired Treehouse

81. Deconstructing Flowers by Be A Fun Mum

82. Acorn Hopscotch by The Inspired Treehouse

Easy Peasy Pirate Ship for Imaginative Play-Inside or outside Apr 2012

Never underestimate the incredible learning that goes on through Imaginative Play.

 This is a chance for children to practice various skills, rehearse and use different and varied language and vocabulary as well as using their mind for problem solving, making assumptions and trying new things. (Plus heaps more!) And, the best thing about imaginative play is that you need very little, (sometimes, if any) materials at all.

Today after reading some books on our flavour of the month, Pirates (!), we created the simplest

 Pirate Ship ever that you could also make at home

You need a toy bucket/chest/container (hey, anything you can empty and fit a child in, they don't care!); a broom mast; a flag (we used a library bag) and supplies (We had pirate dress ups, a cardboard tube telescope and a skipping rope anchor(not pictured..this idea came after I'd put the camera away))

Imaginative play for children does not need to be fancy... remember, they are using their imagination too!

Handy Tips:

Simplify this activity by "making" a "Pirate Ship" yourself and then letting your child role play.

Extend this activity by making the parts for the ship with your child first. Eg, Make and design a flag, make a telescope, search for something appropriate for an anchor, make a pirate hat etc.- The language development is an important part in imaginative play like this. Talking with your child and introducing new language that is relevant to the role play will increase the learning. Talk about some Pirate sayings or words and what they mean,eg. "Pillage," "Ahoy, me hearties" "Shiver me timbers" etc

- Make your activity more relevant by first reading and sharing books and stories about Pirates

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Welcome to  TUESDAY TOTS for this week. Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum, Growing a Jeweled Rose and One Perfect Day This Week: Learn with Play at home is featuring Ideas to keep kids Active. These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup where we featured...

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10 Outside Activities for Kids

May 14, 2013

Welcome to  TUESDAY TOTS for this week. Brought to you by Learn with Play at home (us), Rainy Day Mum,  Growing a Jeweled Rose and In Lieu of Preschool This Week: Learn with Play at home is featuring 10 Outside Activities for Kids These great posts all came from last weeks Tuesday Tots linkup where we...

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"Shivery Snow" for Outdoor Sensory Play this Summer

Dec 11, 2012

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang. We've just hit Summer here in Australia and it's a glorious time of year for getting outside. The days are warmer and it doesn't get dark till much later, meaning you and the kids can enjoy the great outdoors for longer! Here's a fun way that we're beating the heat this summer, with our very own  "Shivery...

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Learning Outside with Chalk & Water

Nov 1, 2012

When ever we can get outside of the house or classroom, we try to make the most of it. A bright sunny day is just calling for some outside play and learning for all ages. I started with an Invitation to Play with the materials pictured above. Ages: 6 months-6 years + (see Handy Tips at the bottom for ideas to simplify or extend to meet...

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Make a Magic Tree

Apr 23, 2012

Having a special tree in your yard adorned with various exciting and precious items will add that little touch of magic and fun that kids love so much. It's so simple. Just collect any special little items you have at home and then get yourself outside to create some magic. We are actually asking all our family members to find something they...