Nature Crafts for Kids

Image by betinasuarez from Pixabay 

While the Covid-19 virus and the resulting limitations on work, study and travel is unprecedented, most of us can draw on our previous experience with floods, wildfire, snowstorms, power outages and other random acts of nature. Resist fear and panic; we will get through this…

In the meantime, many of you have children at home unexpectedly. Keeping them learning and occupied in a productive manner is important for the sanity and health of everyone. Crafts, while not the whole answer, can be part of the solution. Finding creative things to make with things already on hand is easier than one might think. For example, while not a “nature” craft as such, here’s my old standby, a homemade play dough recipe:

            1 cup white flour

            ½ cup salt

            2 t cream of tartar

Mix together. Add:

            1 cup water

            2 T oil

            Food coloring of choice

Mix together and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and forms a ball. As soon as it is thick, remove from the stove, take the dough out of the pan and knead it on a sheet of waxed paper until the dough is smooth and the color is uniform. 

Play dough if great, but now is a good time to spend outdoors and in the sun, if possible. Creating things from items found in nature is a good learning opportunity and a chance for children to exercise their creative muscles. Collect leaves to press between the pages of a thick book or preserve them by placing them between sheets of waxed paper and using an iron. Detailed instructions can be found here. 

Collect smooth rocks to bring home and paint. Children can paint the scenes of their choice on flat, smooth stones, but an uplifting project might be to create Kindness Rocks. Write inspiring messages on rocks, then put them back outdoors to be found by others who might need a bit of encouragement. More information.

Pine cones, of course, seem to have an endless number of craft uses. In some locations they are quite easy to find, and if you happen to have some in your backyard you will be able to keep your crafters busy for some time.  

Using felt or paper (or both) to turn pine cones into a variety of animals is one of the cuter ways for children to use cones in crafts. Popular pine cone animals include owls, hedgehogs, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, bats and mice.  

One of my grandsons, who just turned four, has a long history (for one so young) of collecting sticks at every opportunity. His mother, for a time, allowed him to keep a limited collection of special sticks on the patio outside their apartment. The craft-making potential of sticks deserves a post of its own, so stay tuned…

Margaret

How to Collect and Prepare Cones for Crafts

Hemlock cones on tree

We started WildingsWhimsy by offering cones in bulk lots for crafters, so let’s just take a quick look at how we forage and prepare cones for use in crafts.

We collect four species from our property: Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, hemlock and White pine. The Douglas fir are far and away the most plentiful, with hemlock a distant second. We do not have much Ponderosa pine and had seen few pinecones, so finding some was a new and exciting discovery. Love those pine cones! They are large and fat and well formed, adding a pop to holiday wreaths or other decorations. 

We attempt to locate and collect this year’s cones in late summer and fall. You can tell they are “ripe” when there are new cones on the ground, and the squirrels are busy collecting them. Some of our cone collecting skills were developed many years ago when we collected seed cones to sell for propagating Douglas fir seedlings. The cute, tiny hemlock cones are also collected off the ground, although they are easily gathered from lower branches as well. We don’t climb trees to gather any type of cone (or boughs).

Ponderosa pine cones

Whatever the species, the process is the same after we haul home our big tote bags of usually wet and sometimes muddy cones. We put them in batches in the sink with a tiny amount of dish detergent and a bit of vinegar, letting them soak to get the dirt – and most importantly – the bugs out. Water causes the cones to close up, if they were open before, but this is temporary. You can also use a splash of bleach rather than vinegar if you want. The purpose is to get rid of any “critters” in residence under the cone scales.

We leave them to soak for about 30 minutes while we preheat the oven to 200°. 

Douglas fir and hemlock cones

We then remove the cones from the water, rinse and remove fir needles, grass, leaves and the other bits of debris that inevitably comes along. We cover old baking sheets and broiler pans with tin foil – these can be picked up at Goodwill or yard sales. I tend to prefer to put the cones in a single layer, if possible, but they can be mounded up a bit if necessary.

Dry the cones in the oven for about 30 – 45 minutes. This will dry them a bit, and eradicate any stubborn insects. We have found that cones that have been soaked in water will need longer to dry and open fully, so ours are left in a wide cardboard box or on the sheets for several days to completely “cure.” Be aware that if you layer them very deeply they need to be stirred or turned daily, as they can mold.

When they are fully open we usually remove any seeds that haven’t already fallen out (for another project we are doing) and check further for bugs or debris. A nice set of tweezers is good for this.

After a few days we have lovely, opened cones for crafts and floral arrangements. 

Feel free to comment!

Margaret