Easy Pinecone Wreath

October 8, 2018Leave a comment

Pinecone Wreath (5)

We’ve had a kindness wreath up on our door for over a year now – a project that we loved, but the time now feels right for a change. We used fall nature finds to craft this easy wreath on a store-bought twig frame.

As the title of this post suggests, you’ll need pinecones of course, but feel free to add other treasures that your children bring in from nature. We added some beautiful fall foliage!

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You can use ribbons to attach the pinecones, but I worried this wouldn’t be strong enough. Instead, we wrapped floral wire around each pinecone – Travis loved this new material (under adult supervision, of course).

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I did the wire wrapping, but he selected the perfect spot on the wreath for each pinecone.

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To attach the leaves, we simply tucked in their stems.

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Is there a homemade wreath hanging on your door for this autumn? Please share in the comments!

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Twig Stars

October 5, 2018Leave a comment

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There is a beautiful, yuletide feel to these stars, although here we are crafting them in October! Make them now, or set the idea aside for the upcoming Christmas season.

For each star, you’ll need 5 sticks that are roughly the same thickness and length; break any to the proper size if they are too long.

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I hot glued the stars together, then set Travis up with tidbits to decorate them – berries, pine needles, a bowl of glue, and a bowl of glitter. Little pinecones would look sweet, too.

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First dunk the berries in the glue, then immediately transfer to the glitter. He loved this part!

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If you like, dunk in the tips of your pine needles, too, or any other nature finds you have to add to your stars. Let dry completely.

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The next morning, we dabbed glue all over the stick stars, and added our berries and other treasures.

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Travis got a bit impish and loved smearing glue over the leftover glitter on our work surface, too. Good thing I had things covered with a layer of foil!

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Hang the resulting stars from twine, indoors or out.

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As mentioned, these would be beautiful at Christmas, but will light up a windowsill or other area of your home any time!

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Clothespin Grasshopper

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018Leave a comment

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We were invaded by an army of grasshopper this morning! Okay, perhaps not really, but you only need a few materials to make a whole batch of these buggy friends, and Travis loved having lots to play with.

First, color clothespins with green marker (or use green paint, in a pinch).

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For the legs, cut green pipe cleaners in half. Insert one half towards the front, and one half in back, then bend down to shape the legs.

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I had to wrap the back leg pipe cleaner around the clothespin to secure it in place, since it wasn’t pinched, which resulted in slightly crooked critters; cut the front pipe cleaner shorter if you want to offset this imbalance!

Travis was so eager to play with one that I drew on eyes with marker.

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For the rest of our green horde, we glued on googly eyes and let dry.

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Get hopping!

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Rattlesnake and Other “Critters”

October 4, 2018October 4, 2018Leave a comment

Rattlesnake (4)

You can bring the “wild wild west” to life for your kids with this easy snake craft. I purchased a tie on clearance at Target for our snake, but you can also raid daddy’s closet for old ties instead of buying something new.

First, we cut a bit of length off the end where it was too narrow, then stuffed bells into the seam to be the snake’s rattle. You can also use wooden beads for this step – anything that will make a noise!

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Secure the bells or beads between two elastic bands.

For the head, stuff in two old socks. I was worried the socks would fall out, so used a safety pin to help keep them in place.

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To finish our wiggly friend, Travis glued on two googly eyes and decorated with markers.

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Squiggles from Travis, diamonds care of mama. (And yes, he insisted on wearing another pair of old socks on his hands as he worked, ha!)

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Now it was time to take our snake out for play. He can squiggle…

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…or coil up in a ball!

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As we played with the snake, we talked about other Wild West critters, like vultures and armadillos. Your kids can pretend to be the animals, curling up in a ball like the armadillo, or trotting through the Western town horseback. For more Wild West fun, see our Koala Crate from ages ago!

Milk Jug Bird Feeder

October 4, 2018October 4, 2018Leave a comment

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It’s that time of year when we start thinking about our feathered friends, providing them with seeds for the colder weather ahead (even though it’s been unseasonably warm!). In the past we’ve made everything from pinecone feeders to a little cafe. I wanted to try this version because it looked nice and roomy for the birds, but it posed a bit of a vegan challenge: the base of the feeder calls for a gallon milk jug. I briefly considered reusing a relative’s milk gallon, but had a hunch the non-dairy milk bottle from Califia Farms would work. It does, but grown-ups, do take care in the step below that calls for an Xacto knife and scissors!

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First, cut a window in the front of the jug for birds to fly into. I started this with a knife, and finished the cut-out with scissors.

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You’ll also need to make a hole near the top of the bottle to thread through yarn.

Travis took great pride in painting this project, everything from selecting the color blue…

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…to mixing shades of blue…

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…to making sure every last bit was covered.

Once the paint had dried, I tied yarn through the hole in the top and we headed outside.

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Travis loved scooping in the bird seed.

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Find the perfect spot to hang your feeder, then wait for your feathered friends to arrive!

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Nature Hunt Treasure Stick

October 1, 2018October 1, 2018Leave a comment

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This neat idea from KiwiCo’s website is a great way to bring home treasures from the outside world. Bonus points if you craft it while you’re still out in the woods!

We went for a short walk after a morning of classes, bringing along two Y-shaped sticks that I’ve hoarded just for this purpose.

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As we walked, we gathered anything we deemed a “treasure” – leaves we liked, little flowers, berries, and more.

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Back at the park entrance, we seated ourselves at a picnic table and I showed Travis how to wind yarn (which I’d brought along) around the Y of his stick. Keep wrapping all the way up the Y, then tie the yarn off.

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