A Special Thank You….
Protecting nature and keeping her clean are crucial ways to show our gratitude. And a beautiful thank you note is nice too…. Next time you’re…
Al Fresco Pie Kit
From June to August, when wild blueberries, wineberries, raspberries and blackberries ripen, put together a pie kit and head for your favorite berry patch. All…
Camping Cakes
Oranges roasting on an open fire – oozing with orange-infused cake! This is a fantastically simple and exciting way to bake outside – whether in…
Compass Detectives
Make a treasure hunt using compass coordinates on hidden notes as clues. Then see how well your friends fare! Along the way you’ll learn how…
Dawn Chorus
The dim, brisk, wee early morning is all yours, wrapped up together in a blanket relishing silent sips of hot chocolate, ears pricked up, eyes…
DIY Fossil Sifter
Sifting for fossils requires…… a sifter! Below are links to some easy instructions for building the ideal tool. That said, anything that separates bigger pieces…
Drinking Nature
Add Sweet Woodruff (ideally before it has bloomed) to lemonade, apple juice or white wine for 45 minutes and drink in the Spring! In the…
Fairy Villages
As you stroll along in search of your favorite, most idyllic setting, pick up little twigs, seed pods, pretty fallen leaves and any other natural…
Flap the World’s Biggest Wings!
What does it feel like to have the biggest wings on the planet? The Wandering Albatross knows, with a wingspan of up to 12 feet!…
Fresh Plants from Vegetable Scraps
It’s almost magical, the way some fruits and vegetables regenerate if you put their heads or feet in water – and an exciting process to…
Ginkgo Roses
A single ginkgo leaf is a perfect, elegant beauty. Each November, we are lavished with a thick yellow carpet of them. To preserve at least…
Holiday Bird Feeder Wreath
Easy, lovely and kind. A wreath is a good way to serve up all sorts of foods that nourish birds in the winter months. To…
Holiday Bird Seed Ornaments
Especially in the winter, birds can use a little help from their friends (that’s you 🙂 ). These seed ornaments are a perfectly festive way…
Holiday Bird Treat Garlands
Popcorn and fresh cranberries make a stunning indoor/outdoor garland – especially against a dark green backdrop. And the outside ones are a lovely snack for…
Holiday Bird Treat Ornaments
If you’ve got some O-shaped cereal (no sugar or other stuff added), maybe a few fresh cranberries and some wire, you have the makings of…
Holiday Orange + Clove Aroma Globes
These don’t look half bad – but their glory is in the festive, spicy-citrus scent they share. You just need an orange, a string or…
Holiday Tree for the Birds
A festively adorable garden decoration for you, a bewildering smorgasbord of treats for the birds! And a really fun afternoon of nature crafting! BIRD SEED…
Ice Sun Catchers
These fleeting ice beauties are a lovely way to showcase natural treasures – illuminated in the winter sun like sparkling stained glass windows. You just…
Leaf Kites!
On a gusty Autumn day, bring some string along to an open meadow and collect an assortment of large, broad leaves (maple and oak work…
Leaf Lanterns
What to do with all of those gorgeous leaves? Make them glow! You just need wax paper, an iron, construction paper, string, a twig and…
Leaf Regalia
Simple yet magnificent! Next time you head into the woods, bring along a 2″ x 20″ long strip of card stock (or, we stapled together…
Microdetective
Grabs 4 sticks to outline a square patch on the ground. Then find at least 20 things in that square to describe. Then double down…
Mud Potpourri
Dress appropriately for this one. On your way to your mud source (a few dependable spots below), gather fallen leaves, petals, grasses, anything on the…
Nature in alphabetical order
Gather everybody’s senses and focus on nature’s details all around you as you take turns finding creatures, plants, landscape in alphabetical order. “A” is for…
Nature Mad Libs
The perfect pastime when everybody needs a break – or a good laugh! One person writes down 4 or 5 sentences describing their surroundings, leaving…
Nature Medallion
You can spiral-weave anything that’s long, pliable and not too frail into a medallion. And the treasure hunt for items which meet that criteria in…
Nature Treasure Chest
This little hive of a nature cupboard inspires kids to pay close attention outside and curate their own collection of natural wonders. YOU’LL NEED: a…
Oh the Stories You’ll Tell
You can find a few creature faces in every tree or fallen limb. Keep your eyes open and sketch your favorites. Give them a name…
Orange Sun Catcher Garland
Dried orange slices catch the sunlight like nature’s stained glass. If you have an orange or two past their prime for eating, slice them as…
Painting Rocks – With Rocks
My son discovered this cool painting technique at Jacob’s Creek, where the beaches are full of red-tinged flat rocks. He pulverized them by rubbing one…
Pea Teepee
One of our favorite sweet snacks from the garden in the summertime is a handful of fresh, chompy, succulent sugar snap peas. And they’re not…
Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Our most successful and easiest to make bird feeder yet! Coat a pine cone in peanut butter, roll it in bird seed. And hang on…
Rock-n-Roll Composer
Composing a melody has never been so easy – or fateful. You’ll need someone who knows how to read music and ideally plays a portable…
Sculptures
With some vines or long grasses and a pile of twigs, you can make a panda bear, a giraffe or a lion. Find a nice…
Secret Passages
Sometimes the best way to get from one place to another is on a NOT footpath. See if you can find special tunnels to move…
Sensory “Fruit Tree” Countdown Calendar
This lovely count down idea checks all the boxes: anticipation, excitement, yumminess, sensory intrigue, education – and it looks beautiful, too! And if you don’t…
Snow Ice Cream
We definitely scream for this ice cream! It’s as easy to make as it is yummy. With the intense sweetness of condensed milk, our favorite…
Snow Taffy
Turn maple syrup (or honey) into a taffy lollipop! Not only was this a scrumptious activity, it also precipitated discussions about matter changing from solid…
Snowflake Muse
It’s amazing how perfectly kaleidoscopic snowflakes look when you really examine them closely. Seed pods, leaves, and dried flowers in your garden are great places…
Spring is in the house!
This one’s like a magic trick. A simple (looking) stick – or wand, if you will – placed in water at the end of January…
Train Gazing
Whose eyes don’t widen after their ears hear the rumble of a train? It’s just plain exciting. And if yours is the kind of little…
Tree huggers
Have you ever gotten to know a tree so well that you could recognize it with your eyes closed? This game is about doing exactly…
Unexpected Masterpieces
That beauty hides in the overlooked stuff is one of nature’s wonderful life lessons. Every season offers up this teaching moment. For me, an undeniable…
Walking the Canopies
Hold a mirror just under your eyes on top of your nose and watch the tops of the trees as you walk. It’s another world…
Waterscope
Using a milk carton or yogurt tub, you can make a device that gives you a fish’s eye view of the underwater world. Cut away…
Whatever Floats Your Boat!
If it floats, it’s a boat. The savvy shipwright might add a leaf sail to make it faster, use flatter, broader pieces to prevent it…