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 shallow cardboard box with flaps…
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 the woods or at your…
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 make the wreath, you just…
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 celebrate Christmas, count all the…
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 just delicious and healthy, they…
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 searching the dawn greyscape, no…
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 words of an astute 7…
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 witness. In some cases, you’ll…
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 to investigate – where individual…
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 flavor so far is raspberry…
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 to liquid to gas and…
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 your own garden (or on…
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 sprouts flowers by the time…
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 dainty limbs that can’t support…
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 need treasures, string, and some…
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 thinly as you can and…
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 ORNAMENTS BIRD TREAT GARLANDS BIRD…
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 the birds. If you’re hanging…
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 to nourish and entertain them…
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 a beautiful holiday ornament for…
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! – and so can you….…
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 ribbon and 20+ cloves to…
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 exploring, collect a few treasures…
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 a few, my crafty mom…
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 a battery-powered tea light. Heat…
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 well). Tie them at intervals…
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 2 folded letter-sized colored paper…
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 from sand is a good…
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 trigger is when my allergies…
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 against another and then used…
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 both ends of the milk…
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 from capsizing or embellish it…
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 instrument – and 20 or…
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 blanks for a few key…
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 one who starts jumping up…
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 and a personality. Then toss…
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 up there – that most…
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 by breaking those sticks in…
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 ground that looks interesting. When…
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 spot for it to live…
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 that. Blindfolded, your friends lead…
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 to use a compass, better…
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 between footpaths. Your chances are…
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 treasure. Then plan out your…
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 you really need is a…
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 ant, “B” is for bee,…