Crafting with natural materials for children – 3 simple craft ideas

Do you know that feeling? On every walk or hike , the children collect little (or even big) treasures? Many natural materials can be used to create beautiful crafts at home after a walk or on a dreary rainy day.

Do you sometimes lack inspiration? In this blog post, we've compiled three tried-and-tested craft ideas using natural materials. Suitable for children aged 4 and up.

1. Crafts with natural materials for children – Crafts with stones

What child doesn't love collecting stones and putting them in their jacket pocket? The great thing about stones is that they last forever and you don't have to start crafting with them right away.

Crafting with children using stones: Fun stone figures

Don't these little stone figures look funny? They're simply made by hand, and now a whole family of stone figures frolics on our windowsill in the children's room.

What kind of stones do you need for these funny little stone men?
The stones shouldn't be too small so the face fits. They should also be as smooth as possible on one side so they stand upright. Otherwise, the shape doesn't matter. Each stone figure can be as unique as we all are.

Materials: You will need two googly eyes, paint for mouth and cheeks, wooden beads or pom-poms for the nose, wool and craft glue.

Directions:

Here's how to make a colorful pom-pom: For the hairstyle, your child can wrap scraps of yarn around their palm several times (about 15 times). Then, carefully pull the yarn off and tie it together in the middle with an extra piece of yarn. Cut the loops open with scissors, and the pom-pom is finished. Use craft glue to attach the hairstyle to the stone.
The mouth is painted on, the nose and eyes are glued on , and the cairn is finished.

2. Crafting with natural materials for children – Craft idea using sticks

Collecting sticks is almost as popular as collecting stones. However, sticks aren't so easy to slip into a trouser or jacket pocket. Most people don't take their sticks home after a walk. But you can make some great crafts with sticks.

Crafting with children using sticks: A colorful stick mobile

I had actually planned to make a branch mobile with my daughter. But the branches, decorated with wool, can be wonderfully repurposed. Suddenly, my daughter had lots of magic wands and even more unicorn horns. Amazing, right? Kids just have such vivid imaginations. Back to the mobile.

What kind of branches do you need for the mobile? The branches should be thin and straight. Also, not too long. For hanging, the branches should ideally be the same length.

Materials: 3 sticks of equal length and additional straight sticks, colorful yarn, children's craft glue

Directions:

The hardest task for us parents: making the mobile stand. The branches are arranged into a triangle and glued together with a little craft glue. Once the glue has dried, you can wrap the ends with a piece of yarn and knot them.
The children can actively participate in decorating the branches: Apply glue to the branch and wrap it with thread. Secure the end with glue and wrap it with a new thread. And so on. It's entirely up to the children's wishes and crafting mood.
Next , attach the branches to the branch triangle with a thread. Done.

Food simply tastes best outdoors, and anyone who seeks out nature's treasures is bound to get hungry. Here you can read about three easy vegan snacks that kids will love, and of course, you can bake them yourself.

3. Crafts with natural materials for children – Crafts with chestnuts

Autumn is chestnut season. We were lucky this fall and managed to collect some beautiful ones while hiking and even in town. It's not so easy, because a few chestnuts are spread out among a relatively large number of children. And we still find the occasional forgotten (or hidden?) chestnut in the children's room.

Crafting with children using chestnuts: Art made from chestnuts

When crafting with chestnuts, most people probably think of the chestnut figures that decorate the windowsills of many children's rooms in autumn. To bring a little variety to your chestnut crafting, I'd like to show you a lovely hanging decoration made from chestnuts and wool.

Materials: One chestnut, one chestnut drill, 4 skewers, 4 wooden beads, craft glue

Directions:

Using a chestnut drill, drill four holes into the chestnut. The holes should be directly opposite each other. Insert the skewers into these holes. It's best to use a little craft glue for a better hold. The skewers can be shortened if they are too long.
After you 've tied the first strand of yarn to one of the skewers, your child can guide the yarn to the next skewer, wrap it around once, and so on. To change color, tie the end of the old yarn to the new yarn.
We glued four wooden beads onto each end of the skewer and the chestnut artwork was finished.

Craft ideas using natural materials are a wonderful way to combine walks in bad weather with a cozy crafting afternoon at home.

You can read about 8 game ideas for playing outdoors with children in rainy weather here.

Another great way to bring a little bit of nature and the forest into your child's room is with our ABC cards. You can find 8 simple game ideas using our learning cards here.