We've compiled 27+ fun nature crafts that your kids are going to love.
Make suncatchers, leaf paintings, puppets, life cycles, leaf crowns, and so much more. In fact, these crafts are just the beginning. Once you get the hang of creating art using natural materials, you'll find inspiration everywhere.
You might also like to check out these lists of fun ideas!
Ready to get started? Choose one of the fun ideas below!
Nature Crafts from Messy Little Monster
Let's start with some of our favourite nature crafts that we've done right here at MLM over the years! You'll find so many creative ways to incorporate leaves, seeds, and flowers into your crafts and art projects.Butterfly Life Cycle
If you're learning about butterflies, our Butterfly Life Cycle with Seeds is the perfect project for late spring or summer. Different tree seeds represent each stage of the life cycle. Kids will have such fun finding just the right seeds to represent the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly stages.
Apple Bird Feeder
How about a nature craft that benefits our fellow creatures? Our Apple Bird Feeder is such a craft, using apples, peanut butter, birdseed, and a bit of twine to make a bird feeder to hang in a tree in your yard.
Nature Suncatcher
This Nature Suncatcher is one of several suncatchers we've made using natural materials. Press and Seal or contact paper work wonderfully for preserving leaves, flower petals, and flat seeds to enjoy their visual appeal a little longer.
Andy Goldsworthy Art
Our Andy Goldsworthy Art for Kids is a wonderful craft to introduce kids to the world of art and artists. Goldsworthy is famous for using materials from nature, and this spiral design is an easy starter piece to delve into creating art with natural materials.
Flower Petal Suncatcher
Preserve those beautiful spring flower petals by learning How to Make Suncatchers using flower petals. Not only will it look beautiful with the light streaming through, but it's a creative way to enjoy the colours of the flowers for just a bit longer. What kind of pretty patterns will you make using flower petals?
Painted Leaf Monsters
While it's most fun during fall when you can find leaves of all different colours, shapes, and sizes, you can make Painted Leaves into monsters through spring, summer, or autumn. All you need are leaves, paint, and lots of googly eyes.
Mini Fairy Garden
Spring or summer is the perfect time to make a Mini Fairy Garden using small plants, rocks, seashells, snail shells, and other items you can find in nature. You could even make a little fairy out of maple seeds (for wings) and a twig (for the body).
Painted Rocks with a Camping Theme
Gathering rocks to paint is part of the fun of rock painting! It's a wonderful family activity, too. Once you've gathered some rocks that are smooth and flat, wash them and let them dry completely before painting. You can paint any theme you'd like, but we think these Camping Painted Rocks are very fitting for a nature craft! You can then use the painted rocks to play games, tell stories, or share with others.
Stone Faces
We've also shared our Painted Rock Faces craft, painting different facial features on rocks to create lots of funny faces. Add leaves, twigs, or flowers to create hair and eyebrows.
Nature Paintbrushes
DIY your own paintbrushes using items from nature. Our tutorial on Nature Paint Brushes shows you how. You'll need a stick for each paintbrush, and then you add things to the top that will create different textures using the paint. Flowers, feathers, grass, moss, and more are excellent choices.
Nature Paint
As well as being used to make paintbrushes nature can be used to make the actual paint! Search out some colour rich items from your backyard and see what Nature Paint colours you can mix up. You can even use our paints made by nature printable to test out the colours.
Leaf Suncatcher
Save some of your autumn leaves to make a fun Paper Plate Leaf Suncatcher. Just like the flower petal version above, you can use small leaves to create interesting patterns inside your suncatcher.
Leaf Hedgehog
And while you're looking for pretty leaves for your crafts projects, you don't want to miss our adorable Leaf Hedgehog. In fact, he's the perfect subject to use those brown, crunchy leaves on. Just grab our Hedgehog Template to get started!
Leaf Puppets
Puppets are great for pretend play, and you can easily create puppets using leaves, paint, and craft sticks. As you'll see in our Leaf Puppets Craft, we laminated ours to make them stronger and more durable.
Nature Tic Tac Toe
Make your own DIY game board and game pieces using items from nature! Our Nature Tic Tac Toe Craft is so much fun to make and play with. We used conkers (horse chestnuts) for game pieces, but rocks would work just as well.
Nature Owls
Go for a nature walk to collect pine cones, seeds, and other bits to make adorable crafts like this Pine Cone Owl Craft and conker owl craft. Both are super cute and easy to put together.
Playdough Bird Nest
Teach your children about birds with our Build a Bird Nest playdough activity. It combines a sensory activity, nature craft, and fine motor practice all into one fun project.
Clay Nature Faces
Get the clay out and use it to make some Nature Faces! After going on a nature walk to collect pieces of nature use your collection of nature to add facial features to a ball of clay stuck to a tree. This is such a fun nature craft for kids of all ages!
Sunflower Suncatcher
Brighten up your home with a stunning Sunflower Suncatcher. You won't believe how easy it is to make using an embroidery hoop and contact paper. It will look so gorgeous hanging in your window.
Playdough and Nature Tree Craft
Make your own tree from nature and playdough. This Nature Playdough Activity is easy to set up and lots of fun for preschoolers. Make a tree shape from playdough or clay (or use our Tree Template) and add real leaves to give it a summery look.
Dandelion Honey
Ok, so it isn't really a craft at all, but making Dandelion Honey is so much fun that I couldn't leave it off this list of nature activities. Follow our easy recipe and make yourself a tasty afternoon treat!
Spring Nature Craft
Celebrate the start of Spring with our printable Spring Colouring Page Nature Craft. This is such a simple nature craft for kids to get stuck into, but so much fun.
Fun Nature Crafts for Kids
Want even more nature craft ideas? Check out the projects below!
Leaf Faces
Who says art has to be permanent? Kids will get a kick out of making and rearranging faces using items from nature such as leaves, acorns, pinecones, seeds, and sticks. These Leaf Faces by Picklebums are sure to be the source of lots of giggles!
Leaf Bracelet
What a fun activity from Our Family Code! Go for a family nature walk to collect beautiful leaves this fall. Before you go, however, put a piece of tape sticky side out around your wrist. As you find interesting or colourful leaves, add them to your Leaf Bracelet.
Tree Nature Craft
Use a tree outline and items from nature to make this Stunning Tree Nature Craft by Crafts on Sea. It's a wonderful craft for most seasons, as you can use the colors, flowers, and seeds appropriate to the season.
Nature Prints
Flowers and clay come together to make these interesting Nature Prints by Sunshine and Wellie Boots. She used elderflowers, but you can use any flower. Let them dry and turn them into ornaments for a tree or magnets for the fridge.
Campfire Nature Craft
Of course, kids shouldn't build fires, but they can craft them with tissue paper, rocks, and sticks, as you see in this fun Campfire Craft by Box of Ideas. The red and orange tissue paper wrapped together almost looks like a real flame!
DIY Stick Toys
Sometimes the simplest toys keep kids engaged the longest. Why not try making some of these DIY Stick Toys from Artsy Momma? Learn how to create a pom-pom bird, a parrot puppet, a stick fishing pole, and more.
Nature Frame
Kids find such interesting treasures while out in nature. Let them compile and arrange their treasures into a Nature Frame Impressions Craft like this one by The Crazy Outdoor Mama. They can then proudly display their art for a while in their rooms.
Twig Art
All you need for this colourful Twig Art by Twitchetts is paint, twigs, and twine. It's a simple and beautiful craft that you'll want to keep up in your home for a long time. It looks rustic and modern at the same time.
Painted Rainbow Leaves
You'll definitely want to frame this Painted Rainbow Leaf Craft from Grace, Giggles, and Naptime. The bright rainbow colors are stunning, and using leaves of different shapes adds additional visual interest to the painting.
Leaf Crown
Make your little fairy prince or princess a beautiful Leaf Crown using the tutorial from Red Ted Art. You'll need leaves with long stems, as the stems will be used to sew the crown together. Of course, you could always try to glue or tape the pieces together if you can't get the hang of the stem sewing technique.
Pin this list of nature crafts to inspire you to create something beautiful after your next nature walk or outing. check out even more nature art ideas.
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