PHOTO: Nature Art with Laila.

All-Season Nature Crafts for Kids

As a mom and working artist, I try to think of ways I can introduce my 3-year-old daughter to the outdoors and the power of imagination through craft projects. And as an employee at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I am inspired by all sorts of family programs and drop-in activities for kids and families that celebrate the outdoors.

What’s fun about nature art is that it starts with an adventure and ends with a surprise. For instance,  the “family of owls” that we created may appear in story time later.

Here are some of the nature-inspired activities and kid-friendly crafts that have come out of my journey as a mother and continue to get the best reviews from Laila, my toughest little critic.

Dirt is cool

Even when she was a baby, my daughter was intrigued by dirt. She is still fascinated by it, in any form. In the long winter, when we’re tired of being cooped up, we bring a little of the outdoors inside and put together a mud pie prep kitchen. Supplies include dropcloth, potting soil, spray bottle, pouring cups, pie plates, and sticks, rocks and/or sand for decorating.

PHOTO: Mudpie in progress.
Don’t forget to have an old towel underneath your creation station.
PHOTO: Laila holds her finished mudpie.
The finished muddy treat

Happiness is when mom says it’s OK to play with your food

This is the best way to distract a picky eater, or wow guests with an inexpensive dish you can design with your kids. Laila and I made these creations out of various fruits, vegetables, herbs, and cheeses.

PHOTO: A cheese and fruit plate in a holiday theme is fun for kids to graze.
Bite-sized holiday snacks are great for kids who graze.
PHOTO: A vegetable butterfly makes for delicious, healthy snacking.
A vegetable butterfly makes for delicious, healthy snacking.

It’s an outdoors treasure hunt

Laila and I start by taking adventure walks and filling our pockets or a basket with sticks, leaves, flowers, and other found art objects. Everywhere you look, there are free art supplies.

PHOTO: Laila through the year, enjoying the outdoors.
Every season has something outside to explore.
PHOTO: Sticks and grass make a portrait of our house; Laila works on a mulch sun.
We made a portrait of our house. Sticks and grass set the scene; Laila works on a mulch-made sun.
PHOTO: Onion skins provide the fall leaves for our tree painting.
Take gatherings inside to make nature scenes or collages inspired by the seasons. Here, onion skins provide the fall leaves for our tree painting.

Rock ’n’ roll with it

Hand-picked rocks can be collected, cleaned, painted, and polished to transform into precious stones with a story attached. Even little nature lovers can apply homemade or washable paint to their rocks before an adult adds a clear topcoat finish. The rock art can be used as a paperweight or embellishment to a potted plant. Add a pipe cleaner and clothespin to make it a photo holder.

PHOTO: Laila collects stones on the beach; the painted stones below.
Every child likes to collect rocks.
PHOTO: A photo holder made from a painted stone, clothespin, and colorful pipe cleaner.
Collected stones can be painted or polished as keepsakes. Here, we’ve added a pipe cleaner and clothespin for a photo holder.

Impromptu art

One day we found pine cones and added fabric, buttons, and ribbon to create a family of owls that found a new home in our Christmas tree. Another time we used sticks, wire, glitter, and beads to build a twinkling mobile.

PHOTO: A family of hand-made pinecone owls using buttons for eyes and ribbon feet.
A family of pine cone owls made great Christmas ornaments.

When the projects are done, we talk about what we made, where our supplies came from, and who we can share our creations with.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of outdoor exploration with my mom. I hope Laila someday will feel the same way.

Want to get more nature into your child’s education? Learn about our Nature Preschool program.


©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Published by

Maria Ciaccio

Maria Ciaccio is a Graphic Designer at the Garden.

2 thoughts on “All-Season Nature Crafts for Kids”

  1. What a wonderful exploration of art and nature! This creative nature play is sure to build a strong foundation for future learning because it’s built with love–love for learning, art, nature and family!

Comments are closed.