The final day in our Fall Recipes for Play series was Nature day. I wanted to do something that reminded me of Fall and showcased beautiful Fall nature. I settled on making a wreath with S, but honestly I didn't think it would turn out as gorgeous as it did. It is hands down my favorite wreath EVER.
I don't actually make wreaths - I usually buy them, so I didn't have any supplies on hand. Nevermind that though, when you have cardboard in the garage! Oh, and do you love our homemade compass? It didn't work perfectly, but well enough!
My little goof. Once we had the shape of the wreath cut out (I cut it out myself with a box cutter while S watched from a safe distance), we were ready to set out on our hunt for beautiful items in nature. As S found things she liked, I would let her know if they would hold up or not (for instance, grass would wilt and dry very quickly) and she would put the lasting items she chose into her bag (a paper grocery bag). I carried scissors with us to help her cut things that needed to be cut (she chose several things from our own plants in our yard). If you live in an area where there's not much to choose from outside, you could always do this product using the fake Fall leaves/nature decor available at craft stores like Michaels and/or the Dollar Tree and it would still be a super fun project.
I explained that for the wreath to look complete, we needed to cover up all the cardboard with her findings - so we'd need a lot. Once we got home, she laid out all her treasures in a line. It was so pretty - natural art right there!!!
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I knew from designing our Nature Sensory Board for baby X several months back that I'd want to use my hot glue gun to make sure everything stayed in place. So S was totally in charge of placement, but I was in charge of actually gluing it down (I used the high setting on the gun and didn't want her to get burned).
She was very thoughtful about the placement of each item. It was not how I would have made the wreath, but it was more beautiful than mine would have been!!! The only input I gave was to direct her attention to any bare spots (our objective being to completely hide the cardboard) and all the rest of the design was totally her doing.
Here are a couple shots of the finished wreath. I think it's absolutely breathtaking and she is SO proud to have it hanging on our door.
Soooo pretty!!!
Now that you've seen how we played with Fall Nature, don't forget to check out the other three amazing posts that are part of the series:
Fall Centerpiece Craft for Kids from Housing a Forest
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
Beautiful! And so awesome that she was so proud of her creation! That's the best part of all ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephanie! It was so easy and so much fun. I love her decorations - it's really starting to feel like Fall around here! :)
DeleteWow, so beautiful! It would be so fun to create a nature wreath when the leaves change colour. S did a great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kristan! It was really so easy and it's SO beautiful! I will tell her you liked it - it will make her day. :)
Deletewhat a great idea. I can't wait to try it with my little ones.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cute and Peculiar! It really turned out so beautifully! I hope you and your little ones have fun making yours. :)
DeleteBeautiful! We will definitely be doing this! With three kids, we will probably do one for each of their bedroom doors :-)
ReplyDeleteOooh, that will be SO pretty, Meredith!!! And so glad you liked it! :)
DeleteWe are SO doing this!!! Thanks for the idea! :)
ReplyDeleteYay, Ann!!!! I am sure you guys will make a super gorgeous one - you have some great nature to gather near your house!
DeleteVery pretty, JUST make sure that you collect from your own backyard or from a place where you have PERMISSION to collect items. Many parks and other nature preserves frown on people walking off with moss, lichens, and other parts of plants other than nuts and fallen leaves.
ReplyDeleteYes - excellent point!
DeleteSo lovely and sweet! Thanks for the inspiration! Totally gonna do this with my daughters. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear it! I hope you guys enjoy your wreath as much as we did! :)
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