Mental Well-Being

Get Crafty With Eco-Friendly Nature Creations

May 7, 2022
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There’s no better way to celebrate Mother Nature than by making some environmentally friendly crafts. Here are three fun nature creations you can make using recycled materials from around your home or out in nature. 

Wonderful windsocks

Making windy days fun is a total breeze with your very own windsock, a light, flexible cylinder or cone you set up outside to show the direction and strength of the wind.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Remove the lid and cut off the bottom of your cylindrical oatmeal container. 
  2. Cover the container with construction paper of your choosing. Make it colorful!
  3. Decorate your container. You can use paint, makers, glitter or even stickers. The most important part here is that you get creative and have fun.
  4. Glue, tape or staple your crepe paper and/or fabric strips to the inside of one end of your container. 
  5. Punch four holes in the other end of your container (opposite from where you added the crepe paper and/or fabric strips).
  6. Tie one string, about 12 inches long, to two opposing holes, and another string to the other two holes. 
  7. Gather your two strings with a third, longer piece of string. You will use this string to hang up your windsock. 

When you’re all done, hang your windsock outside a window where you can easily see it from inside. Now, you can watch your masterpiece blowing in the wind!

DIY nature picture creations

This fun experiment requires you to get out outdoors and explore nature. When you’re done, paint what you’ve found and use your colorful objects to create a scenic landscape.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Take a walk with your parent or guardian to collect some sticks, feathers, leaves, flowers and anything else you can find. You will use these nature materials to create your nature picture. 

Pro tip: Flat objects work best! 

  1. Once you’ve collected your materials, set up your workspace. Be sure to cover the area you’ll be working on with newspaper or old magazines.
  2. Lay your nature items flat on the newspaper. (Optional: Carefully brush a layer of craft glue over each item. Sprinkle glitter or powdered paint over items to add a special touch. Let the craft glue dry.)
  3. Now, arrange your nature items on a piece of construction paper. This will be the base of your nature picture. Take time to experiment with the arrangement of your design. 

Pro tip: Choose a color of construction paper that will highlight the colors of your nature items!

  1. Once you’re happy with your design, carefully lift each nature item and put a drop of glue on its backside. Then, lightly press it back in place on the construction paper. Let the glue dry.

When you’re done, hang your picture for friends and family to see! These nature pictures make great refrigerator and wall art. 

Terrific twig vase

On your next nature walk or park play date, collect some twigs for this activity. It’s easy to turn an empty jar into a beautiful vase from nature!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. While on a nature hike or playing in your backyard, gather a bunch of long, straight twigs. Try to find ones about the same diameter.
  2. Break your twigs so that they are about 1 inch longer than the height of the jar. 
  3. Wrap a rubber band around the neck of jar, about 1 inch from the top. 
  4. Wrap another band around the jar 1 inch from the bottom. 
  5. Place the twigs around the jar, tucking the ends under both rubber bands. Space them as closely as possible. 
  6. When the jar is covered with twigs, slide the rubber bands toward each other so that they meet in the middle of the jar. 
  7. Take a few pieces of twine or ribbon and wrap them around the rubber bands enough times to cover them completely. 
  8. To finish the vase off, you can make a bow with the leftover ribbon or simply glue the ends in place. Add faux flowers, fun buttons or anything you like by hot-gluing them along the band you just created.

Voila! You now have a pretty vase for all those spring flowers! This is a great gift for a family member or a storage container for pens, pencils, just about anything you can think of!