Next time you go on a nature hike with your children, have them pick up some nature finds. You can make a nature centerpiece for your dining room table as you arrange the pieces. We used hot glue, google eyes, feathers, and bits of cloth to create some fun nature creatures.
Archive for the ‘Fun Spring Activities’ Category
Nature Centerpiece
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011The Wonder of Spring
Sunday, April 24th, 2011
Watch my children as they squeal with joy at the wonder of spring. Why not grab your camera and do the same? Try to get close-ups of green plants peeking up out of the soil, new buds on branches, and birds preparing their nests!
Easter Ideas
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
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If you would like some Easter ideas, here is a video that will show you some fun and easy Easter crafts as well as ways to organize Easter from year to year. It’s helpful to keep all your Easter supplies in a clear pouch. You can get a durable pouch for free when you buy bed sheets or blankets. These are the items I keep in my Easter pouch:
- The Very First Easter – A book that explains the true meaning of Easter with colorful illustrations of the resurrection of Christ.
- Plastic Easter eggs and stackable baskets for each child for the Easter egg hunt each year.
- Unused egg dye kits and wire egg holders left over from other kits so that each child has a wire egg holder to dye their Easter eggs.
- It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (a classic cartoon)
- A plastic bag or decorated folder with clipped magazine pictures for Easter crafts you might want to do with your children in future years.
- Resurrection Eggs (from Family Life) – The items are made from metal, and each item illustrates something from the Easter story. Lead up to Easter by reading a short devotional each day for the 12 days leading up to Easter. (Well-done and not cheesy.)
Here are some easy Easter crafts to do with your children:
1. Colorful countdown egg carton
- Cut off the top part of a cardboard egg carton.
- Put candy or the Resurrection Egg items into each compartment.
- Glue colorful squares of tissue paper to seal each compartment. With a black marker, write the numbers 1-12 on each piece of tissue paper before you glue it in place. Allow it to dry overnight.
- For the 12 days before Easter, your kids can tear through one number of the tissue paper, getting the candy or item, looking forward to Easter. This is sort of like an Advent calendar, except it’s for Easter instead of Christmas.
2. Paper sack and twig nest
- Scrunch down a paper sack to make the nest.
- Pour glue over the top.
- Have your kids glue the small twigs onto the paper sack. Super cute nest, perfect for your glitter eggs.
3. Glitter eggs
- Get a cold boiled egg from your fridge. Put school glue on the outside of the egg. (Make sure the shell is still on the egg.)
- Place the egg into a plastic bag with confetti. Shake the egg to coat it completely.
- Let the beautiful glitter egg dry in the fridge.
- Place it into the cute twig nest the next day.
Have a great Easter!
Nature Hunt for Colors
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
When my children were toddlers and preschoolers, I grabbed an egg carton and painted each hole a different color. After it was dry, we went on a nature hunt for colors, and my children tried to find something in nature that matched the color of each hole. A small pine cone was brown, moss was light green, grass was dark green, and a small rock was gray. Pink flower petals were lying on the ground, and we picked them up. My children had a great time, and it helped them to pay closer attention to nature.
