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Sometimes when you are out and about with the kids you "collect" all sorts of interesting objects. When you get home, why not put them to good use by having a go at some of our nature crafts? They are great for celebrating the different seasons, too.
Instead of potato printing with your kids, why not try your hand at these apple prints? Experiment with different types of apple and you might find some surprises: did you know that in some apples a star shape is formed when you cut through the centre of the apple perpendicular to the core?
Here's an excuse to go outside and collect some autumn leaves! Even the youngest children can make a pretty autumn collage that you will be proud to display...
Once the leaves start to change colour, it's the perfect time to create some natural art such as this lovely autumn leaf butterfly. The great thing about this craft is that you don't need to buy anything at all!
This window picture looks beautiful on display and really captures all that's best about autumn - especially when the sun shines through it! It is simply made with clear sticky film (sticky-back plastic), leaves and glitter, and can be adapted to a range of ages.
Next time you visit the beach, comb the shores with your children to gather supplies for your own spectacular beach sculptures! Please note that very strong glue is needed to make these sculptures, which, for safety, should only be handled by adults.
Make sure that the birds stay fed and happy this autumn / winter by making them this bird cake, and attract some interesting wildlife into your garden.
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This activity is a fun way to help children to develop their fine motor skills. It's really quick and easy to set up.
This super craft combines a bit of nature rummaging outdoors with some indoor painting fun. And who doesn't love miniature crafts like these?
Conkers are such a part of the British autumn that we thought we'd find a slightly different use for our conker collection! Younger children will enjoy the randomness of this painting activity, and rolling the conkers around is fun!
Here's a fun way to use up those empty horse chestnut shells. Watch out for the prickles!
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Next time you bake a cake don't throw away the egg shells - use them to create a lovely eggshell mosaic picture! Perfect as an Easter or spring craft.
Get outdoors and collect some interesting leaves - and then turn them into some even more interesting ghosts with the help of lots of white paint! A perfect Halloween craft for younger children...
These pinecone decorations are a quick and easy craft which children of all ages - even the youngest - will enjoy. My son made one of these when he was two year's old and we still proudly put it on the tree every year now that he is eighteen.
This is a brilliant nature craft for kids, who will love creating their own grass head monster and watching him sprout hair! One of our most popular crafts anytime!
This Hanging Leaves Garland makes a really super display for Harvest Festival, Autumn or Thanksgiving, and offers the benefit of the fun of leaf collecting and rubbing too!
Here's a fun project for those interesting leaves and twigs that you've collected on an autumn walk! Unfortunately our photo isn't the best - but we hope you can use your imagination and make your own leaf people to photograph!
Autumn is a fantastic time to take leaf rubbings and this craft is a lovely way to use them. Maybe it could be used to record a special walk or you could make a whole family of leaf fairies over the autumn period!
Here is a clever craft idea for summer. Kids can make this garden plaque extra special with all their treasures and display it in the garden to admire - or give it as a very special gift!
Measuring the rain in the UK can be very rewarding - at least you won't have to wait too long to get a result! Here are instructions for making a simple homemade rain gauge out of a plastic bottle - perfect for your experiments in measuring the weather.
Here is a brilliant scientific craft / experiment - making your own anemometer out of paper cups and sticks, and them learning how to measure the wind speed. You will end up with a very rough answer but a good understanding of how a real anemometer works!
We used bits and pieces from our junk cupboard as well as scraps of fabric and found objects from the garden to make this miniature indoor garden - a great project for a rainy afternoon, to being the outdoors inside!
This is a fun way to encourage children to think about how to measure wind direction, and why they might want to measure it. And of course, for some reason, weather vanes are often cockerel shaped - so ours is too! This easy craft includes a template for you to cut out.
This painted pumpkin or Jack-o-lantern is a fun alternative to carved pumpkins when there are young kids who want to get involved, and it lasts longer too.
Turn a pebble into something special with a bit of paint and imagination! Our pebble bumblebee craft is great for kids of all ages.
Turn a simple pebble into a ladybug - just follow our easy painting instructions and your children will be proud of the result! Even preschoolers can create a recognisable ladybird ... and as a paperweight it makes a great gift for mums, dads, or teachers.
Our pine cone mouse makes a cute little craft for kids - especially in the autumn when pine cones are plentiful.
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Feed the birds this autumn / winter with this pinecone bird feeder - fun to make with your kids!
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This pinecone Christmas tree craft is a super Christmas craft for children, who will enjoy painting the pinecone and sticking on the decorations! The finished craft makes a very cute miniature tree to display. You could make for each place setting at the Christmas table...
This cute pinecone elf is a fun "nature" craft to tackle with younger children, especially if you all go for a winter's walk first to look for pinecones. We did use a hot glue gun to make ours.
These make a super Thanksgiving or Harvest decoration, or are a fun craft for a "healthy eating" study or just for a rainy afternoon!
This potato print tractor is a fun painting activity all year round, although perhaps particularly appropriate at Harvest or Thanksgiving. It also provides a good opportunity to talk about shapes and sizes with young children.
Here is an unusual mosaic idea! Use the seeds of a pumpkin to make a mosaic of the pumpkin itself - but make it as sinister as you can for Halloween!
This pumpkin seed necklace, done in Halloween colours, makes a great accessory for Halloween and perfect for a witch's costume! Alternatively, paint in more autumnal colours and make it as an autumn/fall craft.
This salt dough apple wreath and its matching place card holders look very pretty displayed on a Thanksgiving or Harvest table, are sure to be brought out year after year. You could of course adapt the craft for other fruit and vegetables. Make sure you apply varnish if you want them to last!
Next time you visit the beach, bring home the supplies to make this Sandcastle Collage with your kids! Collect a little sand in a resealable bag or a small plastic food container or tub, and find some small, flat shells too.
As we move into autumn, you might notice that plants are being to make seeds, instead of flowers.
Take advantage of a trip to the beach to collect shells for this pretty shell photo frame - it makes a sweet gift which the kids can make themselves, too.
Use a lovely leaf and some twigs collected when out walking and turn them into a picture of an autumn tree with this fun stamping craft. Scroll down to see what the leaf looks like when it is ready to make the print - such fun!
Our Strawberry Necklace is an original summer craft for kids to make - with the added benefit that they can wear it proudly!
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To make a twig Christmas tree you will need twigs, so wrap the kids up warm and head outside to look for a good collection! This craft is best done with a hot glue gun so you will need to supervise carefully.
Here's a fun craft to do with the bits and pieces you collect on a nature walk, particularly on an autumn walk after a windy day when you might find leaves and conkers and twigs. Our photo isn't great but the twig fairy was lovely!
Kids will enjoy making this twig frame to display their artwork this autumn! This is a good craft to do after an autumn walk, particularly after a windy day when you can collect all sorts of fallen twigs.
Make twig snowflakes with the kids!
This is an unusual nature craft for older children, who will need to be supervised closely as they will be using lit candles and hot wax. The effect is really pretty, and unusual.
Why not weave an autumn loom to show off the treasures you collect on your walks during the season? We've also seen them referred to as "fairy looms" and they look fantastic on display in the garden.
