There’s something magical about turning nature into art! Making butterfly and circle sun catchers with pressed dried flowers is a beautiful way for nannies to encourage creativity, fine motor skills, and an appreciation for nature with kids. They are keepsakes they’ll be proud to display long after the craft is finished. Be sure to read […]
Pressed Flower Clay Decorations and Coasters
July 22, 2026 Leave a Comment
Looking for a wonderful nature craft for kids this summer? These DIY Dried Pressed Flower Ornaments, Magnets, and Coasters are made with air-dry clay are a fun, hands-on activity that encourages creativity, strengthens fine motor skills, and helps children explore the beauty of nature. Whether you’re a nanny, parent, teacher, or au pair, this simple […]
Salt Dough Nature Print Pendants
July 15, 2026 3 Comments
Bring a little bit of nature indoors with these simple salt dough keepsakes! Kids will love pressing real flowers and leaves into the dough to create beautiful textured prints. Once the pieces have dried, they can paint their one-of-a-kind creations, turning everyday treasures from a nature walk into colorful works of art they’ll be proud […]
Why Kids Should Paint with Natural Paintbrushes
August 13, 2025 Leave a Comment
Who needs synthetic paint bristles when the forest is full of flair? Inspired by “Wonder Art Workshop” by Sally Haughey — a magical mashup of art and nature — we’re making Nature Paintbrushes. So go on and gather eco-friendly, natural bristles, bind them to twigs, paint, and repeat. You Will Need: Sticks (aka nature’s handle)Leaves, […]
Outdoor Nature Sorting
August 6, 2025 Leave a Comment
Summer learning has never been so fun! Read “Hello Hello: Opposites” by Brendan Wenzel with the children In your care then sort items you find in nature into opposites outside. “Hello Hello: Opposites” by Brendan Wenzel is a vibrant and engaging picture book that explores the concept of opposites through a wide array of animals. […]
Matching Colors in Nature
August 9, 2023 Leave a Comment
Using a self-adhesive laminating sheet and cardboard I made this color matching game for my Nanny Kid to take on a nature hike. I had her walk around her yard and neighborhood to see if she could find petals of similar colors on the matching board. You Will Need: Cardboard Scissor and Xacto Knife Self-Adhesive […]
Handheld Butterfly Sun Catchers
June 22, 2022 3 Comments
This recycled craft is a simple and clever way to teach children about primary and secondary colors while recycling empty paper tubes. I allowed the children to decorate the craft sticks and choose what colored wings they wanted on their butterflies. But I used a glue gun to make all the wings without the kids […]
Mondrian Sidewalk Chalk Art
August 26, 2020 Leave a Comment
Creative Wednesdays Known for his Modernism abstract paintings, Piet Mondrian used the simplest combination of straight lines and right angles, creating geometric shapes of bold primary colors. After showing the kids paintings by Mondrian and reading “Coppernickel Goes Mondrian” go outside to make similar art using sidewalk chalk. Of course on a rainy day you […]
Summer Learning: Phonics Flower
August 5, 2020 1 Comment
Creative Wednesdays I’m not sure when or where I first learned to make phonics flowers but I started making them for the kids in my care in 1993. The goal of phonics is to enable beginning readers to decode new written words by sounding them out. Phonemic awareness helps children hear, identify, and manipulate spelling […]
Touch and Feel Sensory Balloons
July 29, 2020 Leave a Comment
Is this sand? Summer Learning: What Do You Feel? Summertime is a great time to head outdoors into nature’s classroom. Summer provides a perfect opportunity for kids to touch and feel new things. Kids love to feel and play with sand, touch soft petals on flowers, play with mud, touch and paint with soft feathers, […]
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