Nature Weaving
We did this fun nature weaving craft the other day when it was warm out and the leaves and flowers were all starting to sprout. The kids loved collecting materials for their weaving craft, and then strategically placing all their flowers and leaves!
And honestly, I think they're nature crafts turned out better than mine! (Why is that? That my kids' aesthetic sense always outstrips my own?)
This was a fun nature activity to do in our backyard. It kept the kids busy for a good half-hour, and once the leaves and flowers dry out, they can weave in another nature pattern with a fresh collection of materials.
Nature Weaving Craft for Kids
This is a great, creative activity to do with the kids either on a nature walk or just in your own backyard.
Have the kids gather some materials, like flowers, leaves, sticks, grasses... and weave them into a hand-made loom.
Materials
- 4 sticks of roughly equal size
- twine, string, or yarn
- hot glue gun
- things found in nature
Nature Weaving Activity
To get the kids started on this nature weaving activity, first you have to make a simple loom. Making a loom is actually quite easy, especially because this loom can be quite rough.
To Make a Loom
- Gather 4 sticks of roughly equal size.
- Lash the sticks together at the ends to form a square or rectangle, using twine, string, or yarn.
- Use hot glue to secure each corner of your loom.
- Wrap another length of twine, string, or yarn around the loom, lengthwise, to create your weaving surface.
Once your loom is complete, have the kids gather their nature materials and carefully weave them into the loom.
What to gather
- flowers
- leaves
- grasses
- small sticks or twigs
- feathers
- moss
- pussy willows
- hay/wheat/straw/etc.
- anything else that you find in nature that you think might be weave-able
As the kids weave objects into their looms, have them observe which are the easiest and which the most difficult to weave.
Over time, what happens to the objects that you've woven? Do they wilt? Which types of natural objects last the longest in the loom? Which wilt the fastest?
Rebecca is a chaplain at a girls’ school, a mom to boys, and a crafter of all things. She crochets in every free moment she has, and she spends much of her time gluing cotton balls to toilet paper rolls and mopping up glitter.
