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Nature offers endless resources and gives us the most beautiful materials for crafting and being creative. Natural materials are free and sustainable, as you don't have to buy extra glitter and plastic to create. Whether pine cones, leaves, seeds, flowers, wood or stones: even small children can be involved in collecting and making. When it gets darker outside and the weather is rainy, you have the opportunity to conjure up wonderful craft ideas from the natural materials you have collected. Whether alone or together with the children: In this article you will find inspiration for uncomplicated crafting fun.
Crafting with natural materials: Inspired by nature
Autumn is a great time for a walk or a trip into nature. It's not too warm and not too cold and real treasures roll out everywhere. With a bag or basket you can collect unique materials that can be used to create truly one-of-a-kind items! After all, every stick, stone and cone is unique. Crafting is not only fun, it also promotes creativity and is helpful for fine motor skills and concentration at any age. If you've been collecting during the golden season but don't really know what to do with the natural material, here are the best craft ideas for autumn.
Pressing plants: magical cards and works of art for your home
A great idea for crafting with natural materials is to press plants and let them dry. Whether flowers or other stems and leaves, the end products can be used to create great decorations for the home or to give as gifts. All you need is a heavy book and some newspaper so that the leaves and flowers don't rub off on the book when pressed. To do this, put newspaper in the book and the plants you want in between. Then weigh it down with more books or another weight. You should change the newspaper every few days until the plant is completely dry. Depending on the type of plant, this can take up to 14 days. This can make great greeting cards, bookmarks or works of art for your walls. So that younger children can help with the crafting, you can help them with the delicate plants and give them beautiful vegan animal stickers to stick on.
Pine cones: simple ideas for decorating
Whether it's winter or spring, pine cones are a highlight for crafts at any time of year. They are one of those things that everyone likes to collect and are a great material for a variety of creations. Are you already planning for Christmas? How about a Christmas tree decorated with natural materials! Whether natural, gold, silver or painted red. Pine cones are an excellent replacement for Christmas tree balls and any other Christmas decorations. You can also make great mobiles out of them.
A particularly nice and sustainable idea is to make a bird feeder out of the cones you find. To do this, you first have to spread some peanut butter on the cone and then roll it in a bowl full of bird food. Tie the cone to a tree with a string and watch the birds eat.
Crowns made of dried leaves
Especially in autumn, nature gives us leaves in wonderful colors. From gold to burgundy, there are a wide variety of color nuances to discover. Once the children have collected lots of leaves, you can use them to make beautiful crowns and wreaths. All you need is a strip of cardboard, liquid glue and paint. The cardboard can be painted in a beautiful color or covered with special, sustainable flower stickers . Then stick the desired leaves on one after the other and the autumnal leaf crown is ready!
Chestnuts and acorns
In autumn, you can never collect enough chestnuts and acorns, as the possibilities and craft ideas are endless! From September to early November, the spiky shells open and reveal the great fruits, which can be used to make wonderful figures. With skewers, toothpicks and a small hand drill, you can easily make funny caterpillars, proud horses and chestnut men. Older children can do it all by themselves, but younger ones will need help drilling holes. Get some googly eyes and watch the kids get creative.
Stones: Paint and use creatively
Stones offer a wonderful opportunity to involve even the smallest children in crafts with natural materials. Any child who can hold a paintbrush can paint a stone. Flat, light-colored stones in particular can be turned into works of art with paint. If you spend more time on the beach than in the forest, you can also look for and paint shells along with the stones.
First, all stones or shells should be washed and scrubbed with an old toothbrush to remove any dirt. Once they are dry, you can start painting straight away. Acrylic paints or waterproof pens are best for this. You can be creative with the colors and conjure up endless motifs. From rainbows to fish to mandalas: each stone is truly unique.
Branches and driftwood: wreaths and colorful snakes
Driftwood in the most unusual shapes can be found on river banks, lakes or by the sea. The sanded wood is smooth and can be easily painted due to its light color. Young children can paint colorful snakes with watercolors, and parents and teenagers can also put together complicated mobiles or figures.
If you are in the forest, you can concentrate on collecting sticks and thinner branches. With a little practice, their elasticity means you can tie beautiful wreaths. These can then be used to create beautiful Advent wreaths, autumn wreaths or door wreaths.
Your creativity knows no bounds
No matter which natural materials you choose, there are no limits when it comes to crafting! If you already have enough decorations in your living room, you can also simply create works of art directly on the forest floor. Use good weather to go for walks and collect everything, and if the weather is bad, sit down at home with all the materials and see what you can best create with them. With beautiful colors, interesting stickers and a bit of glitter, any reluctant crafter is guaranteed to become an enthusiastic crafter!
