Nature activities are my favorite. If you’re new to reading my blog, I love to post about crafts and science projects, and most of them are related to nature.
As a kid, I spent a lot of time outdoors in nature. Either that or curled up with a good book. Ah the 80s, a time before screens and video games became widespread.
So, anytime I can come up with an activity that leads my kids (and yours) to take an interest in and learn about nature is a good day.
So, here’s a list of a few cool nature and science activities that I’ve come up with. I hope you and your kids love ’em.
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To get to any of these nature kids’ activities just click the title and it will take you right to the tutorial!
Leaf Identification Book DIY
One of my all-time favorite posts right here. I remember creating many a leaf book years ago as a kid.
You’d go out and collect the leaves in the fall, identify them and then place them in a leaf book.
It was a cool way to learn about different species of trees in the area and got kids outside and discovering nature.
This post shows how we created a leaf book, gives the supplies we used and shows the way to make a leaf index. Definitely one to check out!
Watercolor and Salt Painting
This post isn’t exactly about nature, but it is about science. And this is a very neat and easy project to do with the kids.
I say it’s about science because the salt absorbs the water creating interesting patterns on the paper. And you can give kids a mini science lesson about why we get so thirsty after eating salty foods!
You just need watercolor paper, paint, craft paintbrushes and salt.
The reason that there are buttons glued atop the watercolor scene is because we combined this painting activity with a 100 days of school project.
An easy and fun painting activity to check out, for sure!
Woolly Bear Caterpillar Pom Pom Craft
This cute pom pom craft allows kids to make their very own woolly bear caterpillar using yarn and pipe cleaners.
Since this caterpillar is made from pipe cleaners you can even curl it up in your hand just like the real thing!
And this post is not only a craft activity, but there are also neat woolly bear science facts included.
This way the kids not only get to make their own, but they also get to learn information about these interesting creatures that many know and love.
Bird Painting Ideas for Kids
This pretty bird painting is easy for kids to create using craft sponges and acrylic paint.
We chose to paint Bluejays and Cardinals in our tutorial. Then, at the end of the post, we listed a few cool facts about these interesting birds.
There is also a free tree printable if you are creating this craft with younger children. And older kids can choose to add more details to their painting.
This art activity can be tailored to include any bird that lives in your area, and kids can make as many birds as they like.
With a few simple supplies kids can learn about birds and complete an art activity in the process!
Seashell Art Creating Ocean Animals
This is a fun nature craft for both kids and adults.
We had a lot of seashells built up over the years and also inherited some from my mother-in-law.
So, this activity allowed us to use some of those old seashells. And then gave us a pretty picture to display on a shelf or wall.
This nature project only uses 4 supplies and is fun to complete after a beach trip. It helps to have a bunch of smaller shells and also some larger ones to create these ocean life designs.
During the process, you can talk about the different sea creatures that you are creating as you arrange the shells.
We chose to make a seahorse, jellyfish, turtle and angler fish with our seashell collection.
Tips for Shark Tooth Hunting
This isn’t a craft project, but I wanted to include this post in the list too. And if you find enough shark teeth you could absolutely do a craft with the teeth you find!
I’ve seen some cool pictures that use shark teeth to form a picture of a shark.
I love to look for shells and shark teeth with my kiddos when I go to the beach and this post includes some useful information about finding those elusive treasures!
There’s also a shark tooth hunting book linked in this post that’s such a good read. It contains a lot of information if you’re headed down to the Carolinas for vacation.
Definitely a post to check out if you’re headed to the beach this summer!
Gnome Home Building Project for Kids
I found some cute spring Dollar Tree gnomes and mushrooms which fostered this idea of allowing the kids to create a gnome home.
With Tumbling Tower game blocks, square wood pieces and craft sticks we created a few gnome homes. Then added moss, mushroom, flowers and gnomes all from Dollar Tree to decorate them.
This post shows which glue we used and how we built these gnome houses. Your kiddos could even make two story ones. The ideas are limitless, and it gives kids a fun building activity in the process!
Final Thoughts on These Nature Project Ideas
Which nature science activity was your favorite in this list? I plan on adding to it as we create more projects so be sure to save this list for later!
Nature and science have always intrigued me, and I hope that these ideas may foster an interest in the outdoors and learning about different plants and animals.
Exploring the world, from forests to beaches, is sometimes forgotten in this time period that focuses on TVs and computers.
So, any activity that encourages a love of nature is a win in my book!
And your kiddos may even come up with their own nature-inspired activities! If they do, please share in the comments!
Please leave me any question down below, and, as always, thanks so much for reading!
Now it’s time to pick a nature activity to do with those kiddos this summer or fall. Create something cool and learn about nature and science in the process!
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