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By Reba Luiken, Arboretum coordinator of informal interpretation
All you need is some glue and some pieces of nature to get this project started. Begin with a nature walk to collect your materials, making sure to only collect things that have fallen on the ground.
Get inspired by medium-sized objects, like pine cones and pieces of tree bark that could be the body of your creature. Spring is a great time to collect bark because many trees like Maples and Birches shed their bark in the warmer weather.
You will probably need eyes for your animal. Acorn caps work well, but you might also use dandelions, small pebbles or other round objects. You could even add googly eyes.
If you have an animal in mind as you collect, you might look for special features of that animal. A bird could have feathers made from maple helicopters. A beaver might need a special tail cut from birch bark.
I was not sure which animals to create from my bark and pine cones, so I started by adding acorn eyes with my glue. A hot glue gun would work best, but I used wood glue for my creations. You could also use school glue, but heavy things like acorn caps might need to be held on while they dry. You could use a paper clip as a clamp.
With eyes, each of my creations started to take on their own personality. I thought the long, curling piece of bark might be a snake, but it turned into an ancient fish when I added another piece of bark for its nose. The pinecone looked like an owl to me, so I added a smaller pine cone for a beak and tree seeds for feathers.
Once you have your nature creatures, it's time to play. You might create a home for your animal (check out this post about building Nature Nests for inspiration), give it a name, or make it some friends. See the photo of the owl enjoying my nature nest!
Other children's activities at the Arb:
Virtual Library Storytime | Tune into the Anderson Horticultural Library's virtual Thursday Children’s Storytime. Lee Anne Laskey reads to us from home, and the recording is available each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. until the next one is posted.
PlantMaker Studio Online | Dive into nature this season with projects that you can do where you live, with materials you already have on hand. A new video is posted online each week with fun activities designed to help you discover and explore the plants and habitats that live around you. This week's project is a Homemade Nature Notebook.