Tutorials is where you’ll find detailed instructions for our fun DIYs and all our crafty makes.
Making this easy bird seed cake with children is a great activity to get them engaged with the local wildlife Not only will they have fun making these little bird feeders, you’ll also encourage birds into your garden, where the kids will be able to watch them more easily.
Bird seed cakes are simple enough for even very young children to have a go at – and the worms are entirely optional!
This easy apple bird feeder is a great nature craft to do with children, especially in late autumn and into winter when the birds are struggling to find food.
Stringing up a feeder or two is also a great way to bring birds into your garden if you want to try a bit of bird spotting too, and you might be surprised who comes over for dinner!
These twiggy Santa Sticks are an old Forest School favourite woodcraft, and would normally be made using a sharp knife to carve Father Christmas’ hat, face, and beard. But the sessions I run often include preschool children who might be a bit young or inexperienced for knife work.
So I wanted to try making Santa Sticks using different equipment that would be less challenging to master for very small children, and that parents would feel comfortable to do with them.
The method I’ve come up with uses cheap and readily-available tools that are easy and safe for little fingers, and can be used again and again to make a whole family of Santas, and a village of elves as well!
Glow-worms and fireflies have to be among the most magical creatures around. Living creatures that glow; is there anything stranger or more wonderful?
When we discovered there is a native British (or rather, European) glow-worm, we were inspired to make a lantern version, that shines just like the real thing.
Quick and easy to do, they are a great way to inspire children to learn about real glow-worms and the magic of bioluminescence. Read on to find out how to make them!
Continue readingThese DIY clay star ornaments were a simple to make, and are the perfect Christmas decoration. It’s a family tradition to create something new each year, and as these are so easy, this project is a great one to do with the kids in the lead up to the festive season.
Want to make some too? Read on to find out how.
Think of ancient Egypt, and there’s an image that immediately comes to mind – King Tutankhamun’s mask. So when number one son was set a homework project to make something Egyptian, there was only one thing he wanted to do. And this was even after I’d told him about crocodile mummies.
We wanted to make a mask as much like the real King Tut’s as possible, and with a little bit of work and quite a lot of mess, we made a fantastic (and even wearable!) facsimile.
Our DIY Tutankhamun’s mask was a lot of fun to do, and was actually pretty easy. Read on to find out how we made it.
Last Halloween I had the challenge of putting together a pumpkin trail for small children. This meant carving pumpkins that were friendly rather than frightening, and more gorgeous than gruesome. And so what could be more perfect for little ones than a Pumpkin Animals trail?
Want some inspiration and ideas for your own unscary pumpkins? Read on to see what I made!
Continue readingThese hedgehog pumpkins are are perfect non-scary halloween decorations for little children. What’s more, even tiny tots can get involved in making them.
Want to see how? Read on to find out!
One of our favourite autumn and Halloween activities for kids is making this adorable pumpkin bird feeder. They are really easy to make, look amazing hanging from the trees, and, as they are made from all natural materials, are great for the wildlife in more ways than one.
Want to make some with your kids? Read on to find out how.
One of our favourite autumn activities is making conker creatures. Like most families, we absolutely love collecting conkers (or horse chestnuts) in the autumn. There’s something so tactile about those smooth, shiny shells that’s just irresistible. A conker hunt means the thrill of finding a shiny conker hiding under crinkly leaves, or revealing hidden treasure by winkling them out from a spiky green casing. Just irresistible!
It takes the kids no time at all to amass a great big pile of them and, as they last for ages, they make a great material for some lovely autumn crafts. We’ve come up with lots of ideas on how to use them, and one activity we often do, is creating these cute Conker Creatures.
