Five Nature Inspired Easter Crafts

Some of our favorite traditions this time of year are making seasonal nature crafts. Not only are they beautiful and unique but they get us outside, moving our bodies and connecting with our surroundings. The first step to most of these crafts is foraging for nature treasures. This can be done in your yard, at the park, on a walk or even at the beach. Have your child bring a bag, bucket, basket or anything easy for them to carry and explore to find things in nature that catch their eye. Make sure to talk about things we don’t touch beforehand. You can make a list of things you’d like to find or leave it open ended to see what your children come up with. I hope you and your family enjoy these as much as we do. 

EASTER BUNNY NATURE PICTURE 

• You will need:
• 2 bunny ear-shaped leaves
• 1 bunny face-shaped leaf
• Twigs or pine needles for whiskers
• Something pink (bunny’s nose)
• Something white (bunny’s teeth)
• Googly eyes
• Construction paper
• Craft glue

Place your ear and face leaves where you would like them on your construction paper. Apply glue and lay flat until glue is tacky, a hairdryer can speed up this process. Draw your mouth and stick on the teeth, nose and eyes. Then apply more glue for the twigs. Use markers or more nature treasures to color in the background. Lay flat to dry.

CLAY EASTER EGG DECORATION

• You will need:
• Air-Dry Clay 
• Rolling pin
• Egg shaped cookie cutter
• Twine or yarn
• Nature treasures (ferns, shells, leaves or anything with a unique shape)
• Roll the clay out flat about 1/4 inch thick. Use your cookie cutter to cut out the eggs. Make as many as you’d like. Create a small hole at the top of the egg to pass a piece of twine through, we use a metal reusable straw. Make imprints in the clay using your nature treasures. Place the clay eggs onto a flat surface to harden overnight. You can add paint or glitter to decorate. Then string your twine or yarn through the hole to finish your eggs. These can be strung together to make a garland or kept as single eggs. 

PLANT AN EGG HERB GARDEN

• You will need:
• Egg carton
• Eggshells
• Your favorite herb seeds (we like parsley, basil and chives)
• Soil
• Before starting this craft make sure you have an egg dish in mind to make because you will be cracking lots of eggs. A scramble, quiche or french toast are all great options. Crack eggs with one large piece of shell and one small. Place the large piece in the egg box and fill it with soil. Insert the seeds following the specific instructions on each of the seed packets. Water the soil and leave your herb garden in a bright, warm place for the seeds to sprout. If you want to transfer the plants into your garden later, you can place the whole thing (eggshell and all) directly in! 

NATURE EGGS

• You will need:
• Cardboard or cardstock 
• Double sided tape and/or craft glue
• Nature treasures (flowers, acorns, small rocks, leaves or anything your kiddo can’t leave behind)
• Cut cardboard or cardstock paper in the shape of an egg. You can draw designs on a few of the eggs for guidance and leave some blank to see what your kiddos will come up with.  Depending on how large or heavy your treasures are, use glue or double sided tape to add your nature items to the eggs. Lay flat to dry. 

BIRD NEST

• You will need:
• Pipe cleaners
• Moss
• Ribbons
• Play dough/Clay
• Nature treasures (twigs, leaves and small sticks)

Start by weaving the pipe cleaners into the shape of a nest.Tuck and weave the moss, ribbons, and nature treasures to fill in any holes. Make a bowl of play dough or clay and fit it inside the nest to solidify the structure (like birds do with mud!). Finally, place some eggs or painted rocks inside. 

Watching your child’s imagination come to life and seeing them be proud of something they have made is such a special experience as a parent. Pairing that with the fresh beauty that surrounds us makes for a magical time of year. Happy hunting, happy crafting and Happy Easter!