The Nature Play WA team have compiled a list of Christmas craft projects that families can have a crack at this December.
The lead-up to Christmas can often feel more stressful than is necessary. There are presents to hunt down, cards to write, seemingly endless end-of-year events, and perpetual planning for Christmas Day. Add a tribe of kids on school holidays to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for exhaustion.
Here’s our suggestion: Switch a shopping centre afternoon of neon lights and Christmas carol remixes for an outdoors crafternoon of gum nuts and glitter.
We’ve found a range of crafty projects to add some homemade cheer to your family’s Christmas. This list should get you started, but remember – you can always harness the almighty power of Pinterest (and the internet in general) to find more projects.
Christmas nature craft gives kids the chance to get festive and imaginative, and (as a bonus!) it’ll probably keep them occupied for a few solid hours.
In the name of research, we rolled our sleeves up and got to work…
Nature Based Christmas Decorations
Giant Christmas Wreath
Click for directions.
Have you ever seen a Christmas wreath this gigantic? It’s actually made with a hula-hoop as the base! We covered our hoop in hessian and used gumtree leaf cuttings, but you can use any type of branches/flowers/leaves you wish to. Just remember to be respectful when foraging, it’s best to stick to your own back yard. You can leave your wreath au naturel or spray paint it metallic silver or gold.
Rustic Christmas Tree Ornament
Click for directions.
Putting an Aussie twist on this project, we substituted hard-to-find pinecones for good old gum nuts. Wash them, dry them, paint them (optional) and string them up with jingle bells to create merry little gum nut ornaments. We used a drill to make a small hole in the top of each gumnut, then twisted in little eyelet screws before going nuts with the metallic spray-can. Advanced move – reach for the pot of glitter!
Christmas Tree Weave
Click for directions.
Bust out the hot glue gun for this project! Make a Christmas tree frame from sticks, then let the kids loose outside to collect some green leaves. Sit back and watch them have fun threading the leaves through the frame to create a very cool Christmas tree weave.
Nature-based Christmas DIY Gifts
Looking for ideas for handmade gifts that are as much fun for the receiver as the giver? Your kids can try their hand at homemade soap, go shell-collecting and create a beachy wind chime, or make a keepsake handprint in the sand from plaster of Paris. All that’s left to decide is which lucky family member they want to give their creations to.
Low or no-cost gifts for kids
Going one step further, the team at Nature Play WA have put their heads together and created a list of nature-based gift ideas that would suit any little nature player. When the Christmas hype dies down and the kids are tired of their shiny new toys, you’ll be glad that these items are around. Click here to see the list.