Nature Play Lab

Make Things Inspired by the Outdoors

This section is about creating with what nature gives us.

Using simple materials like sticks, acorns, leaves, and stones, kids can build, design, and imagine—without needing screens or store-bought kits.

These projects are meant to spark creativity, encourage time outdoors, and help kids see everyday natural objects in new ways.

Nature Figures

Find twigs, acorns, moss and other material from your backyard or park. Arrange the shapes and stick them together (hot glue is very handy).

Want to go further, make a story about how these characters met each other, or went on an adventure.

A small sculpture or craft of an animal made from natural materials such as twigs, leaves, and a pine cone, placed on a stone surface outdoors near a brick wall and grass.
A small sculpture of a person sitting on a rock, made of natural materials like nuts, sticks, and leaves, with a flower on the head, set outdoors on grass.

Fairy Garden

A small brick pathway leading to a tree trunk in an outdoor garden scene that is supposed to be a fairy garden. Surrounding ground covered with mulch, grass, and some small plants.

Terracotta path leading to the moss covered fairy garden

Close-up of tree trunk with moss and small plants growing on it, with a stone on the ground and a building in the background.

Fairy kitchen with a little stone sink

BookMarks

This is the project of two middle schoolers who are raising funds to save the Amazonian rain forest. All proceeds will be donated to a charity. Go to “Products” link to buy these.

Colorful drawing of a jungle scene with the words "FIGHT for the FORESTS!" and a cartoon leopard among trees and leaves.
A dog like figure made from small pine cone glued to a miniature wooden stick, is placed on a stone surface with grass and a brick wall in the background.
A natural outdoor scene showing a seed cone with lots of fuzzy, brown seed scales, sitting on a small twig in green grass. The cone is decorated with googly eyes and small pieces of brown fur, giving it a whimsical, human-like appearance.
A tree with a hollow at its base, surrounded by grass, moss, leaves, and small plants, with some stones and a brick near the tree trunk.

A mud well is where fairies get their water

Close-up of a tree with two trunks, moss, and a small stone at the base, surrounded by grass and rocks.

Fairy beds made of stone and moss

Colorful drawing of various Amazon rainforest animals including a parrot, sloth, jaguar, frog, butterfly, and snake, with the words "Save the Amazonian Animals!" written among them.
Colorful hand-drawn illustration with the text 'Books are made of TREES!' and drawings of books, trees, and a heart.