Nature Wands

 
 

It’s no secret that being outdoors and connecting with nature is good for children’s physical and mental health. These Nature Wands combine both a hands-on experience that cultivates curiosity for the natural world while allowing children an opportunity for whimsy. “Nature Wands” can be done anywhere, and require a few simple materials and a lot of imagination.

You’ll Need:

  • Sticks

  • A way to attach your found objects: tape (strong masking tape or packing tape), rubber bands, hair ties, string, thread, strips of fabric, wire or pipe cleaners 

  • Natural materials such as leaves, bark, petals, pods, seeds, grass, small stones, feathers, flowers, etc 

To Make:

  1. To begin, tell your children that you are going to spend the day in a magical world. Let them know they are going to transform into a wizard, fairy or a witch and encourage them to imagine their new identity - names, what their magical powers are, and the like. Explain that every good magical being needs a wand!

  2. Next, gather your materials. Set out with collection bags, and take your children on a walk, either around the neighborhood, to a park or even throughout your front or backyard. First, they must find a sturdy stick. After they have chosen their stick, invite them to begin collecting natural materials- leaves, petals, pods, seeds, grass, small stones, feathers, and flowers. 

  3. Finally, attach your materials to your wands! This can be done in different ways,depending on the materials you have available. Choose from any of the methods below, or, engineer one of your own! There is no right or wrong way to design a Nature Wand. This is a great opportunity for your child to personalize their project and pour their own unique magic into it.

    METHOD #1: Rubber Bands: Gather a small pile of rubber bands or hair ties. Wrap 3-4 bands around different parts of the stick, avoiding placing one near the base of the stick where you will hold your wand. Make sure they are snug but not too tight, because this is where you will attach your nature treasures! Insert leaves, flowers, and other collected gems underneath the rubber bands.

    METHOD #2: Tape: Begin by cutting a long piece of tape, about 4 times the length of your stick. Line one end of the tape up with one end of the stick, and hold it against the base of the stick with the sticky side up. While holding the end of the stick, carefully wrap the tape tightly around the stick on an angle until the entire stick is covered (remember, sticky side up!) leaving room at the bottom to hold your wand. Then secure the end of the tape to the other end of the stick with a smaller piece of tape. From here, simply stick your nature treasures onto the tape.    

  4. METHOD #3: Wrapping: Using pieces of yarn, ribbon, or even thin shreds of fabric that you can use to wrap around your sticks can add an extra pop of color and creativity to your wand. Tie your “thread” to the base of your stick, leaving room at the bottom to hold. From there, begin wrapping your thread around your natural items by holding your leaves or feathers or the like in place against the stick and tightly wrapping the thread around them.

    METHOD #4: Coiling: This method requires a pipe-cleaner or piece of wire.Attach the pipe-cleaner or wire to one end of the stick, coil up and around the stick, and then secure it at the other end of the stick. This can be densely coiled or sparsely coiled. As with Method #1 above, make sure that this is snug but not too tight. Finally, simply slip your nature treasures under the coils. 

Napp Network