As spring approaches, kids are really excited to get back outdoors! One of my favorite activities for this time of year is to make nature crowns. Kids love exploring outside and collecting things to put in their crowns. When we do this activity HealthBarn USA, we love seeing the cool things that kids find in nature!
Time: 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the length of the nature walk.
Materials: Poster board, scissors, tape, stapler and access to a park, backyard, or any outdoor space.
Adult prep:
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- Take a piece of poster board in your favorite color (the HealthBarn kids love neons!) and cut a 4-inch-wide strip, lengthwise, down the paper.
- Cut small alternating triangles out of one side to create the shape of a crown.
- Cut small horizontal slits into the crown approximately 2 inches apart.
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Kids’ activity:
- Go on a nature hunt with a small basket or paper bag to collect what you find. Some favorites of the HealthBarn kids are: cattails, leaves, sticks, mint to make your crown smell great, and veggies to snack on when they get hungry! Anything goes, so let the creativity run wild!
- Carefully place your nature finds in the crown slits so they are secure and tape the inside of the stuff to the crown to make sure you don’t lose anything.
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Seedlings show off their crowns!
An adult or friend should measure and tape or staple the crown to the size of the child’s head, and cut off the excess.
- Wear the nature crown and display it proudly around the house or in the neighborhood! It’s perfect for birthday parties and playdates.
– Stacey Antine, MS RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, co-host, Family Food Expert Internet Radio Show, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitian magazine for her work with HealthBarn USA
A healthy lifestyle isn’t all about food: keeping kids active and fostering their creativity is essential for healthy development, too! In this blog, I’ll be sharing weekly activity ideas for families to do together.
