The Best Crafts To Make Outdoors
Soaking up vitamin D and participating in fun activities outdoors offers stimulation that sitting in front of a TV screen simply cannot. If you’re looking for new ways to encourage your family to spend time in your backyard, consider throwing a family crafting day! Keep reading for inspiration and ideas for the best crafts to make outdoors with your family.
Leaf Art
Crafting is an excellent outlet for your child’s imagination. If you want to spend time outdoors with your child but don’t have a ton of crafting supplies, try making leaf art. Leaf art is simple to make and requires minimal crafting supplies. First, have your child pick their favorite leaf, then have them glue their leaf to a sheet of construction paper.
Once the leaf is secure, your child can add eyes, a nose, and a smile to their new friend. Kids can use construction paper to cut out customized clothes for their leaves as well. The larger your child’s imagination, the better!
Supplies
- Leaves
- Glue-on eyes
- Glitter
- Construction Paper
- Glue
- Scissors
Craft a Compass
Does your family love to explore the great outdoors? Then creating a compass with your kids is an excellent way to foster this creativity. Building a DIY compass is quick and easy; however, this craft does require adult supervision for safety.
Adults will start this craft by taking a standard sewing needle and stroking it against a magnet 50 times. This process magnetizes the needle. Next, adults will repeat the same 50 stokes on the opposite side of the needle. Once your needle is thoroughly magnetized, take a bottle cork and cut a thin slice off the top of it.
The cork slice will be the base of the compass. Next, insert the magnetized needle sideways into the cork. Once you connect these two pieces, place your cork and needle in a bowl of water.
Your magnetized needle will rotate the cork with the same motion and efficiency as a regular compass!
Supplies
- Needle
- Magnet
- Cork
- Bowl of water
Tie-Dye
This classic indoor craft is much more fun and carefree when done outdoors. If you’re looking for a bigger project, then tie-dye is one of the best crafts to make outdoors with your family. Not only will kids enjoy the creative freedom of designing their own clothes, but they’ll also be able to hold onto these shirts as a fond family memory.
For minimal mess, we recommend setting up a tarp outside and wetting the fabrics you’ll dye first. Then, allow your kids to pick their favorite colors and create their own patterns. Color coordination and pattern recognition are just a few of the essential skills your kid learns while crafting.
Supplies
- Tarp
- Fabric to dye
- Set of colored dye
- Rubber bands
- Plastic bags
Don’t spend the summer inside! Instead, try some of these outdoor crafts to bond with your family in the sunshine.
