Outdoor Activity: Nature Bracelets
Photo by Lê Hồng
The community playthings.com website offers ideas for a nature walk and activity, making bracelets using natural objects.
This simple outdoor activity invites children to use their natural inclination to observe tiny details in nature to explore, observe and collect tiny natural items (“the ones too small to save in a pocket”) to use to construct a nature walk bracelet. The only requirements are sticky tape (2” clear tape is recommended) and the natural world.
The process, as outlined on the website, is as follows:
Think through where you will walk. You’ll want to walk through places where you will find nature to pick up, such as the woods, fields, a park, or around the edge of your yard.
Introduce the idea: give suggestions, or let children explore what sticks (and what doesn’t).
Cut tape to wrist lengths and put on each child’s wrist, sticky side out, leaving wiggle room so bracelets can be removed easily.
Enjoy the walk while children pick up items and add to their bracelets until they are full.
Admire and discuss what they found together.
The article notes that the object is not about creating a keepsake, but about increasing awareness and connection to the natural world, while strengthening coordination and dexterity, deepening awareness of seasonal changes in the natural world, experimenting with weight, stickiness and classification, describing and comparing collections, and creating something that is unique and particular to the interests of the individual.